Sunset on Charles Bridge

A short distance from the Old Town Square is Charles Bridge, named after the Czechs' most beloved king. On our way there, we passed this courtyard with a very intriguing large-scale installation. It turned out to be a contemporary art museum. 

But we weren't interested in that. Not when we could catch the sunset on Charles Bridge.



The old buildings at the foot of the bridge are stunning. Too bad they were photobombed by the glaring neon of THE BIGGEST MUSIC CLUB IN CENTRAL EUROPE!

There, that's better.

This costumed guard must either really hate his job or enjoy being photographed with girls. These giggly teens liked my idea, so they followed suit after I had my photo taken with him.

Charles Bridge is one of the biggest attractions in Prague, so tourist traffic is heavy. In places like these, I revert to a favorite photography trick that helps me from getting frustrated at all the people in my shot. Find out what it is, after the jump!


Instead of waiting for a clear shot in high-traffic areas, I try to work the crowds into the picture by switching to a very slow shutter speed. This creates motion blur.

Motion blur ensures that the things that don't change—the things you really want to see in your photo—remain sharp, but that clothing and faces fade into atmosphere. I like doing this because it gives a sense of how these timeless structures are so impervious to the comings and goings of so many people over so many years.

From somewhere on the bridge, strains of jazz drifted our way. Then, a soulful, gravelly voice began to  rumble, a dead-on Louis Armstrong sound-alike singing in Czech. The rumbling drew us in closer and closer, until we happened upon this fantastic little band of buskers.



I've heard some really bad buskers in tourist areas (in fact, there was a dirty Rastafarian with a tuneless digeridoo just a few meters away), but these guys were fantastic. They had the audience (including this adorable pup!) enraptured. The sunset, the bridge, the music... it was utter perfection. What more could you want?



Oh, how about... a castle?

The last time I was on Charles Bridge, there was nothing romantic about it. It was midday in sweltering July, at the very peak of tourist season, the bridge was mobbed with loud tour groups and I was with a bunch of gay friends (haha).

But this time was completely different. With my husband's hand in mine, a cool breeze blowing in from the river, the sunset sky all aglow and Prague Castle beckoning from the other side of the riverbank, it was pure romance.

There was much to see from this bridge, from small tucked-away treasures like this old mill wheel, to grander sights like the National Theater gleaming golden from further down, in the New Town.

I could have stayed for hours, but we came to the end of the bridge all too soon. 

The street lamps came on, winking goodbye, and night fell on our first evening in Prague.