| Points of Interest
"I have travelled widely
in the world visiting cities such as Venice, Cape Town
and many others and have to say that I was enormously
impressed with Prague. It is the finest city I have ever
had the pleasure to visit."
Simon, Wales
Old Town Hall 
Old Town Square is the
heart of Old Town Prague and is a must-see for any
first-time tourist to the city. Some of Prague's
most-visited sites can be seen in Old Town Square. Prague's Old Town is most noted
for the Astronomical Clock, Old Town Hall, Tyn
Church, the statue of Jan Hus, and St. Nicholas Church
Prague Castle,
the largest castle area in the world. Its three courtyards
and a number of magnificent buildings cover over
7 hectares (18 acres). The Prague Castle (Pražský hrad)
was founded around 880 by prince Boivoj of the
Premyslid dynasty. The Prague Castle experienced one
of its greatest periods during the reign of Charles
IV (1346-1378) when it became the seat of the Holy
Roman Emperor. The Royal Palace was rebuilt, the fortifications
were strengthened, and the construction of St. Vitus
Cathedral was initiated, following the style of Gothic
French cathedrals of the time.
Charles Bridge, a stone
Gothic bridge that connects the Old Town and Malá Strana.
Its construction was commissioned by the Holy Roman
Emperor Charles IV in 1357 and was called the Stone
Bridge during its first several centuries. In charge
of the construction was architect Petr Parlé whose
other works include the St. Vitus Cathedral at the
Prague Castle. It is said that egg yolks were mixed
into the mortar to strengthen the construction of
the bridge.
That
Budapest is one of the most beautiful cities in the
world. Gellért
Hill sits right next to the River Danube which flows
majestically through the centre of the modern city.
It was precisely the combination of the relative
ease of crossing the River here and the natural protection
the hill offered against invasion that decided the
earliest settlers it was the ideal place to build
a town.
Budapest is a city in two
distinct halves - Buda and Pest - separated by the
Danube river.
Buda's Castle District, packed with palaces, forts,
museums, churches and affluent housing is a World
Heritage site, while Pest handles the dirty daily
life of commerce, entertainment and conspicuous consumption
- though that's not to say it's unattractive. Pest
is lively and cosmopolitan, offering all the modern
amenities required by the urban animal, from sushi
to late late clubbing and in a generally relaxed
but historically interesting setting.
Budapest’s famous Chain Bridge (Lánchíd)
Budapest's finest green
spot is Margaret Island (Margitsziget) located in
the middle of the river Danube between Margaret Bridge
and Árpád Bridge. 
While in Budapest, you can visit the
large amount of shops on Vaci Street, Parliament,
which is one of the largest Parliament buildings
in Europe, Heroes Square, a very special monument
depicting the heroes of Hungary Past, and you can
hop on the oldest underground train on the continent!
See other great GSU Study Abroad
Trips at...
www.SouthAmericaStudyTrip.com
|
