But before I take you to those grand structures, let me take you to... my hotel room.

This is room 214 of the Atlantic Hotel, at Na Porici 9.

This bathroom is gigantic by European standards. And the water
pressure is good!

plenty of cupboard space for folded and hanging clothes

gazing upward at the Powder Gate in Stare Mesto

This bridge connects the Powder Gate to the Municipal House.

The bridge provided access to the royal palace that stood on this site during the tenth century.

The House of the Black Madonna

The Museum of Czech Cubism is housed inside.

I attended a classical concert in this church the night before.

The world's only
cubist lamppost.

the Franciscan Gardens
in Nove Mesto

These sculptures preside
over the gardens.

the colossal altar inside the Church of Our Lady of the Snows

statue outside that church

The exterior of the Church of
Our Lady of the Snows

Near the border of Wenceslas Square, a mulled wine storefront does brisk business.

The National Museum looms
in the near distance.

This building is festooned
for the holidays.

Why go down to the sidewalk when you can walk a built-in bridge to the next building?

There's the dome of the Municipal House, behind the Powder Gate.

creeping up on the Tyn Church from behind

I head-bopped here last night: the Ungelt Jazz & Blues Club

Now for some mega-rare photos from inside the Tyn Church.

Use of cameras is forbidden, but... we all know I'm a sneaky bastard.

These high-baroque altarpieces are in stark contrast to the church's gothic exterior.

This huge Rococo altar dominates the front of the sanctuary.

To the left of the main altar, a rendering of the crucifixion.

Between the early 15th century and the year of 1620 this was the main Hussite church in Prague.

Close-up of the crucifixion scene. Sorry it's blurry. Remember, I was shooting these on the down low.

a side window of the Tyn Church

the entrance to the Tyn Church, with a CD store to the side

The Jan Hus Monument dominates the northern portion of Old Town Square.

Jan Hus was murdered for his religious beliefs in 1415.

view from Old Town Square's clock tower

I drank cappucinos at that canopy-covered coffee shop in January '06.

The clock tower offers panoramic views of every side of
Old Town Square.

Possibly my favorite visual
of any I've seen in my life:

the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn,
as seen from the clock tower balcony.

Powder Gate in the distance

The Jan Hus Monument
from above

Behold the gothic splendor!
Tyn Church's towers, up close.

Powder Gate became a store for gunpowder in 1575.

I'm in my happy place.

Prague Castle off to the northwest of the clock tower

If only I had time to fully explore this whole city!

It's not steps leading up and down from the clock tower, it's an inclined roundabout perimeter.

A look back at the clock tower
as I head east around
a corner for lunch.

As a free complement to my lunch, the waiter concocted a Czech hot toddy.

I lost track of all the ingredients
in my throat-searing cocktail,
but he poured shots from just
about all of these bottles.

My lunch. Those are bread dumplings on the left.

My server heats the glass for another customer's booze concoction.