It is a corollary of Murphy’s Law that when traveling, a long lay-over will happen in the place you least want to be. But in early June 1999, Murphy’s Law was thwarted. I found myself in Prague, with a six hour wait (from early in the morning to early afternoon) for my flight back to Toronto, and I had a camera in tow.

Well, alright. It was a grey day, completely without sunshine. So, the photos are flat. For me, Prague on a grey day still beats most cities on a gloriously sunny day.

I took the subway to the nearest stop to the historic Charles Bridge, commissioned by Charles IV in 1357, from 27-year old architect Petr Parler, and not completed until 1402. Until the 19^th century, it was the only bridge across the Vltava River. For security reasons, Charles IV also commissioned a 130-foot Bridge Tower with gates that could be closed; the shot of the Old Town (Stare Mesto) Tower is the quintessential postcard shot of Prague.

The white stucco house with the circular window and Juliet wrought iron balcony is visible from the Charles Bridge, but is actually located on Kampa Island; there was a candle still burning in the baroque lamp stand from the night before. A quiet, personal shrine in the midst of bustling tourists.

One of the wealthiest merchants in the Prague of 1597 was Jan Fux, who imported ostrich feathers from Africa. His house is just beside the Charles Bridge on the Little Quarter (Mala Strana) side and has an emblem of three ostriches, done in wrought iron above the doorway. Imagine the volume of feathers that were needed to keep Lords and Ladies, not to mention commissioned officers of the army, in up-to-date fashions during the Baroque period. Fux made so much money that in 1606, he added an exterior fresco of three ostriches. In 1657, he added a whole floor to the house. Today, At the Three Ostriches is a very chic restaurant and hotel. Bring your platinum Amex Card.

The apartment building on Bridge Street (Mostecka) with the wonderfully playful façade had curved windows. They were the original windows, judging from the bubbles and other imperfections in the glass. Imagine waking up every morning and standing with your bathrobe and coffee or tea cup in hand, watching the world come to life from this magical window.

The checkered marble tiles and the massive wood doors are one of the side entrances to the Church of St. Nicholas (1703-1761). The church is the masterpiece of father-and-son architects Christoph and Kilian Ignaz Dietzenhofer. Inside, extensive renovation in the 1950s brought back the many wood, marble and gilt statues and frescoes back to their original condition.