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Thursday, May 15, Amandine still coughing (but it gets better) and the sky is still gray (but it gets better ... too). Our day tours are on the Petrin hill, with, on the menu: the funicular, the rose garden, the Eiffel Tower (or not), the monastery the museum of miniatures and... Monastery (again).
We take tram 12 to the Malostranská stop. Waiting for the next tram, we will see the commemorative stele resistant and soldiers who died during the Second World War (1938-1945).

We wanted to take the tram 22, but at the next stop (Chotkovy Sady), we go out and expect another tram in the opposite direction (again a tram 22, but in the other direction).

Why did you turn back? Simply because we have the opportunity to take the funicular to Petrin with our public transport tickets. Management therefore the funicular stop Újezd​​. In the park, a sculpture snake host us, and a row of thoughts (the flowers, not what we have in the head).

Looking back, I see a restaurant down the road with a special decoration.

A plan of complete Petrin park is available on a large panel (with various prohibitions and tolerances in the park ... some icons are pretty funny (like the one forbids us to ski in the park, painting the leaves tree bomb or to scare birds).

Finally, we take the funicular (shielded world). The line has 3 stops (Újezd ​​Nebozízek, Petrin) and measures 510m long and 130m in altitude. Built in 1891, the line measured at the original 383m long and a gap 1'000mm. Rebuilt in 1932, the line has its current characteristics with a spacing of 1'435mm.

Arriving at the station at the top, here we are at the top of Petrin Park (Petrinske sady): 327m altitude, 130m high from the left bank of the Vltava.

We start by going to the Rose Garden in a very gray sky. While a cohort of young children is beyond us for a school trip. On the way we pass the Stefanik Observatory (Štefánikova Hvězdárna). It is open to the public to help them discover the sky (mainly our solar system) through the three instruments on the site (mainly two: the large telescope refraction Zeiss doubler under the main dome and the Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope 370mm diameter. The 3rd is a Newton telescope Meade 400mm diameter.) but also through the panels and other information.
Built in 1928 in honor of Milan Rastislav Stefanik (1880 - 1919), politician, diplomat and Slovenian astronomer, he was even an army general in France during the First World War, a statue of the man dressed in flight guarding the entrance to the observatory.

While children will visit the small garden aromathiques plants, rain begins to fall slowly. For our part, we remain high and will see the Rose Garden ... who does primarily merely the name, no rose is open except for a small pink that gives us a semi-open button.

We set a time to shelter from the rain under a tree.

Fortunately for us, the rain did not last long and we resume our journey in the opposite direction towards the Petrin Tower. Between us and the tower is a small park with benches surrounding one side and St. Lawrence Cathedral.

The weather continues to play with us from time to time, we loose a few drops to wet us. We decided that as soon as the rain stops, we'll eat. We cross another part of the park and arrive just before the wall of the Petrin Tower where a small playground for children offer us what we need.

After a meal of bread and Laughing Cow (décidemment. .. we have eaten a heck of a lot in Prague!) In a few drops of rain, then we'll see the famous Petrin Tower (PETRINSKA rozhledna). Inspired by the Eiffel Tower, Petrin Tower was built in 1891 for the Universal Exhibition in Prague (same thing as the Eiffel Tower, built for the Universal Exhibition in Paris this time, in 1889).
60m high, the tower is constructed of steel mesh and overlooking the city of Prague from the top of Petrin Hill.



Then towards the top of the tower, only because Amandine does not feel too make 299 steps in the wind and rain. The stairs are double-helix, and there are no problems crossing between those who ride and those who go down because the stairs are really not very wide. Climb up the tower through a time like today, it falls adventure. I have to hang my hat with a strap so it does not wings because of the strong wind. Rain is also in the game, adding wind, camera equipment do not like it but yours shock and allows me to bring magnificent views of Prague despite the miserable weather.
- The Wall of Hungry (Hladová zeď) was built from 1360 to 1362 in order to strengthen the protection of Prague Castle and Lesser Town. According to legend, the wall was commissioned by King Charles IV for the poor of the city have a job and their avoid famine in 1361. Legend also has it that King Charles IV himself helped to construction of the wall a few hours a day because he loved his people. Today the name of the Wall (Hladová zeď) has become a euphemism for Czech unnecessary public construction.

- The St. Lawrence Cathedral, view from the top this time.

- The entrance to the Prague Castle with the first place (crowded, even in wet weather environments week).

- The small park in front of the St. Lawrence Cathedral with its benches in a semicircle.

