Petřín

Do you remember the lookout tower that I have shown you from Hradčany? I promissed you to have a closer look at it. I always keep my promisses so here it comes - Petřín.

I started my trip in the Kinsky garden. It is a beautiful area loved by the inhabitants of Prague. In May the lilacs are in blossom, you may only imagine the smell.

 My preferred place in the Kinsky garden is the water fall.

It is possible to climb up the Petřín hill on foot. But I prefered to use the fenicular railway.

The nice thing is that you can use in the fenicular the same tickets that you would use in a bus or a tram.

 When you arive on the top you can see the tower in its full beauty.

The tower was built in 1891 and is 60 meters high. To benefit from the amazing view from the top, you need to climb the 299 stairs.

From the top you can see all the important places in the city. The Strachov Monastery ...

...or the castle in Hradcany.

This nice district is called Mala Strana. I plan to go there soon.

Here you can see the river winding through the city.

It is definitely worth the climbing!

Toy museum in Prague

When you go to Hradčany be sure not to miss the Toy Museum.

 Anyone will find there something interesting. The boys can see some toy soldiers ...

 ... or a nice railway station.

Small girls can see teddy bears ...

 ... and baby dolls.

 Bigger girls can admire a huge collection of Barbie dolls.

They even have the first Barbies made ever. They were born in 1959! The grannies still look well I must say.

Yes, yes, you are right, there should be something for the horses as well. I loved the little Noe's arche.

 Though I must admit I was outraged by the way some people treat their horses!

If somebody ever tries this on me, I will call my friend!

Hradčany

Recently I could not fight the feeling that I have already seen everything that was to be seen in Warsaw. Therefore, I decided to take a longer trip to another capital city in Eastern Europe. I chose Prague that is said to be one of the most beautiful cities in the region. So you may expect in the coming weeks a couple of posts relating to Prague.

In my first trip I went to the district of Hradčany, surrounding the Prague castle. Hradčany is located on a hill facing the river. As climbing up is not my preferred way of travelling, I caught the tram number 22.

When you enter the castle area, the crowd (and yes, this is a terribly crowded place, you'd better go there early morning if you want to have enough space to put four feet) will take you to the St. Vitus cathedral.

It is a beautiful gothic cathedral. The towers are very high and the interior is vast. It is impressive both from the side of the portal ...

... and in the back.

What I liked best though were the wonderful stained-glass windows, especially the one designed by Alphonse Mucha.

From the Cathedral you should go to the Golden Lane. It is a very narrow street with houses of old merchants and craftsmen. But you can also see there the house where the famous Czech writer Franz Kafka lived.

It is number 22:

Next to the Golden Lane you can visit the Toy Museum. But I will show it to you separately as it fully deserves a dedicated story.

Coming back to Hradčany, it is still the center of power for the Czech Republic. In the old days the Prague Castle was the house of the kings.

Today, the president of the Czech Republic works there:

After all, this is no surprise, from Hradčany you can see the entire city of Prague. It does give a feeling of allmightiness. Just try for yourself.

Or maybe better look here.

To be honest, there is probably just one place where you can see more - the tower of Petřín. I will go there soon.

Museum of the Polish Army

As you recall, I mentioned more than once that my family is proud of its military tradition. I have myself a particular interest in the military technology. In September I took you to MSPO fairs. Today I will show you a bit of the history of the Polish military equipment.

In the Museum you can see lots of interesting things. First of all let's have a look at the artillery. You can see there mortars ...

... and guns.

That one was surely not a small one, especially if you compare it to the size of a horse!

Then comes the Multiple Launch Rocket System ...

... and a self-propelled gun (here you see the SU-76).

Now admit it, you were sure that the next one will be a tank. And not, tanks are not artillery, they are armored cavallery. So a bit like horses. Just armored. Of course in the Museum you can see lots of tanks (the first one is the T-34).

Then come the infantry and their armored personal carriers. I climbed on a Russian made BTR-60 (believe it or not, it is still in use!).



As I moved on I noticed some strange structures. Coming closer I realised they are radars. They can be tall like this one ...

... or large like this one.

Radars are of course used to detect aircrafts. I detected lots of them. On the right the Russian-made Su aircrafts and on the left the Polish-made Lim aircrafts).

Once the artillery spots an aircraft they bring the anti-aircraft missiles. So we'd better run home. And fast!