Tuesday 19 February 2019

Last day in Prague



 It is our last day in Prague,  but our flight is not until 9 pm so have the whole day until about 6pm before we need to go to collect our bags and await the taxi.
  Time to go for breakfast first, and we are meeting up with a facebook Friend, Tom, who lives here, who is a photographer also.   So its Arcadia cafĂ© again for hot chocolate and caramel waffles. After meeting up over breakfast Tom suggested we take a walk up river to Vysehrad and the Cemetery.

    We have walked up river on the castle side and eventually cross over the Palackehor most  bridge .








Having reached our destination, google maps shows a couple of different paths to take up to the top. this set of steps appears to be the best way up.






                            We are at the Top,  the Vysehrad Cemetery is next to the church.




Walking around the crypts ,which are all very lavish around the outer perimeter.  there are supposed to be quite a few famous people buried in here.





                                                                        B&w conversion





                                                     A famous Composer I believe.














                                             Around the back of the park looking upriver.




Time to make our way back now,   I had to get a shot through the arch with the Castle in the background.  Pity about the tree branches !




                                                                              Selfi time .




      I have put the 100-400mm L lens on to look down towards the Castle.
but first a shot with wide angle lens 69 seconds exposure to blur the water and show a little cloud movement.  it hasn't really worked out how I wanted though.




                              Now the long lens close up , Dam branches in the way again !




                                                                  View through a hole.





                    A Snow storm is approaching fast!   cant see the castle and Cathedral now.




                                                                      Bridge gone now!




The snow came through quickly and  has cleared just as fast, with blue sky now and the snow has already melted on the ground.




Heading back along the river now, the cloud is building nicely and is looking very interesting.




                                             These Granite paving setts look fabulous.







                                                      Look at that cloud now,   fabulous!





 Heading past the "Fred & Ginger" building , I need to get up to Charles Bridge to get a couple images while this cloud is looking so good.




                                      This is the Cultural centre and concert hall on an island .




Having reached the weir just before the bridge, I have set up the tripod and started to take a few long exposure images with the Lee Big stopper  a 10 stop nd filter and I noticed this large animal down on the wooden structure, it is a Cuypu (giant water rat)     quickly putting the 100-400 mm lens on managed this image .





Back to the long exposure shots now.
5dsr  17-40L 
90 seconds f14 Big stopper





Now we have just enough time to see if there will be any colour at sunset , down where the Swans are I think .  They are Very inquisitive  lol






A quick run up onto the bridge,  but the colour didn't really develop where I wanted, it looked good behind over the Cathedral and Castle but not over the bridge.





Back to our apartment to get the bags, but not before stopping to shoot the "Memorial to Victims of Communism! monument which is at the top of the road from the apartment.





The end of our New Year trip to Prague .

Tuesday 12 February 2019

New Years Day in Prague 2019



It is New Years day in Prague, there is a big organised firework display at 6 pm tonight, set off from Letna park near the metronome.      We are going down onto the Strelecky Ostrov island to get a nice view straight down the river towards Letna which is behind Charles Bridge.
Unfortunately rain showers are forecast but we cant change that!

And we are a bit late to get a good clear view ,its packed already with photographers!   I have had to set up tripod under a tree but with people in front of me partially obscuring the water with their heads!      Dam!








                                            Heads or no heads, I will get some images































                      This magnificent building is the National Theatre   Narodni divadlo.





            Now time to walk around to see the Fred and Ginger building , but its not fully lit up.






                                        Walking along the river towards Charles bridge.









We have walked along past the bridge down to the next bridge, I take this phone image from middle of the road over the bridge with Prague castle in the background.






        A long exposure on Charles Bridge to try to blur out all the people that are walking around.
                                        25 seconds f14  and 20 seconds f7.1 for the buildings





                                                           Down under Charles Bridge




The end of a great start to the new year, home tomorrow evening so a full day to walk around.