For our 5th day, we finally got a proper tour of some of the main sites of Prague! Led by our amazing guide, Jana, we got to see many new locations and learn some facts about the area. From the Charles Bridge to the astronomical clock to the Lennon Wall and many, many others, we explored for about four to five hours!
The Charles Bridge offers lovely views of the city, but was very full of other tourists, vendors, and general traffic. Calmer views of the city would be easier to find on a different bridge, but the Charles Bridge is a must see for anyone visiting Prague. It is filled with approximately thirty unique statues of different saints and holy figures. The bridge itself was constructed in the 1300s commissioned by King Charles IV. While we did not get to stay on the bridge for too long, we had enough time to admire some of the more popular statues such as The Lamentation of Christ and St. John of Nepomuk. The Lamentation of Christ is popular for the religious significance of the statue in the life of Christ (picture below!).
St. John of Nepomuk’s statue always has people surrounding it for the opportunity to rub the statue at two spots. One is a dog, symbolizing loyalty. People hope that by touching the dog, they will have loyal relationships with their friends and family. The other commonly touched part of the statue is a depiction of St. John falling into the river. It is rumored that touching St. John will help bring you back to Prague again in the future. Since these two spots have been rubbed so much, they look very polished!
After the walking tour, we all piled into a tram and went to a cooking class where we got to make a traditional Czech soup, dinner, and dessert! All in all, it was a very long day, but it kept us excited the entire time!
Swanson School of Engineering 