Prague, Czech - Pařížská Street

Parizska Street is considered the most exclusive and expensive street in all of Prague.  The street connects Old Town Square with the Chechuv Bridge and it is lined with mainly art nouveau buildings.

Most of these residential buildings were built in the beginning of the 20th century.  There are also many luxury shops here.

I can't tell if the gold in the windows (below) is a reflection, window tinting, or gold curtains.

This building is ornate but a little dusty.

The tree lined streets make it look very Parisian.

These are from a side street.

Prague, Czech - Spanish Synagogue and Josofov Streets

Correction: We could take photographs of the interior. The link remains in case you want to see additional photos.

Our next and last stop was at the Spanish Synagogue on Dusni Street.  It is a Moorish revival and the facade mimics a temple built in Vienna.  The synagogue is known for the remarkable interior with each surface covered with polychrome and gilded patterns. In addition to my photos, you can see a few photos of the interior here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Synagogue_(Prague)

In the courtyard is a Franz Kafka bronze statue by Jaroslav Rona.  In was inspired by the events in "Description of a Struggle".  The summary is Part 1: a man meets an acquaintance at a party; Part 2: the narrator leaps on to the acquaintance's back and rides him like a horse and imagines a landscape that responds to his every whim; and Part 3: the man returns to reality and continues his walk.

Well, it certainly looks like a part in the story. Agree?  We toured the synagogue.  We were allowed to take photographs here.

Here are a few of the interior photos:

The tour ended and we were on our own again.  I planned to walk towards the church that was closed earlier and then find my way back to the hotel.

The buildings in this area are very ornate.

I saw so many of these open cars.  It looks like a fun way to tour the city.

The area is well cared for, sidewalks have a smooth stone pattern.

There is a James Dean restaurant with a red truck parked in the front.

The red truck drew a lot of attention or maybe this man was trying to get around on his fancy vehicle.

I stopped for a moment to sit in the shade and take in the sights.  There is a nice small park.
Continued on the next post.

Prague, Czech - Slavonic and Bohemian Gifts

As you exit the Old Jewish Cemetery, you are on U Stareho Hrbitova.  On either side of the exit you will find another museum.

This is the Jewish Ceremonial Hall. It is a 1906 synagogue, memorial, and museum.

There are vendor booths and a nice Slavonic Handcraft and Bohemia Hand Cut Lead Crystal shop...and an ATM.

 Entrance to the shop.

 "Traditional Slavonic Handicraft" window.

 Close up views from the Slavonic Handicraft window.

 You can see variations inside the store.

This is the jewelry window.  A lot of amber is sold here, but one needs to be able to authenticate it because you can also buy fake pieces.

And in the lower corner are these large eggs. I really like the Muchas (girls) and Klimt (the women in gold) styles.

 And the bohemian crystal.  I later bought a set of six red crystal aperitif glasses.

 There is a row of handicraft vendor shops.

Here are some puppets.

 And artwork.

We didn't have time to shop and the guides pulled us all together to continue our walking tour.