- The Church of St. Nicolas of Malá Strana (Kostel Svatého Mikuláše) where are the concerts.

In the distance we can see the transmission tower Zizkov (Žižkovská televizní věž), also called'' TV Tower Prague''. Built in 1992, 216m height measurement and it was the center of several controversies. Because of the degradation of the landscape next to a cemetery or because of culptures giant black baby climbing on the tower, by artist David Černý in 2000. Removing them in 2001 to the end of the ''exhibition'', residents of neighborhoods have enough said for the sculptures to be reinstalled permanently in late 2001. tower is so controversial that CNN has even named the second ugliest building in the world (after the Birmingham Bullring shopping center England).
Rumors also ran during the communist era, accusing tower jam transmissions of Radio Free Europe, radio founded in 1950 in Munich and financed by the USA. The inhabitants of the countries included in the Eastern Bloc were the ''target'' of the radio so that they have access to information normally unavailable (censored) to fight communism.

The top of the Petrin Tower offers magnificent general views of the city. Between Prague Castle, the various bridges over the Vltava, the Old Town (Stare Mesto). The windows platform is very little clean, I take my descent to make a 360 ° panoramic heights of the tower.



We take the gift shop of the tower to take a commemorative coin each and some e-cards for me. Then a short break and we set off again for the Strahov Monastery (Strahovský klášter). A time in the woods with a beautiful descent of stairs:

On the road below the monastery, the view is beautiful too, although not as high in the top of the Petrin Tower.

Founded in 1140 by Vladislav II (1110-1174, King of Bohemia) and the Premonstratensian, the Strahov Monastery (Strahovský klášter) is located between the Castle and the Petrin hill. The monastery church houses the remains of St. Norbert (Norbert of Xanten, born in 1080 and died in 1134, his motto was'' Wenig schreiben aber viel (zu) tun'' (write sparingly, but do unconditionally)) . The library of the monastery existed for over eight centuries and remains the largest library of Bohemia. The ceiling frescoes were made by Franz Maulbertsch and trace the struggle of humanity for knowledge. Unfortunately we do not go see because when we arrived, the library was closed. To enter the monastery, there are several passages, some well hidden, other more showy.

In a small way, we see a lion statue in bronze. The lion is the animal-symbol of Prague but this statue is a bit special, it no longer has a tail (it has apparently been torn).

The main course of the monastery is interesting due to the different facades and architectures. With the added bonus a symbol of the Illuminati.

The abbey church of the Assumption of the Virgin (Virgin Mary Na Nanebevzetí Strahově) (located in the monastery) is one of the oldest in Europe and was originally a Romanesque basilica. It is in this church are buried the remains of St. Norbert. The church is surmounted by a statue of sheep (Holy Moutmoute) crowned with gold.

One important thing the monastery to do is (in addition to visiting the library), the Strahov Monastery brewery (Klášterní pivovar Strahov). They serve great beers (white, blond, brown, black, IPA (India a beer) and a special light U.S. beer) and are also restaurant. For now, we simply enjoy their beer: lager for me. In both cases, the beer has a lot of taste and flavor without being too bitter. A real treat!

After this blessed pause (although windy and a little chilly), we will visit the museum of miniatures (Muzeum Miniature). In this museum are exhibited works of the artist Anatolii Konenko (1954 -), he holds the record for the smallest book in the world (it is also in photo), it measures 0.9mm x 0.9mm and has 29 pages including 3 in color tell the story of Chekhov's Chameleon.
To start animals on a hair:

Several photos of the museum will be average qualities as the pictures have been taken through the microscope. The following two pictures show the famous the world's smallest book.

A small train on a hair (it's really tiny!)

A caravan of dromadulaires (this animal does not exist, much like the dahu!) Are obviously camels (two humps as).

A tiny picture, smaller than a postage stamp:

Then, one of the first achievements of the artist: a pair of scissors, a padlock and a key made ​​on the legs of a flea. I must say it is very impressive, even after seeing all the rest.

The museum is not very big, but is very interesting. We spent a little over half an hour to watch, eye glued to microscopes, miniature creations Anatolij Konenko.

After that, we decided to return quietly to the inn. At the tram stop (Pohořelec), there is a statue of Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) and Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) (two known astronomers).

We take the tram and change to Malostranská where we take the 12 and finally arrived at the hostel. A quiet meal before a movie (EncoOore) and I take the shower is used to prepare the schedule tomorrow.

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