Europe 2016, Day 9: Prague

On the morning of May 26, my final full day in Prague, I crossed the Vltava River into the northern part of Prague to visit the National Gallery at Veletrzni "Palace", an art museum that houses Slav Epic. In front of the museum was a collection of Chinese zodiac sculptures, including this snake (since I was born in 1965, year of the snake).

Trippy floor in the lobby of the museum.

The museum has a large collection of art, including this Van Gogh painting, "Green Corn"

The highlight of the museum is Czech artist Alfons Mucha's "Slav Epic" - a series of 20 huge paintings that depict the history of the Slav people.  This is a small section of panel 1: "The Slavs in the Original Homeland," painted in 1912.

It was interesting to walk through the neighborhood in which the museum resides. Unlike the central portion of Prague in and around "Old Town," this part of Prague was virtually free of tourists and therefore felt more authentic Czech to me.

In the afternoon I did a walking tour of "New Town" Prague including New Town's centerpiece: Wenceslas Square.

Wenceslas Square was where important political protests occurred, including one that the Soviet Union crushed with military force in 1968.  More recently, this is where the "Velvet Revolution" occurred in 1989, that helped create the modern nation of the Czech Republic.

Back at Old Town Square late in the day.  Soap bubbles float in front of Tyn Church.

Old Town Hall (left) and Tyn Church in the background across Old Town Square.

Just before sunset, I climbed the tower on the Old Town side of the Charles Bridge.  Here's a panorama from the tower looking north and east at the Vltava River and Old Town.

One final panorama from the tower, looking east and southeast across the red-tiled roofs of Old Town.

Sunset from the tower, looking west across the Charles Bridge with the sun setting directly behind Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral.  The following morning, May 27, I left for the train station to catch a bus to the Prague Airport for my flight back to San Francisco (via New York's JFK).