The first stop on our whistle-stop tour was Prague.
We made our way to Old Town Square on a hunt for fresh coffee and breakfast. ( We’re fast learning that none of us survive very well first thing without at least 3 cups,!)
Our table gave us prime viewing to The Alchemist Clock. It’s a thing of beauty to behold!
I had previously seen it on the Netflix series Lore. A tale of how anyone who worked on the clock met with an untimely death. But so see it with my own eyes was joyous.
The beauty of this clock is the more you look at it the more you see.
The face is 24 hrs with a circular dial marking not only night and day, but also the signs of the zodiac.
A Rowan Atkinson-like figure guards from above. A great golden cockerel also stands guard and an ominous skeleton holding a bell at its side
The closer we got to the hour, the greater the atmosphere of the square grew. It was like an electrical current was being passed through the crowd with an audible buzz of anticipation.
And then the hour struct. The crowd fell silent. The blue and gold doors opened and a procession of Saints filled past as the skeleton tolled its bell.
And then with the echo of the final 11th bell still in the air, the show was over. The crowd stayed silent for a few more beats. It was almost like we were all wishing it to start over. The spectacle over so quickly, and with so much to see, we all felt there were so many bits we had missed that we all silently praying they would do it again.
But alas.
A roar of cheer and clapping broke out and the crowd disappear.
I felt almost hollow afterwards.
But I would recommend to anyone, it you get the opportunity, you really should see this beautiful clock.