{"id":213,"date":"2010-10-26T15:40:07","date_gmt":"2010-10-26T13:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/2010\/10\/26\/a-mala-strana-sunday\/"},"modified":"2012-11-30T18:55:30","modified_gmt":"2012-11-30T17:55:30","slug":"a-mala-strana-sunday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/2010\/10\/26\/a-mala-strana-sunday\/","title":{"rendered":"A Mala Strana Sunday"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mala Strana (started around 1257) is a district of Prague and the name means Lesser Town or Lesser Side.\u00a0 One can reach it by leaving Old Town and walking across Charles Bridge.\u00a0 Voila!\u00a0 You are there!\u00a0 Right below the Prague Castle!\u00a0Mala Strana is home to Kampa Island, Petrin Hill, Maltese Square, Wallenstein Palace, and St. Nicholas Square.\u00a0 These are only a few of the many many things to see.\u00a0 But this post is only about a simple walk after church and before lunch.\u00a0 I will tell about the other sites in other posts.<\/p>\n

So, on this particular December Sunday, we took the tram from Old Town.\u00a0 Having been there before we did not walk up to the Castle (this is a must for first time tourists!)\u00a0 This time I only wanted to wander the back narrow streets and alleyways to look at Baroque architecture.\u00a0 We also knew of a little restaurant we wanted to try, so we planned to sightsee until we were cold and then have a soup and sandwich break.<\/p>\n

While walking on these narrow cobblestone streets, I found myself wondering if perhaps I was walking in the footsteps of Jan Neruda, a poet, writer and journalist, who was born in Mala Strana.\u00a0 Or perhaps Kafka, the writer, who lived a short while in Golden Lane adjacent to the Prague Castle.\u00a0 Here also is the Kafka Museum.<\/p>\n

Passing the Church of Our Lady Victorius, where the Infant of Prague can be seen, I was reminded of its interesting history.\u00a0 Since it was December the church was all decked out with Angels and a lovely Nativity Scene.\u00a0 (The next Sunday I decided to attend church here.\u00a0 The Priest was from India and spoke English but in a very soft voice.\u00a0 However, the church remained open to tourists and the squeaky door hinges kept me from hearing him properly.)\u00a0 There is a wonderful free museum inside the church where one can see pictures, crosses, sculptures, and part of the valuable collection of clothing that makes up the wardrobe of the Infant Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0\"Karin\"Christmas<\/span><\/p>\n

But I regress.\u00a0 This is suppose to be about the architecture.\u00a0 So, moving on . . .<\/p>\n

Mala Strana is home to many Embassies housed in beautiful buildings.\u00a0 One is the United States.\u00a0 Of course, I wanted a picture.\u00a0 Also, I wondered about the guard outside with a gun over his shoulder.\u00a0 (Later I read it is the ONLY Embassy to have such a guard, and if you linger too long, he will ask you to move along!)\u00a0 I must admit there was no smile to greet me, only a very dour, sour face.\u00a0 So I took a quick picture and off I went!\u00a0 And to think that is MY Embassy!\"flag<\/p>\n

Below are buildings with Sgraffito – a technique of scratching the top layer of paint to the surface underneath.\u00a0 Pretty amazing!\"Sgraffito<\/p>\n

\"Soldier<\/a><\/p>\n

A lovely sculpture over a restaurant entrance.\"Car<\/p>\n

Very fancy gates open very slowly . . . for a very fancy car who had to show some sort of credentials to enter.\"walking<\/p>\n

A nice place to walk if it is raining.\"view<\/p>\n

Mala Strana as seen on the walk up to the Castle. We did not go all the way this time.\u00a0 We found our restaurant, had a nice hot bowl of soup and a rest.\u00a0 While these pictures only show you a fraction of what there is to see, this at least gives you a small idea of how beautiful Mala Strana is.\"Mala<\/a><\/p>\n

The square where the trams come had a Christmas Market.\u00a0 Some sold Christmas decorations.\u00a0 Of course I bought a straw angel!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mala Strana (started around 1257) is a district of Prague and the name means Lesser Town or Lesser Side.\u00a0 One can reach it by leaving Old Town and walking across Charles Bridge.\u00a0 Voila!\u00a0 You are there!\u00a0 Right below the Prague … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[13,4],"tags":[24,25,23,22,27,26],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2MK34-3r","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":535,"url":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/2012\/08\/29\/adrenaline-sports-in-prague\/","url_meta":{"origin":213,"position":0},"title":"Adrenaline Sports in Prague","author":"Michael","date":"August 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Prague is well known for its old world charms such as its architecture, Christmas markets and beer.\u00a0 Now it is making a name for itself in the modern world of adrenaline sports.\u00a0 As any large city it has its share of paintball arenas and skateboard parks; balloon flights, paragliding, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Places"","block_context":{"text":"Places","link":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/category\/places\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/flightsim-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":378,"url":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/2011\/10\/22\/vrtbovska-garden\/","url_meta":{"origin":213,"position":1},"title":"Vrtbovska Garden","author":"Michael","date":"October 22, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"While the weather is sunny and dry we have the priority of visiting outdoor sites that are closed in the winter.\u00a0 Last week we had a small beer at the Beer Garden in Riegrovy Park, a short walk from our home.\u00a0 I won't write about it now because it was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Destinations"","block_context":{"text":"Destinations","link":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/category\/destinations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/VrtbovskaRooftops-300x224.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":231,"url":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/2010\/11\/01\/the-end-is-only-the-beginning\/","url_meta":{"origin":213,"position":2},"title":"The End is only the Beginning!","author":"Karin","date":"November 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"It is now December and we are coming to the end of our first month in Prague (but not the end of the posts).\u00a0 After we arrived Prague received its first light covering of snow with the promise of more to follow!\u00a0 Since we live in Greece, on an island,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"architecture\"","block_context":{"text":"architecture","link":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/tag\/architecture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/Michael-getting-picture-taken-for-bus-pass-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":48,"url":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/2010\/01\/15\/lobkowicz-the-palace-the-beer-and-more\/","url_meta":{"origin":213,"position":3},"title":"Lobkowicz: The Palace, The Beer and More","author":"Michael","date":"January 15, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Lobkowicz is one of the most inspirational museums I have ever been to! \u00a0Not many museums, if any, have brought tears to my eyes! \u00a0This one did. Photos were not allowed inside but you can find several on the official web site. Lobkowicz Palace has a very long history reaching\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Places"","block_context":{"text":"Places","link":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/category\/places\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3719,"url":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/2015\/08\/02\/a-day-in-the-life-prague\/","url_meta":{"origin":213,"position":4},"title":"A Day in the Life: Prague","author":"Michael","date":"August 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Whenever we venture out, whether to somewhere in tourist central (Old Town Square or Prague Castle) or the suburban hinterlands, we nearly always see something interesting or experience something that stimulates our senses or our intellect. Below is one of Karin's photo journal's which illustrates our normal life in Prague,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Walks"","block_context":{"text":"Walks","link":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/category\/walks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1200,"url":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/2014\/04\/17\/travel-advisory-good-bad\/","url_meta":{"origin":213,"position":5},"title":"Travel Advisory: Good & Bad","author":"Michael","date":"April 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"U Vejvod\u016f\u00a0 is a large and busy pub\/restaurant in the center of Prague's tourist area near Old Town Square. \u00a0On their home page they write: \"During our operation of this restaurant we have received several pleasant evaluations in the form of letters of thanks from the highest representatives of our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/category\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/EasterMarket-220x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":815,"href":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213\/revisions\/815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parosparadise.com\/CzechMates\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}