Watching the Sunrise from the Charles Bridge in Prague
A couple giant litres of foamy pivo at Kozicka Bar, check. Dancing to the thumping beats at sweaty, 5-story club, Karlovy Lazne, check. A deliciously greasy late-night smazeny syr from a street vendor, check. To cap off one of those perfect and fleeting summer nights in Prague, settle onto the cobblestones of the Charles Bridge, overlooking the Vlatava river. It’s a magical place to watch the day break: see the sun rise over Vysehrad castle as the night slips away, and the thousand spires of Nove Mesto’s skyline fade from black to gray against the pale pink sky. Savor the stillness as the city slowly opens their shutters and wakes up for another day.
The Charles Bridge is one of the most photographed bridges in Europe. It was commissioned by Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV in 1357. Today, the bridge is not just a beautiful piece of architecture, but a passage through time. You start your walk on the modern side of Prague, the Mala Strana, leaving centuries behind you with each step across the bridge towards Old Town and the Gothic Prague Castle. As you walk, you pass stone statues of saints, their eyes raised heavenward, some in glory, some in fear. But almost as interesting as the saints are the living statues. An international assembly of tourists and panhandlers are walking alongside you, some imitating the statues, some taking pictures of the stone walkway. If you're lucky, above the din, you will hear the soft singing of a single voice. The woman won't see you—she is blind—but she stands on the bridge everyday, singing the folk songs and classic music of her homeland, beloved Prague. And somehow, her heartfelt voice makes that historic journey complete.
The crowds along Prague’s biggest tourist attraction begin to thin out as the sun goes down. The shadows fall and the eerie series of statues become silhouetted by the remaining light. Prague Castle stands imposingly over the distant skyline, its commanding stature filling its observers with thoughts of Dracula or some wicked presence. The stone image of Jan Nepomuk guards over the bridge, promising good luck and fortune to those who rub his pedestal on the right spot, where the tarnish has been rubbed back to its gold color. Be sure to take him up on his offer before continuing through this mystical, haunted city.
A couple giant litres of foamy pivo at Kozicka Bar, check. Dancing to the thumping beats at sweaty, 5-story club, Karlovy Lazne, check. A deliciously greasy late-night smazeny syr from a street vendor, check. To cap off one of those perfect and fleeting summer nights in Prague, settle onto the cobblestones of the Charles Bridge, overlooking the Vlatava river. It’s a magical place to watch the day break: see the sun rise over Vysehrad castle as the night slips away, and the thousand spires of Nove Mesto’s skyline fade from black to gray against the pale pink sky. Savor the stillness as the city slowly opens their shutters and wakes up for another day.
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