CZECHIA

Prague

Kutna Hora

Karlštejn

Český Krumlov & České Budějovice

Brno

Prague

A picture frame floating among the stars. (Or maybe in a river).

Narnia.

A restaurant decoration.

This ice rink was right on the central street. Imagine putting an ice rink in Oxford Circus or in Fifth Avenue NY. I skated here several times.

A permanent display on a bench. He is observing the passers-by.

The car is at an angle on a hill, so the bear is actually falling against the glass.

Kutna Hora

Did Dracula live here?

The large building directly behind the girl is the Italian Court, which was the Central Mint of Prague in medieval times. I managed to get a 1-on-1 tour in there.

Karlštejn

The main attractions in Karlštejn are the Castle and surrounding village.

I spent about five minutes trying to frame this perfectly.

For me, this photo was simply a good use of black and white. Someone pointed out it presents a visual puzzle - are these roof tiles framed against the sky, or pavement tiles framed against snow?

I went on a hike around the castle. No one around for this part, it was completely silent except for....

...the occasional plane passing overhead.

Glitter.

"Restaurace Pod Hradem" - Restaurant under the Castle.

Český Krumlov & České Budějovice

I like the Gothic vibes. The blur on the birds from the low shutter speed works well here.

A keyhole.

This is in the moat of the State Castle in Český Krumlov. On the fence surrounding the moat was a sign that read "Do Not Feed the Bears". Me and some other tourists thought this was a joke at first, as we could only see a keeper putting out some vegetables. He then disappeared and a few minutes later a (real) bear and her cub appeared. Up to 90% of a brown bears' diet are plants; berries, mushrooms, grasses, flowers, acorns, etc.

At midday, it would have been around 3°C. This cat saw an opening in the doorway and snuck in to warm up.

"Knihy" - similar to the Russian word "Knigi", meaning books. This is a book store.

He is actually posing for a different photographer - I also took a shot.

The house of Josef Seidel, a pioneer photographer. He did travel photography and then later set up a portrait business. This is the studio in his house. The background is an early green screen - different paintings could be placed to make the photos look like they were taken elsewhere. There were also different outfits for the clients to change into - you could even make it look like you were out skiing on a mountain.

Fabric awnings to diffuse harsh sunlight.

Brno

The light is actually white, but my camera's white balance gave it a green hue.

Moravský Kras, 150m drop. The drop didn't always exist - there was actually a rock roof and a cave underneath, but the roof collapsed and left what you see now.