Matt is visiting his sister Nina, who has been working on a project in Prague for several months. |
| These buildings are so beautiful, it feels like they all came out of a fairy tale. And the cathedrals with their long spires are simply mesmerizing. By the way, I saw some pictures of Prague Castle. Can you take me there? |
| Slow down, Matt. You’ve just come here; we have plenty of time
to visit everything. First, I want to show you something really amazing. Behold, the most beautiful clock in the world, the Prague Astronomical Clock, the pride of the city! |
| Oh, wow! It looks incredible. But it seems complicated. How do you tell time? |
| You tell time by looking at the Roman numerals. The other pointers are connected to the ancient times, and to astronomy and astrology. |
| I can see the positions of the Sun and the Moon, the Zodiac signs... Oh, those figures are interesting. What do they represent? |
| Well, these represent four things that were despised during the period the clock was built. They are Vanity, Greed, Death, and Infidels. These figures move at the strike of every hour. And below, we have The Astronomer, The Chronicler, The Philosopher and an Angel. |
| It must be very interesting to see them move. Can we stay here for a few more minutes until they start moving? And while we wait, you can tell me more about the clock. What else do you know? |
| There's this legend I heard. It was believed that the maker of the clock was blinded by the Czech Council so that he could never make anything more beautiful. In retaliation, the clock maker threw himself in the clock’s mechanism, committing suicide and stopping the clock for a whole year. |
| Wow! That’s grim. I’m glad that it’s just a legend... Oh, oh, it’s noon, the show’s starting. |
