My Visual Travel Experience: Prague

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic and a city with a population of over 1.2 million, is one of the prettiest cities in Europe. I went there on a school trip as a kid in the mid eighties, and then I went and spent three days there in 2008. I was totally taken in by the beauty of the medieval old town square, and all the landmarks that are dotted along it.

Old Town Square with the Old Town Hall

Prague became one of Europe's most important capital cities in the 14th century under the rule of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV, who was the king of Bohemia. The city prospered under him and saw a lot of development. In the 16th century, Prague came under the rule of the Austrian Habsburg empire and became one of its most important centres. The end of World War I saw the death of the Habsburg empire and Czechoslovakia was formed, with Prague as its capital. In 1993, Czechoslovakia split up into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Prague became the capital of the Czech Republic.

The Old Town Square lies in the heart of the city, and has several of the city's best known landmarks around it. It also has numerous high end shops, restaurants and cafes. In the centre of the square, there's the Jan Huus Monument, erected in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of his burning at the stake. He was a rebel leader who fought against the corrupt practices of the Catholic State. The Old Town Hall was built in the 14th century. It is 69 meters tall and has a viewing gallery at the top. The building has an astronomical clock with mechanical figures that perform with a set frequency. The Church of Our Lady of Tynn has two distinct spires. The church dates back to the 14th century and became a Jesuit church in the 17th century. It has a rich, baroque interior. Kinsky Palace on Old Town Square was built in 1765. It was built by the Golz family and then bought by the Kinsky noble family, and hence the name. It is now an art museum. I found myself spending almost a full day at the Old Town Square, between seeing the various sights, having a leisurely lunch sitting at one of the many outdoor cafes, and window shopping at the fancy shops around.

Jan Huus Monument

Church of Our Lady of Tynn

Church of Our Lady of Tynn,
View from Old Town Hall

Old Town Hall

Kinsky Palace, Old Town Square

The Old Town Square also boasts of the Church of St Nicholas, which has a large green dome and two bell towers. It also has a large chandelier inside. The church was completed in 1737.

Church of St Nicholas, Old Town

Church of St Nicholas,
View from Old Town Hall

Church of St Nicholas, Old Town

Powder Tower is one of the original city gates dating back to the 15th century. It separates the Old Town and the New Town. In the 17th century, the tower was used to store gunpowder, and hence the name.

Powder Tower

There is also the Church of St Nicholas in the Lesser Town, completed in 1755. It is a richly decorated baroque church, with a 70 meter high dome.

Church of St Nicholas, Lesser Town

Dome Interior, Church of St Nicholas, Lesser Town

Crucifixion, Church of St Nicholas, 
Lesser Town

St Cyril, Church of St Nicholas, 
Lesser Town

The Church of Our Lady of the Snows was founded in the 14th century but construction was greatly delayed because of a paucity of funds. The church was completed and modified in the 17th century.

Church of Our Lady of the Snows

High Altar, Church of Our Lady of the Snows

Charles Bridge is one of the most famous and beautiful bridges in the world. The magnificent bridge dates back to the 14th century and was built under the reign of King Charles IV after the Judith Bridge was destroyed by floods. The 621 meter long bridge is lined with a series of 30 baroque sculptures, including those of the Pieta, the Crucifixion of Christ, St John of Nepomuk and St John the Baptist. The bridge has beautiful gothic bridge towers at either end. Until 1841, the bridge was the only way of crossing the river Vltava, with the old town on one side and Prague Castle on the other side.

Crucifixion statue on Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge, with the bridge tower
towards the Old Town Square

Charles Bridge, with the bridge tower
 towards the Little Quarter

The Jewish Town Hall was constructed in 1586. It was given a rococo exterior in the 18th century. It has two clocks, one with Roman numerals, one with Hebrew numerals.

Jewish Town Hall

Prague Castle is situated on a hill, and is visible from many parts of the city. The castle dates back to the 9th century, and since 1918, it has housed the office of the President. The castle's best known landmark is the St Vitus Cathedral, with its two distinctive steeples, its large Rose Window and the tomb of King Wenceslas. Nearby, there's the St George Basilica, dating back to the 10th century. The basilica was built by Prince Vratislav, and his tomb lies inside.

View of Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral,
seen from Charles Bridge

St George Basilica at Prague Castle

The National Museum lies on Wenceslas Square. It was built in 1890 and has a grand renaissance exterior. The collections inside include sections on natural history, mineralogy, archaeology, anthropology and numismatics. Wenceslas Square, on which the museum stands, was originally a horse market. It was the spot where the student leader Jan Palach immolated himself in 1969 to protest against the Soviet invasion. It was also the site of the Velvet Revolution in 1989, which eventually saw the end of Communist rule. The square has a large equestrian statue of St Wenceslas.

