Shadows and sunlight

Where: Prague, Czech Republic
When: August 2014

There are three St. Nicholas Churches in Prague, and this one is prominently featured in any panoramic shot of Malostranské Náměstí. This view, however, is from the other side of the square, not the more populated one with easy access to (avert your eyes now) Starbucks. This was taken on Tuesday evening, around 7 p.m. The most famous part of this church, a Baroque masterpiece completed in the middle of the 18th century, is the organ, which Mozart played on a visit in 1787.

One for the Royal Road

Where: Prague, Czech Republic
When: July 2014

This is the Powder Tower, so named for obvious reason: It's made out of powder. Just checking to see if anyone actually reads the text. Built in the late 15th century, the tower is one of the original gates leading into the Old Town area of Prague and the starting point of the Royal Road, which was the parade route for coronation ceremonies back when such things were important. Technically speaking there's been a tower here since before 1475, but that's the year when this tower, as shown, is credited to have started being built, even though it wasn't completed and has since been restored several times. As for the name, it used to store gunpowder. Sorry for the anticlimax.

Summer on the Vltava

Where: Prague, Czech Republic
When: July 2014

Exactly what the title says. That's the Charles Bridge in the background on the left; some clubs, restaurants and a theater in the center and on the right. The smaller of the two spired towers in the middle is the start of the Charles Bridge (or the end if you started in Mala Strana).

He promised them a rose garden

Where: Near Benešov, Czech Republic
When: June 2014

In this photo of the main rose garden at the Konopiště chateau you see a true rarity: animals that are actually alive. Those are two beautiful (but loud) peacocks enjoying the summer weather and thanking their lucky stars that the chateau's most famous resident, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, isn't around to kill them. Ferdinand claimed to have killed more than 300,000 animals, many of which are trophies hanging on the walls of the chateau's rooms and hallways. You may notice the "100" arranged in the well-kept circle -- that's because the chateau is marking the anniversary of the archduke's assassination, which happened 100 years ago to the day of this post. One chateau tour gives you the opportunity to view the bullet that killed him and kicked off World War I.

Dancing the night away

Where: Prague, Czech Republic

When: October 2013

What happens when you give a world-renowned architect a street corner and an unlimited budget? You get the Nationale-Nederlanden building, aka the Dancing House, aka Fred and Ginger, aka A Building Thankfully Approved By Vaclav Havel Or Else It May Not Have Seen The Light Of Day. Located along the Vltava riverfront, the building was completed in 1996, about four years after it was designed by Frank Gehry. The buildings are supported by 99 panels, all of which are a different shape. It's not normally lit up like this; in September the city hosted a festival of lights in which many of Prague's landmarks were illuminated. 

Upon further reflection ...

Where: Červená Lhota, Czech Republic
When: April 2012

This chateau, located in a southern Bohemian town that translates to "Red Village," has been in existence since the middle of the 14th century. It was originally white (the chateau, not the village). A thorough history on this page states that the chateau became a "theatre of squabbles, arguments and personal assaults" when it was owned by two brothers, and then a "godless castle lady" died and left a blood stain on the white walls, and thus red paint was used to cover it. I have no idea if the story is true, but if it isn't, it's probably more interesting than the truth, and if nothing else "Godless Castle Lady" would probably make a good name for a band.

Wall in good fun

Where: Prague, Czech Republic
When: June 2014

In 1630, the treacherous and rather successful military leader Albrecht von Wallenstein built a palace that was supposed to (but doesn't) rival Prague Castle. Having traveled through Italy beforehand, von Wallenstein commissioned architects and artists from that country to construct the garden with courtyards, a small pond, statues that have since been taken by the Swedes and replaced with replicas, and a dripstone wall with artificial stalactites. In a bit of architectural mayhem, the wall includes the shapes of animals and grotesque (the plaque's word, not mine) faces. Look carefully and you'll find at least two here. On a side note, the Czech Senate officially convenes in the palace, ensuring that the wall isn't the only place on the property that you'll be able to find snakes.

Alas, not an airport

Where: Prague, Czech Republic
When: October 2013

Now here's a rather large sight that's out of place in Prague. Also, there are two elephants in the foreground. They're just having a good ol' time in Střížkov, eating hay and waiting to perform in the circus later in the afternoon. In the background you see the Střížkov metro station, which despite its modern, classy look is a source of consternation among the most practical of Czechs (which happens to be about 97 percent of them). The station, designed by Patrik Kotas, cost about 600 million crowns to construct. That's about six times more than the cost of the Kolbenova station, which is often compared to Střížkov because of their similar functions -- i.e., an extension of a Metro line to a rather unfashionable part of town. The joke, according to the Special Assistant to the Blogger, goes something like this: Kotas wanted to design an airport, but all they gave him was a Metro station.

Living in Moravia

Where: Lednice, Czech Republic
When: April 2014

I'll say this about the House of Liechtenstein in the late 13th century: They weren't poor. The family owned all of Lednice, located in the southeast corner of the Czech Republic near the Austria border, as well as nearby Mikulov and, in due time, the entire Lednice-Valtice area that has since become a UNESCO site. The centerpiece of this area is Lednice Castle, whose grounds include a sizeable lake in the back, a massive greenhouse, hedges, flowers, and a fountain, a closeup of which you see here. The grounds are in the style of an English garden, which means they have since added a full-size goal that's perfect for missing penalties.