Walking tour part two

My mom will recognize this clock! When Dave and Sarah (my brother and his wife) were here for their honeymoon, they bought us reproductions, which are quite nice, but can never do justice to the real thing.

Built in 1410, the clock measures not only time, but the movement of the sun and the moon, a yearly calendar, the signs of the Zodiac, and the seasons. On the hour, the two blue doors at the top open, and statues of the Apostles (which represented various guilds) march past. 70 percent of the original mechanical parts are still operational.


New Town Hall, built around 1910. The gentleman with the hat and the umbrella (umbrellas double as tour group signals) is Vaclav Lojka, a historian and archivist, who was our guide for the day.

The entrance to the Charles Bridge, a popular pedestrian walkway across the river. Built in 1357, the bridge is more than 1500 feet long and has 16 arches. Charles IV laid the first stone, and is featured as one of the statues near the top.