A Lovely Morning Walk to Lesser Town, Prague

in Pinmapple3 years ago

Have you ever had the weirdest and the loveliest morning at the same time?

The morning summer breeze greeted my cheeks that reminded me of the French's bisous. I heard my own footsteps marching enthusiastically on the pavement. 7 AM and the street of Jecna was quiet. I walked towards the waterfront and paused a few times to wait for the pedestrian light to turn green. I smiled within and clutched the straps of my backpack wondering if I had everything I needed for the day. Happy to have Prague all to myself that morning.

Kampa Island in Lesser Town

I looked up to admire a church surrounded by old buildings along Resslova. Out of nowhere, World War II vintage cars and military trucks filled up the ancient streets. Men in sleek Nazi uniforms were everywhere rifles in hand. For a moment, I thought I was having a nightmare. Where was everybody? It appeared as though I have gone back in time.

Wondering what was going on, I went for a closer look. Relief extinguished a creeping fear when I saw men in t-shirts carrying cameras, boom microphones, and filming equipment.

"Oh okay, they're shooting a war film." I wondered which one it was.

I continued walking and crossed Jiraskuv Most, a bridge over the Vltava River. I paused and admired this breathtaking view. I stood there for a few minutes until two men waved and cat-called at the opposite side of the bridge. I looked around wondering which lady it was addressed to and then realized I was alone on that bridge.

Crossing Jiraskuv Most

Petržilkovský ostrov, smallest island in the Vltava River

I quickened my pace and re-directed my attention to the real stunner that was in front of me. Ah, this landscape! There were guards stationed at every street corner. It was definitely safe.

Joggers occasionally whipped past me. From time to time, there were mothers with strollers and I thought of my then-baby daughter. Was she already awake? Would she be excited to discover this place someday?

Malá Strana, also known as Lesser Town

Left Bank of the Vltava River

Smíchov Canal Lock is a floodgate and the busiest lock on the Vltava River

Smíchov Lock

Quiet Streets of Kampa

Kampa Museum of Modern Art

A Street in Kampa in Lesser Town, also known as Little Quarters

The silence of that morning was uplifting and empowering. Here I was, alone and happy, a feeling that had eluded me for quite a while until that very moment.

Before I end this post, let me delight you in a building designed by Croatian-Czech Architect Vlado Milunić in collaboration with the Canadian- American Architect, Frank Gehry called Dancing House. It is a modern, whimsical office building also referred to as Ginger & Fred or Dancing Building.

Did you see the sensual curved lines on the facade and embossed window frames that made them appear like picture frames?

This is the third part of my Prague Series. Thank you for reading and my next post would be the final part when I watched a 3-hour long opera on my own.

Do check out the previous posts below in case you might be interested:

Explore Prague on Foot in 4 Days
A Date with Myself in Vyšehrad

This is a memory that I will always keep with me.
Do you like morning walks?
Which place did you encounter that meant something to you and why?


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"I create spaces that tastefully marry function and aesthetics. I intend to immerse myself in beauty not only by tangible objects but also by the unseen." -

@discoveringarni

Curiosity and imagination lead to unexpected experiences. Interested in Nature, Places, anything French, International Cuisine, and Architecture + Interior Design. Co-founder of Architecture + Design Community. Feel free to follow her, re-blog, and upvote if you enjoy her content.


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I can imagine how surprised you were :) I also was when I happened to witness a scene like this for the first time. But Prague is extremely popular with film makers, especially some parts of the historic center. Beautiful (and very familiar) photos and a nice write up! :)

@tipu curate 2

Hello @phortun! Haha, that woke me up, a bit dazed and confused at first. The streets were empty and I wondered what happened. There were a tank, an army of soldiers, and some smoke and gunshot sounds at one point. I am relieved I didn't run into a scene accidentally. I just checked the other movies filmed in Prague and you're right, there are many. I suppose this was normal then but it was a great experience though, surreal even. Thank you for reading and for your wonderful comment.

My pleasure :) Here in Krakow where we are currently based, film shooting is actually also very common. Yesterday, they even closed and evacuated our street for that :D Obviously, the film makers like historic cities...

Oh wow 😮 I guess everyone there is used to it by now? Quite difficult when you're in a rush and you have to detour because of closed streets but it must be fun to see vintage and period vehicles and actors in costumes walking around.

It's been on the bucket list to go there and see history thriving in the modern age. Only happened after I was task to write about tourist spots when I was doing some freelance article writing. Looked at the buildings and said, damn, I wanna go there to see things for myself. These places all look so beautiful to travel to.

Hello @adamada, it's one of those places you want to keep coming back to which caters to all ages. I was just digging information on which movies were filmed in Prague and I was surprised by the long list. I was initially inspired to visit it because of two films. The first one was Bourne Identity with Matt Damon and another one was the first scene in Mission Impossible I. Subconsciously these films formed a similar impression on how you felt when you were writing about it.

Those movies and some romantic films I can't remember. I'm mostly leaning on to the romance as my word association kicks in when someone says Prague I immediately think romance. There's a lot of places on my bucket list and just need to wait for more cash, have the pandemic done, and more time for myself.

Which place would be the first one you'd go to as soon as it's safe and good to travel to?

Japan, it's the first place outside the Philippines that motivated me to see the world. The picture of Mt. Fuji and the travel documentaries featuring the festivals all over Asia made me appreciate how small my world view is until I see what's out there.

