Prague
A city of a hundred spires, written in stone and light.
Prague is best understood from the Vltava. As the sun goes down, Prague Castle and the spires of St. Vitus Cathedral glow above the red rooftops, while Charles Bridge fades into silhouette in the distance. Along the river I followed the evening through every stage: warm light on the arches of Legion Bridge, the blue hour settling over the embankments, and finally night, when the golden roof of the National Theatre shines beneath the moon.
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The experience
Two short visits were enough for Prague to capture me. It is a city where history is not kept behind glass but lives in every street: Gothic towers next to Baroque façades, cobbled lanes that open suddenly onto grand squares, and the castle watching over it all from the hill.
The riverbanks were full of people, walking, sitting by the water or simply watching the light change over the Vltava. That alone says a lot: this is a city with plenty to show. July turned out to be an excellent time to visit. The long summer evenings meant the light lasted well past nine, giving me hours to follow the city from golden hour into the blue hour and on into the night.
In the Old Town Square, the crowd in front of the Astronomical Clock was something to see in itself. As the hour approached, countless visitors gathered below the tower, cameras and phones raised and pointed at the clock, all waiting for the moment the little figures of the apostles begin their procession. For a few seconds the whole square seemed to hold its breath, and then everyone went back to exploring.
Prague is not a city you finish in two visits. Each time I left, I already knew there was a reason to come back.