National Museum at Wenceslas Square

Statue of St Wenceslas at Wenceslas Square

Wenceslas Square

Grand Hotel Europa, Wencaslas Square

Wallenstein Palace was built in 1630 by Albrecht von Wallenstein. Emperor Ferdinand II had Wallenstein assassinated in 1634, but the palace remained with the family till 1945. Now the Senate of the Cech Republic operates from here.

Venus and Adonis Statue,
Wallenstein Palace

Strahov Monastery is a 12th century abbey built by Jindrich Zdik, Bishop of Prague. The monastery has an impressive library called the Philosophical Hall, and a picture gallery.

Stahovsky Monastery

Loyola Church is also known as St Ignatius Church. The baroque church was completed in 1677. It was built for the city's Jesuits.

Loyola Church

Dancing House was completed in 1996. The building is also known as Fred and Ginger, after the American dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The building was very controversial because of its non traditional design, in an otherwise traditional city with baroque, gothic and art nouveau architecture.

Dancing House

Three days weren't quite enough to explore the many sights of the city, and I would have been happy if I had got another day or two. I left the city fully convinced that I had seen one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. While in Prague, I caught up with a friend I had recently been introduced to. She was a wonderful, pleasant mannered person and the idea was for us to get to know each other better, but knowing the way I am when it comes to travel and exploring places, I wasn't able to spend much time with her at all. I'm sure she wasn't happy about that, but put me in a new city (that too a city as splendid as Prague), give me a camera, and I'll drive myself crazy trying to explore every nick and corner of the city, neglecting much else along the way!!

My Visual Travel Experience: Singapore

I first visited Singapore in 2005 on my way from Delhi to San Francisco. I got just a few hours in Singapore on my way out, and another few hours on my way back. It was enough to really whet my appetite and I was determined to return really soon. In 2006, I left Britannia and I was going to be joining Nokia; I had a week in between and I decided to visit Singapore; I stayed with my friends Meenakshi and Anubhav, who were very hospitable hosts, and I had a great time exploring the city. In 2007, I went on work a couple of times during my Nokia days, and I also attended an interesting marketing workshop at the INSEAD campus. And then in 2013, my wife Reshmi and I stopped over there on our way back from Bali. So over the years, I've spent a cumulative of about three weeks in Singapore and that has given me the opportunity to explore the city quite thoroughly!

View of downtown Singapore with the Central Business District

Singapore has a population of over 5,000,000. The city state is reputed to be one of the world's cleanest and safest places. It's a favourite with visitors, and residents rate it very highly too. The only thing that's a little difficult is the weather, because it is hot and humid throughout the year. The temperature isn't very high (it rarely exceeds 32 degrees Centigrade), but the humidity can get to one.

Till the 19th century, Singapore used to be just a small Malay fishing village. In 1819, Stamford Raffles was the first European to land in Singapore. Raffles signed a treaty with the Malays that gave the British access to Singapore as a trading port. The next few decades saw a lot of development and expansion of the city. In 1942, the Japanese defeated the British in Singapore and it came under Japanese rule for 3 years. In 1945, after the end of Word War II, the British returned to Singapore and were in power till 1959, when the People's Action Party under Lee Kuan Yew came to power. Singapore remained a part of Malaysia and then in 1965, it became an independent republic with Lee Kuan Yew as its first Prime Minister.

Raffles Landing Site is the site where Stamford Raffles landed in 1819. The site has a white marble statue of Raffles and it stands along the Singapore River, close to the skyscrapers of the Central Business District. The nearby riverside area is full of sculptures depicting Singapore and its various ethnic groups. The riverside has many popular restaurants and cafes. Nearby, Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, dating back to the late 19th century, is a popular venue for concerts and performances. The structure's clock tower is a prominent city landmark. Adjacent to it, there's the Asian Civilization Museum, that has works of art from across Asia, including Hindu sculptures from India, Buddhist sculptures from South East Asia, ceramic ware from China and Mughal artefacts. The Supreme Court, with its grand dome, is another well known landmark in the area.

Raffles Landing Site with the statue of Stamford Raffles

Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall

Asian Civilization Museum

Buddha, Asian Civilization Museum

Ganesha, Asian Civilization Museum

Mughal Room, Asian Civilization Museum

Sculpture of the River Merchants, Riverside

Supreme Court

Raffles Hotel is a colonial era hotel that was very popular with westerners in the colonial days. It is one of Singapore's most iconic buildings, and has that real old world charm. The hotel's Long Bar is famous for the Singapore Sling, a drink invented in 1915 at the hotel. Another well known Singapore hotel is the Fullerton Hotel. It dates back to 2001, but the building itself was built almost a century earlier and was initially called the Fullerton Building - it later served as the General Post Office.

