After a nice layover in Prague it was time to return home early in the morning. The nice thing about being an aviation enthusiast is that the trip doesn't end the moment you arrive at the airport to take your return flight. The flight itself can be pretty enjoyable. Some years ago I wrote about a flight from Helsinki to Lisboa calling it the "Moon's sunset". This time it was the same scene.
This was the typical cold breakfast served in business class by that time:
Already descending towards Lisbon...
And finally we arrive welcomed by a glorious rainbow:
When I started my wide-body flights in July 2014, the amount of posts in this blog started to decline swiftly. It took me so many years to understand the toll that red eye flights were taking on me and on my mood and mental availability to do other things I used to do in my normal life, other than just recovering from another transatlantic crossing. Not even when I was a working student for two years I stopped writing here the way I did during these past years.
I have so many photos and stories of places I visited during the period of 2014-2023 that now I'm trying to catch up with while keeping up with current trips/layovers.
So... let's take-off to Prague!
This was one already retrofitted aircraft with the new narrow-body seats introduced in late 2016.
Our hotel had this very curious funicular taking us between reception and the room's building:
-o0o- The Dancing House
It wasn't my first time in Prague. But the previous times I totally missed one landmark: the Dancing House.
-o0o- The Vltava
The sun finally showed up for some photos I took along the day, using the river as a crucial element of Prague.
-o0o- Astronomical Clock
It was not my first time seeing it, but the astronomical clock is another feature you can't miss while visiting this city. A pity it was under renovation works which didn't help my photos...
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Head of Franz Kafka
The rotating head of Franz Kafka is also a landmark that attracts the curiosity of tourists.
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Archbishop's Palace
And now some final views of the city while the sunset was coming:
Prague is an adorable town but it did not became my favorite in this part of Europe. I hope to tell you somewhere in the future which one is ;)
This was a totally unexpected but very welcome layover in Prague. It was my first one, so let's czech it out!
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Prague Castle
Early in the morning we decided to start our tour with the castle. Although the direction signs are in Czech, the text is always accompanied by illustrative pictures that make it easy for the tourists to find their way to the landmarks.
Mánes Bridge (Mánesův most)
We can get a stunning view of Prague up in the hill just before entering the castle:
It is free to get inside but you have to pass through a security control. Inside the castle everything is so beautiful that made me remember that this type of beauty and architecture can only be found in the Old Continent.
St. Vitus Cathedral
Queen Maria Theresa Entrance
Old Royal Palace
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St. Vitus Cathedral
So let's have a closer look to the impressive Gothic Cathedral inside the castle complex!
This glass mosaic depicting the Last Judgment has an area of about 80 m2! Wow, more than the area of my humble apartment!
Last Judgement Mosaic
Golden Gate
It is possible to climb to the top of the main tower but you have to buy a ticket.
Main Tower
External staircase
West façade
We can go inside the cathedral and stay there in a delimited area. Beyond that area, you have to pass through a ticket gate.
We can see some awesome stained glass!
And now back to the outside... Some very strange gargoyles! Well.. they're strange by definition.
And finally leaving this beautiful castle.
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Charles Bridge
The next landmark we wanted to visit was the famous Charles Bridge (in Czech, Karlův most) and go back to the Old Town to have lunch.
Some views of the Vltava River:
Impressive tower!
Old Town bridge tower gateway
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Old Town
Back to the Old Town we chose Hotel Lippert Restaurant for our lunch. I went for the typical goulash soup and roasted duck with red and white cabbage!
Old Town Square
The medieval astronomical clock is one of the main attractions in Prague. Unfortunately the daylight was already fading which prevented me from taking better photos of it.
Prague orloj
In very few minutes, it was completely dark. It was really cold and we noticed some very, very light snowfall.
Cruella's car? :)
Prague's Municipal House
And soon it was time to go back to the hotel. Unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to visit the New Town and the famous Dancing House. But I hope to be back in Prague somewhere in the future.
The next early morning we experienced a more decent snowfall on our way to the airport.
OK, I find snow beautiful because it's not usual where I live (I've seen snowing in Lisbon only once) but it has a little inconvenience for those who are going to fly: de-ice will be needed! Some photos I took aboard our Airbus named "Malangatana":
Our velvet wings...
A short video of a little walk through the cabin:
We managed the situation and finally took off to witness a wonderful sunrise already over the Alps!
