Prague - loads of pictures!

[Shiny]

Finally managed to get on an airplane and the family had a weekend break in Prague at the end of October.

Took my new little point and shoot camera, Canon S100, weather wall dull and overcast on the Friday, it snowed on the Saturday, but was nicer on the Sunday. Didn’t make for most exciting sky and was probably a bit of a downside of using a point and shoot.

Also, pictures were taken whilst walking around with the family, so it was just literally point and shoot as we walked along.

This is Wenceslas Square, what everyone talks about, and I was mighty disappointed when we got there. It wasn’t what I expected, or had pre-visualised, basically it is a shopping centre and I hate shopping at the best of times –






But once you get past that, look down and look up, then the city takes on a whole new perspective












Trams


One of the world’s largest castles sits on the hill overlooking the city


A souped up Trabant!















Hand held night mode came out quite well





It snowed on the Saturday, this is a gloomy view down Wenceslas Square






Was busting for a wee (there are next to no toilets in Prague and if you find one you have to pay!) so we asked an armed guard outside the Senate and he said there were toilets in the Senate, the next two were taken at the Senate.






As well as statues and intricate carvings everywhere, even the road bollards had different faces on them!


Near the castle


Inside the castle


St Vitas Church in the castle grounds




Snow!



Sunday, nack to the square,missed this the first couple of days in the pavement






Medusa!


This made the kids smile!


Churches everywhere! There were amazingly lavish inside.






Typical look of all the buildings


Transformers!


Into the Jewish sector. Lots of gift shops, or as my lad called them “Jewvenir” shops


The Jewish Cemetary, quite disturbing, but probably more disturbing that the Jews are exploiting the atrocities, to the point you have pay money to take pictures!







One of the bridges






Palocks on the Charles Bridge


Giant baby bottoms!


Lennon’s wall. As my lad profoundly said “at what point does blatant vandalism become art, then at what point does art become a tourist attraction?”






A few more hand held night shots, Charles Bridge






The astronomical clock.



Sorry so many, these are still only a selection as I had nearly 400 pictures in all!

[rob quilter]

Looks like a really nice place. Love some of the graffiti on some of the walls and buildings.

[secla]

Wenceslas Square is just the tourist night lift part of prague. Didnt see mr hand massage there did you ? if not youtube him, he`s pretty funny
But yes theres alot more to see in prague than most people expect from its reputation

[Ammo]

It's a pretty city, just Wenceslas Square is as seedy as f00k. We walked down the middle to try and avoid it and still got followed by people wanting us to go into strip clubs, even before dark.

Is it still cheap? Been 4 years since I was last there, and you if you went off the tourist track a little it was 50p a pint and a three course meal for between £3-£5

[Donald]

It's a big thing in Italy at the moment to go to Prague and get wankered.

Did you go to the Kafka museum?

[secla]

We had a bloke try to get us to go to a strip club while we were eating lunch at subway, It does get a little annoying (and i was there on my stag weekend)

[Shiny]

Didn't make the Kafka museum. We walked non stop for 3 days and saw a fair old bit, but most have also missed a bit too. Most of it was away from the tourist areas which was as fascinating as the tourist bits.

Latest we were in the square was 6pm so didn't experience anything seedy (we had the kids with us). We were 10 mins from the square and found a very nice restaurant a few minutes walk from the hotel.

Beer was 80p for a pint of the local pils, £1.50 ish for the 2 pint jug. First restaurant we went to cost us much the same as the uk, around £40 for beer and food for 4, but the one down the road was half the price.

Everything else, even McDs was pretty much on par with the uk.

It has become popular, so inevitably the prices go up to match.

[Howzit37]

Awesome pictures Shiny, I can't believe how good the hand held night shots came out. Excellent point and shoot. I have been after one for a while, think I'll look into it. Was there much/any post production on these shots?

[Shiny]

Just a little. I used the canon raw editor to reduce the brightness as some were a bit blown out (due to me not getting used to the auto exposure and trying to force brighter pics when it turned out i didnt need to) and straigtening horizons. some further minor adjustments in photoscape, mainly a bit of contrast, and a graduated tint to the sky to reduce the blown out sky where it was so dull.

Where there was good sunlight and got the shutter speed etc right, the pictures were really sharp. It was my first outing with it, some pics I should have upped the ISO to reduce the shutter speed as they are a slightly blurred due to hand held.

The night mode works really well, takes something like 8 consecutive shots and blends them into one, so it is steady as you can and hope for the best.

I think the camera has lot more to offer yet.

[Ammo]

We found we could go out for a 3 course meal and get rat arsed on £20

That's eating and drinking local stuff though, the last night we ended up in a night club that was a converted theatre/cinema even in there is was 50p a pint but we asked a local where they all went

Goulash, dumplings and beer we lived on for the weekend, never had a hangover either

But yeah as said pretty City spoiled by stag do's, first went in 1996, we got into the city as the sun came up and did all the sights before the tourists woke up, by 8am it was packed

Last time we went to a gun range and fired hand guns, which although was an experience for the others I was with, was a bit lame for me (I have been to pistol ranges in the UK before they got banned) and you only got about 5 shots with each gun