Raffles Hotel

Singapore Sling at Long Bar, Raffles Hotel

Fountain, Raffles Hotel

Fullerton Hotel

Chijmes used to be the Convent of the Infant Holy Jesus and was built in 1854. It ran a women's shelter, an orphanage and a school. The convent was relocated in 1983, and the complex was turned into a series of restaurants, pubs and cafes. The old chapel, now called the Chijmes Hall, is used for events like weddings.

Chijmes

Front View, Chijmes

Merlion Park has an 8 meter tall Merlion statue, dating back to 1972. The Merlion is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. The lion head symbolizes Singapore's name, "Singapura", which means lion city. The fish body symbolizes Singapore's origins as a fishing village.

Merlion Park

Theatres on the Bay is a performing arts centre. It has a concert hall that can accommodate 1,600 people and a theatre with a capacity for 2,000 people. The structure opened in 2002.

Theatres on the Bay

Cathedral of the Good Shepherd is Singapore's oldest catholic church and dates back to 1847. The cathedral has a beautiful timber ceiling. Singapore's other well known church is St Andrew's Church, which dates back to 1861. Scottish merchants paid for the construction of the church, and hence it is named after the Scottish patron saint.

Cathedral of the Good Shepherd

St Andrew's Church

Singapore Flyer was opened in 2008. It is a large ferris wheel with a height of 165 meters, and offers splendid views of the city. A complete trip takes about half an hour.

Little India is an area that has a large Indian population, largely from the state of Tamil Nadu. Indians comprise about 8% of Singapore's population, and Tamil is one of Singapore's four official languages, along with Malay, Mandarin and English. Little India has a branch of the popular Saravana Bhawan eatery, and it also has two well known Hindu temples - Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple and Shri Veerammakaliamman Temple.

Temple Wall, Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple

Shri Veerammakaliamman Temple in Little India

Singapore Zoo is one of the world's best zoos. It is spread over 250 acres. There are trolley services that do a full round of the complex, and visitors can hop on and hop off at will. The zoo has an impressive Asiatic Elephant Show. The zoo doesn't have animals in cages. The animals are largely in pits and can be seen from a height without obstruction. The Night Safari is right next door, and one can get to see nocturnal animals there.

Trolley at Singapore Zoo

Asiatic Elephant Show at Singapore Zoo

White Tiger at Singapore Zoo

Cheetah at Singapore Zoo

Rhinos at Singapore Zoo

Giraffe at Singapore Zoo

Kangaroo at Singapore Zoo

Penguins at Singapore Zoo

Singapore Botanical Garden is a large garden that has attractions like the National Orchid Garden, lakes, waterfalls, landscaped fountains and manicured lawns.

National Orchid Garden at Singapore Botanical Garden

Heliconia, Singapore Botanical Garden

Sentosa Island was originally a fishing island. It later served as a British military base. Today, it is a recreation park, with numerous attractions, including theme parks, rides, museums, and wildlife. The Merlion statue there is 37 meters tall. It is possible to go to the top, for great views of the island. Underwater World has a large aquarium with a big underwater tunnel through which one can see a vast array of underwater life. There's the Dolphin Lagoon, where one can see live shows of dolphins and sea lions. Butterfly Kingdom is a great place for seeing butterflies, macaws, iguanas and tortoises. Images of Singapore is an interesting museum that has wax figures and building models depicting the history, culture, tradition, festivals and livelihoods of Singapore and its people.

Merlion Statue at Sentosa

Macaws at Butterfly Kingdom, Sentosa

Images of Singapore, Sentosa

Peking Opera at Images of Singapore, Sentosa

Rickshaw Puller at Images of Singapore, Sentosa

World War Soldier at Images of Singapore, Sentosa

Ceramic Dishes, Images of Singapore

Iguana at Butterfly Kingdom, Sentosa

Singapore is a shopping haven for shoppers. Orchard Road has a series of shopping malls, with a massive array of outlets. Other prominent shopping places in Singapore include Suntec City and Raffles City. Little India has Mustafa Centre, a large department store well known for its low priced electronics. Very few cities in the world can boasts of the shopping experiences that Singapore offers!

Raffles City

I was very impressed by Singapore, and I highly recommend it for visitors. It's a place that seems to have something for everyone - great shopping for shoppers, world class attractions and theme parks for children, great food for food lovers, and impressive sites for people who love history! It is also a great city to live in, and if I had to live outside India, Singapore would certainly be among the top few cities I would look at!