Mutton rides again

Mutton the profoundly deaf sheep has been clipping her hooves around the cobbled streets of Prague.  Mutton wants all Europe to know she is proud to be a European Sheep! She may have been born on the salt water marshes of Kent but wishes to live out her life as a member of the E-ewe. 

Mutton has a very low opinion of ewe-kippers, xenophobes, fascists and mint sauce.



The sheep and her entourage were very impressed with the wonderful city of Prague.  The city is very beautiful and its citizens are warm and friendly.

It is a little known fact, (does not appear in the Wikipedia listing), that the Romney Marsh breed of sheep are particularly fond of  architecture in the Art Nouveau style.  In fact Mutton was almost inconsolable at the recent loss, through fire, of the library at Rennie Mackintosh's Glasgow School of Art. 

Prague boasts many fine Art Nouveau buildings, interior designs, sculptures, stained glass, ceramic tiles, ceramic faced bricks and ironmongery.

In particular,Villa Bilek, a house designed  in 1911 by the Czech sculptor and architect, Frantisek Bilek, is a real Art Nouveau gem in the 'Egyptian Style'.  The building, which served as home and studio to the artist and his wife, contains original furniture and works by Frantisek.  The villa is in the Prague Castle area where there is much to see and do, so it is both easy to visit and easy to overlook.

Villa Bilek

Prague by day or night is a vibrant city with much to see and visit.  In the four days we were there it was impossible to sample all that was available.

Some of the things we did and thoroughly enjoyed were:

a short cruise on the river Vltava

a ride on the Petrin Funicular

Bilek's Studio

laughing our way around the Petrin Mirror Maze

looking through the telescopes at the Stefanik 

Observatory

watching the astronomical clock striking the hour

eating the best vegetarian lunch at the 'Clear Head' restaurant (no lamb cutlets here!)

looking at 'bloke stuff' in the Technical Museum

The works of Frantisek Bilek

looking at old masters in the National Gallery at the Sternberg Palace

 strolling in the sunshine along the Golden Lane

enjoying the high Gothic architecture of St Vitus Cathedral

loving the Romanesque architecture of St George's
Basilica

visiting the Old Jewish Cemetary and Museum 

climbing the Petrin Observation Tower

strolling across the Charles Bridge

trying but failing to find Tycho Brahe's tomb

drinking lots of excellent beer

eating great 'mash' at 'Cestr' restaurant

enjoying a leisurely and excellent breakfast at the very comfortable Jurys Inn
 
 For more information follow the links:

http://www.praguewelcome.cz/en/

http://www.lehkahlava.cz/en_jidelni.htm

http://cestr.ambi.cz/cz/