Out of curiosity, what was the first place you traveled to? or what motivated you to travel? I know some would answer it's part of their job and they ended up loving it, or a friend introduced them to the habit, and most would just say they were driven for their wanderlust.

Japan is a great choice! Camping below or around Mt. Fuji with locals is a rich cultural experience.

When I was a child, I was fascinated with a children's travel encyclopedia called Childcraft Places to Know. This was my treasured possession. When I felt sad and down, to drown out the noise or family problems, I'd lock myself in the room and read this book and imagined myself in those places. I read them again and again and earmarked the ones I wanted to see. That was the beginning of my motivation to travel. It was the allure of discovering new things and exploration to understand life and people more.

The first place I traveled overseas was Dubai for work. It was my stepping stone to get to all the places I wanted to see. Thank you for such an insightful question. It was nice reflecting on it.

It's good to look back on the things that motivate us to do stuff. I often forget how I started drawing and why I pursued going digital. I just do because I like it but even liking it and doing it burns me out when it's not the only thing I should be doing with my time (adulting problems). Reflecting gives us an opportunity to renew a contract we once negotiated with ourselves to commit to. If it makes sense, we pursue. Your response made me reflect on it a bit as well. Thank you too.

Lovely photography. I am sure your sleeping daughter would someday visit this place and I will still be here to see her photos and the lovely moments you guys would share.
Yes I love morning walks but evening walks are my specialty, I don't miss it except I am engaged with something.

Hello @zanoz.sports, she has grown up to be a wanderer as much as her parents are, partly our fault for making her comfortable living a nomadic childhood, so when she peeked over my shoulder to check out these photos on my screen, she exclaimed, "I want to go there!" Have a lovely evening walk! Cheers

Thats pretty cool that they were filming a movie there. It would be weird to see at first. I heard that the new wheel of time series by amazonprime is going to be filmed in Prague as well, or that its already started filming there. A lot of movies must take advantage of the old town in Prague since it wasn't destroyed in the war, like so many other European cities.

It was Bourne Identity and Mission Impossible I that stirred my desire to visit Prague. Since visiting, I wanted to see more of the Czech Republic and its neighboring countries. Maybe one day. I haven't heard nor seen the Wheel of Time Series. I have been living under a rock, sorry. 😁 I'm off to check the book synopsis now. How is the book? I just checked it's Rosamund Pike playing the lead.

The book series is good so far but its a long and daunting task - 14 books in total, each one 700-1000 pages. I'm currently on book 6.
Lots of material for the show though. We will see how it turns out.

Oh dear, that's long but it sounds promising that the series might turn out to be something huge.

Hi @discoveringarni. Beautiful friend. Thank you for showing us those beautiful photographs of Prague, Czech Republic, I congratulate you on the poetic way in which you narrate your walk. I congratulate you. My respect for you and a fraternal greeting from Venezuela. God bless you today, tomorrow and forever.

Hola @discoveringarni. Amiga bella. Gracias por mostrarnos esas hermosas fotografías de Praga, República Checa, te felicito por la forma poética con la cual narras tu paseo. Te felicito. Mi respeto para tí y un saludo fraternal desde Venezuela. Dios te bendiga hoy, mañana y siempre.

Hello @marcosmilano71, hope you are doing well. Thank you for your kind and generous words. God bless you and your family as well.

Nothing can replace the priceless memories you had with this romantic walk in Prague. I could just imagine your expression and feelings when looking at these nostalgic photos as they make you relive and recall all the wonderful events that occurred there. These types of stories would keep our faces lit up with big smiles always. Beautiful post Arni!

It makes me happy to hear you felt that way reading it. I am pleased that I have somehow captured the exact feelings I had while walking through these streets. Thank you for your beautiful message!

lovely town and you have a nice way with describing them, like a story teller 😃 thank you for sharing!
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Thank you so much for your lovely words, @ilovewintergem, glad you liked it.😊

I would love to go there. Your experiences seems amazing, did you went closer to see the shooting? By the way that place is very clean and aesthetically pleasing from landscaping to building it's all worth travelling.
That is wonderfully written. Keep travelling and keep sharing:)

Hello Praditya, thank you very much for reading. Initially, no but on my way back, they were still filming and I joined a group of onlookers and we all watched on the sidelines. It is worth visiting and even a friend who went on a European tour thought Prague was one of the highlights of their trip. Have a nice evening!

That would be exciting, Shall plan a trip to Prague soon :D

Greetings friend, what a beautiful city you show in your photographs, you can see that it is an excellent place for tourism.

Hi Carlos, thank you and I'm pleased that you liked the snapshots of the city. Cheers

I was actually imagining as you wrote, The place is beautiful and very quiet. The dancing building is treat to the eye, I had my projects in college inspired from this building.
Did this place remains quite mostly? There are very few people spotted.
By the way that was a wonderful post:)

That is such a great compliment to read what you wrote, thank you 😊 It was quiet that morning, perhaps everyone was busy having breakfast and preparing for the day. How did the design of your college project turn out?

Mornings are usually very pleasant and quite. Anyways that college projects turned out well. :)

Thank you for your reply and great to hear that 😀 Have a nice evening!

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what a beautiful walk
at 7 in the morning I am still asleep.
But Prague from what I see through your eyes is beautiful
I love the building oozes chaos, beauty and madness all that I love