Vodičkova 9 Prague.......... — Steve Chivers Photography

Well Christmas is coming which in the Chivers household means “Road Trip”!

Yes indeed, we like to travel to Europe to search out a Christmas Market and get in to the festive spirit (which normally means over indulgence on my part). This year was to be very special on three counts:

It was our first Christmas Market since relocating back to the UK.
We would be meeting up with our best friends from Dubai, Seth & Claire and their lovely boys.
We had chosen Prague, somewhere we had never visited.

Now as regular readers will already know our overseas visits are planned by Mrs C. With what can only be described as a military precision.

Of course, what everybody was really thinking was what camera I would be taking. As we were travelling super light I had decided on the Leica Q. I had been enjoying the 28mm focal length, especially for cityscapes and I also wanted something that was good in low light.

So it was off to London City Airport and on to a British Airways flight to Prague. For once the planets aligned and we all arrived within half an hour and there were lots of hugs and kisses as we met up in the arrivals hall at Václav Havel Aiport.

It is always so great to meet up with the people you love. As you can see I am already sporting my Santa look.

Our driver Vassel seemed to be a man on a mission; his mission being to get us in to town as quickly as possible. I am not sure what red light or stop sign is in Czech but to Vassel they seemed to be more inference than obligatory. I did not want to scare the kids so I only screamed out loud once!

Within what seemed a heart-stopping twenty minute drive we were outside our apartment, located at Vodičkova 9 and Vassel collected his fare, (approx 50 Euros) gave us a toothy grin and sped off to collect his next victims (Passengers).

As we entered our beautiful top-floor apartment it was clear that Claire had absolutely outdone herself on the accommodation front. This was my first image captured from the lounge window and I already knew that I was going to enjoy my visit to Prague:

Now they call Prague ”The City of 1000 spires” but truly it delivers on so many fronts. The minute I stepped outside the door my shutter finger went in to overdrive.

In addition to my attempts at being a bit arty there are also the many attractions that are obligatory to capture. The first of these was the Prague Orloj, otherwise known as The Prague Astronomical Clock, attached to the side of the Old Town Hall.

Installed in 1410 it is the third oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest clock in operation. It certainly is spectacular but a word to the wise, get there early in the morning as the crowds are huge, even during a freezing cold winter.

Which brings me to the subject of weather. As we arrived in Prague the snow started to fall and the temperature fluctuated between about minus 3 degrees centigrade to absolutely brass monkeys. So plenty of layers, walking boots and a good hat and gloves are essential.

There is no need to worry about self catering as the food is wholesome and inexpensive when compared to UK or Dubai. Well everything is inexpensive when compared to Dubai!

Our first morning we stopped off at Cafe 11 ( Instagram: @cafe11praha ). The girls really looked after us and plates of steaming mushroom and cheese omlette really set us up for the day.

Horatio is always the star of the show and like all 2 year olds can be seen here enjoying a post-omelette babychino.

Suitably fed and watered we set off for our destination for the day, The Prague Castle via Charles Bridge.

The entrance to Charles Bridge - The Malà Strana Bridge Tower.

Through the gloom you can see Prague Castle.

The Charles Bridge is a photographer’s dream. Spanning the Vltava River, it is a medieval stone arch bridge which has been fully pedestrianized. As a result, even in a full-on blizzard, it is packed with tourists and from a street photography perspective may be termed as a “target rich environment”.

The bridge is adorned with 30 mostly Baroque style statues situated on the balustrade which really lends a sense of theatre as you cross towards Prague Castle.

Prague Castle as viewed from Charles Bridge.

CAPTION COMPETITION: Please leave your suggestions in the comments section.

Approaching the end of Charles Bridge - Spot the Brit abroad bottom left.

Who doesn’t like steaming hot chimney cake?

As we walked across Charles Bridge the snow almost became a whiteout and it was so cold my hands hurt, even through my gloves. Fortunately my Leica Q didn’t miss a beat and I kept capturing images. However, it then came time to make a decision. Do we climb the three hundred or so steps to the castle or do we go back to the apartment for a steaming mug of hot chocolate.

You’ve already guessed it, “when needs must the devil drives” and with our usual Churchillian fortitude it was head down, teeth well and truly gritted and across the rubicon of pain to the castle.

At that point Horatio decided to fall asleep in his push chair. Not to be defeated, Seth and I manned-up and carried Horatio, asleep in his pushchair, up the three hundred steps to the castle.

Having recently become a “man of a certain age” it is fair to say that at about step 250 (yes I was counting) the legs were shaking, the snow had iced up my nose so I had trouble breathing and it is fair to say that the old heart was pumping in overdrive!

Once we reached the top I surprised myself as despite my trembling hands I grabbed this image of Prague Castle.

I could not understand why there were so many people milling around in the middle of a blizzard. I then realized that we had arrived just in time for the changing of the palace guard ceremony. Indeed I heard a guy say that there was a someone behind me with his chopper in his hand! Of course, it was the commander of the palace guard and his troop marching back to barracks.

I decided to be brave and capture some images of one of the sentries that was guarding the palace gate. These guys did not move a muscle, despite the freezing cold, but this was as close as I dared get to a man carrying a gun with a big knife attached to the end of it!

On the way back we took a detour via Wenceslas Square (and yes I did sing the song). The snow had really begun to settle and provided some excellent opportunities to capture Prague in its full winter coat.

Wenceslas Square with the National Museum in the distance.

Mrs. C still working the Prague Chic look.

After about 20,000 steps and chilled to the bone lunch was beckoning. We had booked a table at one of the establishments serving local Czech food aptly named Bar & Restaurant Local. It was a good job we had booked as the waiting time without a reservation was about 1 hour.

As you can see the restaurant might be described as Spartan and indeed was only nominally warmer than the street outside! However the staff were super friendly and the local Czech food delicious. We started with marinated pork belly accompanied by a spread of crushed pork crackling followed by roasted beef cheek, potato dumplings and steaming hot gravy. All this was washed down with a half litre of their local grog. All of this came to approximately £10 per head. You know it makes sense, unless of course you are a vegan!

Now the original purpose of our visit was to visit the Prague Christmas market. I have to be honest, the market itself was a real disappointment. It was full of fast food stalls interspersed with vendors selling what might generously be termed as tat. You would be better to shop for souvenirs in the local shops. This seems to be an ever increasing theme for Christmas markets in Europe but I did grab a couple of images for posterity.

Night out in Prague - One of the smaller local Christmas Markets.

There was so much to do in Prague and we simply scratched the surface. This bodes well for a return visit during warmer climes.

Being an avid supporter of all things Leica, I did search out the local Leica hub. As it happened it was situated a stones throw from our apartment and comprised the Leica Cafe (coffee was excellent) and the Leica Gallery where we viewed an exhibition called “ Private Journeys” by a local photographer.

“Framed” - Mrs. C whilst viewing the exhibition at the Leica Gallery.

Our final morning had arrived so we were up especially early and took our coffee and croissants to a nearby park to watch the sun come up and allow the boys some time to play in the snow. The light was super and I was able to capture some of my favourite images of the entire trip.

Let there be light - Sunrise over Prague.

So our time in Prague had come to an end and what a fantastic time was had by all although, for some, it was all a bit too much……..

So my creative year has finally come to an end, as we focus in earnest on preparations for Christmas and New Year celebrations with family.

I would like to thank all of you who have supported me across all the various platforms where I am active. Your support, advice and encouragement is always gratefully received.

2024 looks to be a fabulous year from a creative standpoint so until then, may I wish you and your families a very merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year.

Warmest regards from Plymouth. U.K.