January 30, 2015

Prague, It's In The Details


One of my favorite traveling pastimes is to focus on the details - looking at the sculpted columns that support a cathedral ceiling; studying the details of embroidery on a carved statue; noticing the clock hanging above Burroughs Market above tables of fish.  Just as thousands of tiny dots and brush-strokes compile an impressionist painting, details compose the bigger picture of the world around us.  Here are a few details that fascinated me during our trip to Prague in August 2012:

The carved rosette windows of St. Vitus Cathedral.

The detailed sculpture above the main entrance to St. Vitus Cathedral.


Statue of King Sigismund on the Charles Bridge (left) and a knight's shield hanging in Prague Castle (right).

The archangel Michael slays Beelzebub in St Vitus Cathedral.


A cheeky cherub guards the tomb of St John of Nepomuk, patron saint of the Czech Republic, in St Vitus Cathedral (left), and the ornate organ pipes of the baroque St Nicholas Church in the Lesser Town Square (right) draw the eyes upward to God.

A bronze rooster crows atop a spire of St Vitus Cathedral while the Czech flag plays in the background.  St Vitus was martyred by the Romans in the 4th century for refusing to give thanks to the pagan gods. He was thrown into a pot of boiling oil along with a rooster.

Have you visited Prague?

***


6 comments:

  1. Great shots! I can't wait to see Prague.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've never visited Prague but I love these details that you've shown us! Sometimes it's all the little things you notice about a place that lead to a wonderful overall impression :) Thanks for linking up with #WeekendWanderlust!

    ReplyDelete
  3. And it's funny how the memories of little things can really make a place come alive, sometimes even more so than the "big" things!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't think I had noticed the rooster.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've visited Prague and really enjoyed it, but I have to say that I don't remember the rooster. I was very impressed by the Jewish district which has been preserved during WW2 since the nazis intended to have there a Museum of the "annihilated people" ...

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear your comments, feedback, and suggestions.