This is a very classic street in Prague.  This image was captured at sunrise and illustrates the feel of the city … cobblestone everywhere, low light because the city is often cloudy or overcast, and winding streets that are narrow and full of character.  The colors you see here are very typical of the buildings throughout the retail district; subtle pinks, yellows, tans and grays flourish and include lovely architectural nuances like arches and columns.  Every bend and corner brings a slight yet eye capturing variation.

One of the things I learned while there is that our American Budweiser is originally from this part of the world.  Now known as Budvar in Bohemia, the Czech Republic, and the like, this pilsner has a much deeper history than those commonly known Clydesdale roots.  I don’t care for the stuff, so I have no idea how they differ in taste.  Here is a telling excerpt from Wikipedia:

The original Budweiser Bier or Budweiser Bürgerbräu, was founded in 1785 in České Budějovice (Budweis), Bohemia, which at the time (until 1918) was part of the Habsburg Monarchy. The company began exporting to the US in 1871.^[2][3] In the U.S., Anheuser-Busch started using the Budweiser brand in 1876 and registered it two years later.

A second company (now named Budvar) was established in 1895 by mainly Czech brewers, which also started exporting beer under the name Budweiser (being the German way of referring to something from the city such as a beer, while “Budějovický” means the same in Czech). These exports into the US market led to the Budweiser trademark dispute. Negotiations between the three companies, the two from the original town and the American Anheuser-Busch, about using “Budweiser” reached an agreement in 1911 that allowed Anheuser-Busch to use the brand “Budweiser” only in North America.^[4]  In most European countries American Budweiser is not labelled as Budweiser but as Bud, and the name Budweiser refers to the original Czech beer, Budweiser Budvar, except for the United Kingdom, where both beers are sold as Budweiser.  After World War I the Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken up, a number of new states were created, including Czechoslovakia. After the fall of communism, both local breweries tried to secure rights to traditional names.

Budvar Advert on Prague Street

5D MkII, 50mm f/1.4, 1/50 sec @ f5.6, ISO 1250, handheld

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