From the Powder Gate

◊ On my way back from the city museum, I decided to stop by the Powder Gate which sits between Old Town and New Town. I have been there several times before, and I thought I had posted pictures of it. I can't seem to find them now, so maybe I forgot to. Anyways, my goal this time was to go up the tower. I had not before because I could not find an entrance. I was a little itty bitty door leading to the most wicked spiral "staircase" if you could even call it that. In the galleries there is a feature on all of the towers and spires of Prague. It was kind of neat, especially the section on water towers. At long last I finally know what some of those random fortress-looking towers are near the river's edge. If I had given it more thought, perhaps the answer would have come to me. Oh well, to the roof!

Come with me and we shall run across the sky,
Illuminate the night...
Don't be afraid to go up the ladder to the roof...
Where we can see heaven much better!
WOOOOO!


Looking SW towards Wenceslass Square. You can see the National Museum.


Ok, I know these next three are similar but I just like them so much.






Here is the tower from the Old Town side.

◊ I was going to go home the same way I came into town, cross the river to the north, climb the bluffs, and cut through the Stalin park. That was not how it went. I heard a lot of commotion in the streets from the top of the Powder Gate. It sounded like a parade of people performing some kind of tribal drum music. It was very good, but from the top of the tower I could not tell where it was coming from. The convoluted and narrow streets of the Old Town amplified the sound quite well, so I just started walking in the direction of Old Town Square. Sure enough, on the way there I ran into a mob following a truck with dancers on the back. When I found it, the whole procession was almost to the square where it went up onto a stage and started some kind of give away. Since it was all in Czech, I still have no idea what was going on. I assume it had something to do with the Prague City Marathon which is today. I eventually got bored of this and the helicopter hovering directly overhead and walked home.