CZECH REPUBLIC

Location - Eastern Europe; Capital - Prague; Population - 11 million; Currency - Czech Crown (Koruna) MORE CZECH REPUBLIC

At the beginning of 2012 I spent about ten days in the Czech Republic, returning to London by train - January 2012.

100 Czech Crowns. Eventually the Czech Republic will enter the Euro zone.

A painting outside a bar in Prague advertises Pilsner Urquell, the original pilsner beer. Of course Pilsner Urquell is a Czech beer.

Climbing the old castle steps to Prague Castle's eastern entrance - Prague

Look down on the city from the hill on which Prague Castle is built - Prague

Golden Lane is a section of the castle comprising 16th century cottages - Prague

No.22 Golden Lane was inhabited by Czech author Franz Kafka in 1916/17 - Prague

Prague Castle covers a huge area and is made up of several buildings linked by lanes and courtyards. It dates to the 9th century and was expanded and reconstructed over the centuries. Above is the Basilica of St George - Prague

Standing opposite the basilica, in St George Square, is the massive St Vitus Cathedral - Prague

Keeping a watchful eye (actually maybe he isn't) on the tourists below - St Vitus Cathedral, Prague

The bright colours of St Vitus Cathedral's stained-glass windows - Prague

Inside the cathedral is St Wenceslas Chapel, containing the tomb of St Wenceslas, duke of Bohemia in the 10th century and also known as Good King Wenceslas - Prague

Also within the grounds of Prague Castle, and lining the Third Courtyard, is the Old Royal Palace - Prague

A doorway next to the entrance to the Story of Prague Castle - Prague

West of the castle - at Loreta Square - is the Loreta, a Christian pilgrimage site - Prague

The 18th century Cernin Palace was used as the SS Headquarters during Nazi occupation - Prague

The pathway to the Petrin Tower affords some good views of the city, Prague Castle and the Vltava River - Prague

Go up Petrin Tower for more views. The wall below is the 14th century Hunger Wall, built by the poor in return for food - Prague

Walk down from the castle-area along Nerudova to Mala Strana Square - Prague

There's quite a few absinthe shops in the Czech Republic; this one is on Nerudova - Prague

Uowards to the castle from Mala Strana Square - Prague

The John Lennon Wall is dedicated to political graffiti and messages of peace and love - Prague

Love padlocks on the bridge to Kampa Island - Prague

The 15th century Charles Bridge spans the Vltava River - Prague

Staying on the west side of the river, the Franz Kafka Museum lies on the Vltava banks - Prague

In the museum courtyard is David Cerny's Piss sculpture. This photo shows what happens to any coins thrown in - Prague

This is described as the narrowest street in Prague, complete with pedestrian traffic lights which never seemed to change

Crossing the pedestrian Charles Bridge (Karluv Most) to the Old Town - Prague

These guns were hanging in the courtyard of an exhibition - Prague

The cobbled streets of the Old Town, called Stare Mesto in Czech - Prague

Covered outdoor restaurants sell mulled wine and hot chocolate in Little Square, with the Old Town Square's Church of Our Lady Before Tyn in the background - Prague

The Astronomical Clock on the left in the Old Town Square - Prague

The impressive spires of the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn - Prague

Every hour tourists crowd around the Old Town Hall's Astronomical Clock, waiting for the 12 Apostles to show themselves in the windows - Prague

Besides displaying the normal time, the Astronomical Clock also has an astrological and sunset clock. Or something like that - I'm confused.. Prague

A trumpeter from the balcony of the Old Town Hall clock tower will also do his business on the hour - Prague

On the right is the Old Town Hall and tower, as seen from the Old Town Square.
The square is a hive of tourist activity at all hours - Prague

The Jan Hus statue and St Nicholas Church are also in the Old Town Square - Prague

The building on the left is the birthplace of Franz Kafka and now an exhibition centre in his honour. On the right is St Nicholas Church - Prague

Take the lift up to the balcony of the Old Town Hall tower for some sweeping vistas of Prague, including the castle in the distance

Prague Castle's St Vitus Cathedral can be seen from many places around the city - Prague

Check what's going on in the Little Square beneath the Old Town Hall - Prague

Prague's Old Town, leading westwards to the hill on top of which the Petrin Tower is located

The Old Town Square and the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn.
On the right, a few hundred metres back, is the Powder Gate - Prague

The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn is ever-so-slightly off the Old Town Square and getting up close means straining the neck - Prague

The Little Square stretches a little further. Notice a couple of old open-roof cars available for hire - Prague

A street in the Old Town around midnight on a Friday. I get the impression that Prague in the summer isn't this quiet.

Na Prikope connects the Powder Gate to Wenceslas Square - Prague

Wenceslas Square is a busy area full of bars and restaurants - Prague

The National Museum is at the end of Wenceslas Square - Prague

Take in the whole of Wenceslas Square from the National Museum. On the left is a statue of St Wenceslas - Prague

Candles in memory of Vaclav Havel, former president and first leader of Czechoslovakia following the Velvet Revolution against communism, who died in December 2011 - Prague

At 216metres the TV Tower is the tallest building in Prague

Crawling along the TV Tower are several babies, courtesy of David Cerny's 'Miminka' installation - Prague

Babies on the TV Tower - Prague

A sculpture above a shop in the Old Town - Prague

Vysehrad Fortress (its walls visible on the left) lies above the Vltava River - Prague

The Old-New Synagogue forms part of the Prague Jewish museum and dates to 1270 - Prague

Also part of the museum is the Klaus Synagogue with the Old Jewish Cemetery behind (not visible) - Prague

This sculpture is outside the Roberta Guttmanna Gallery and the Spanish Synagogue - Prague

Head for the bridge east of the Old Town's St Agnes Convent for these views - Prague

Another take on Prague Castle while walking along Dvorakovo Nabrezi - Prague

A quiet backstreet in Stare Mesto (Old Town) - Prague

I really like David Cerny's sculptures - Prague

This one - called 'Hanging Around' - is on Husova Street in the southern part of the Old Town - Prague

This memorial is dedicated to the students attacked by police on 17 November 1989, in Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution - Prague

This run-down Soviet plane is a converted bar from communist times. Apparently it's pretty much the same state inside - Olomouc

The 15th century St Moritz Cathedral - Olomouc

The Town Hall is the centrepiece of Horni Namesti, the main square in Olomouc

And like Prague, Olomouc's Town Hall has an astronomical clock

To the left of the Town Hall is the 18th century Holy Trinity Column - Olomouc

Several fountains surround the Town Hall - Olomouc

Dolni Namesti is the lower square and sports a Marian Plague Column - Olomouc

Southwest of Dolni Namesti are some extravagant looking houses on Videnska and Spojencu -Olomouc

The two squares form the heart of the old quarter, which has plenty of cobbled streets and lanes - Olomouc

The city is in Moravia, about three hours train ride from Prague heading to Slovakia - Olomouc

Bezrucovy Sady is a picturesque park lying below the old quarter - Olomouc

If you book a tour you can explore this atomic bomb shelter, next to the old city walls in Bezrucovy Sady - Olomouc

The old city walls that divides the old town from Bezrucovy Sady -Olomouc

A Morava tributary flows through the park; a spire belonging to St Wenceslas Cathedral rises centre left - Olomouc

St Wenceslas Cathedral is in the eastern part of the old town - Olomouc

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LINKS

www.cd.cz - Czech train timetables; buy tickets

http://jizdnirady.idnes.cz - Search for buses and trains in the country

www.czechtourism.com - Official website of the Czech Tourist Board

I am not responsible for the content of external websites.