Last Full Day in Prague
A little bit of tram merry-go-round later and we ended up at Strahov Monestary. The exterior has a beautiful white backdrop with gold embellishments on top. It was closed to the public, but the library next to it can be toured. I almost skipped it, but thought, “Oh, I am here.” Glad I did, it was breathtaking…floor to ceiling books, lined by dark wood cases and painted ceilings. Then, there is a little hallway full of gemstones, a model ship with cannons that Fierce made up a whole story about, and all kinds of preserved sea creatures. At the end of the hall, is another library. This time, it is a collection of theological books. This museum is short and sweet, but very stunning.
Down the hill and hugging the left side of the split in the road, we found the Loreto on our left-hand side. It is ornate in white and yellows. As you enter, you are transported from the city life to a quiet courtyard and sanctuary.
Surrounding the courtyard on all sides are arches of beautiful painted ceilings. In the middle is a prayer area adorned with little statues in all white. The sanctuary is dark, gilded and covered in cherubim. Andrea said this was her favorite church. It had such an oasis feeling, I definitely enjoyed it as well. Fierce liked that we had the whole place to ourselves and he took the opportunity to play a pretend game in the courtyard. I love his imagination.
We went back to “our” side of the city and walked beyond Old Town to the newer parts of the city to grab lunch with pretty cakes. Fierce asked if we could go back to the ice rink and Andrea wanted to do a little shopping so we decided to split for a bit. Although, she went with us to take a video and a few pics of us skating away…she is so thoughtful. We had such a good time. Fierce was going faster than yesterday and still keeping track of his falls, but there were less of them and my smile beamed as he made and met new goals. Now I kind of hope there is ice skating in some of the other countries we will be visiting!
