Hi! I tried to post from the first evening in Prague but lost it apparently. Oh well! Nothing much! We went to a neighborhood pub with really good local Czech food. Got what was described as pork, cabbage and potatoes, and it turned out to be a potato pancake with saurkraut, port and potatoes. Yum! Got salads and some Czech wine and beer.
Ended up sitting next to a girl who is here for a semester from college, and her folks are funding her escapades through europe. Nice! She was dining with her uncle who was visiting, and her parents were coming the next day. I guess that's what you get for having your folks fund your adventures!
I ended up with wicked insomnia and only slept around 3 hours of completely disjointed sleep. Not a good start. We decided to go to Prague Castle, and after fueling up at the hotel, we headed out. It was supposed to be easy- take the 8 tram to the 22 and voila! Well, I have a good excuse anyways, but not sure what happened. We somehow got the 8 going the wrong way (we think) and though we crossed the river as we were supposed to, we ended up off course. Couldn't find the 22, or anyone who admitted that they spoke English. Even pointing to a map and the number tram was useless here.
We finally found a younger woman who was willing to help, though she was a bit confused. Take the 25, she said. Ok. So we did. We got off after seeing the castle tower in the distance and when I recognized the word for castle in Czech.
After we got off, we crossed the street where a lovely local man was waiting for us. He only spoke Czech, but recognized two damsels in distress and jumped into action, offering us each an arm and talking away in a language we didn't understand. Kim knows italian, and I know some German and Spanish, but yet they all did nothing for us here. He walked us up a hill onto the castle grounds and pointed to where we needed to go. A small tip and we were back in business!
The Castle is dominated by the spires of St. Vitus Cathedral. I actually didn't read much about the castle, and we need to head out shortly so I won't investigate now. It dominates the landscape up on a hill overlooking Prague from the west of the river, and can be seen throughout the city. it's really beautiful.
We walked back after touring the castle, St. Vitus Cathedral and Golden Lane, a row of tiny and adorable homes flocking a side of the castle. The famous Franz Kafka resided there for a time. We headed back through a cute little part of town and decided to enjoy the views with some lunch. We both had smoked salmon with potato pancakes, and I enjoyed some hot spiced wine, or Gluwein. I've been really loving that here as it takes off the chill!
We walked over the famous Charles Bridge, flocked by statues high on the bridge depicting various religious scenes. Several little music bands were playing, and we observed quite a few instruments again that seem very local. We wandered around some of the neighborhoods we saw yesterday by the Astronomical Clock and Old town square, and wandered to Weneclas Square, flocked by the National Museum at the top of the street on a hill. We saw other bands playing here too, including a lady and a horse playing a guitar.
We went to the Old Market again, which we saw yesterday and enjoyed more gluwein, chatted with some wonderful people from russia and connecticut, and ate a dish of potatoes, sauerkraut, sausage and a tasty red sauce. Yum! Kim got a nutelle crepe (why not?) and we started the wander back to our hotel, passing through the town square again. We enjoyed the sun setting over the Tyne Church and the views as the daylight faded. We again saw the poor sweet dog of yesterday that I gave water to, with only one eye. We got to pet her this time as her daddy said she was very friendly. Yes, I miss my pack o'pups.
It was only 7:30 or 8 but I called it a day. I was wiped from not sleeping and shocked I made it so long without a nap! I woke today groggy but feeling much better after sleeping for over 11 hours last night! I sure needed it.
Today we're going to go visit a castle beginning with a V, :) And maybe Petrin Hill. We got out tickets for the Student Agency bus tomorrow, and will somehow have to get up by 5 to make the 7 am bus across town. Heh. Should be a fun time.
Have a great day!!
s
2 comments:
I bet all of the homemade food and wine are even more tasty after a long walk, in the fresh air, and with good company. Bill and I are curious about the amount of sunshine, the elevation (if any) that you're at, the air quality and if some areas are better for biking or walking or (as you mention) catching a bus/other public transit? And how do you handle currency vs credit, especially at local places? We're enjoying reading your blog and looking up places you've been on google maps :)
So sorry I didn't see your comments until now.. dang iPad! Yes, we did so much walking and every day! Interestingly in Prague, there were no bikers, gyms or much indication of exercise beyond walking. It was much more prevalent in Vienna and budapest, though unsure why! Prague was a bit cooler and higher elevation (and further north) but the temperatures didn't vary by much more than ten degrees in total. The subways were easy to navigate in every city. We didn't have much luck with the Prague tram, but the busses in Vienna were easy, as well as Budapest. I usually charge most everything. This time we charged hotel and pulled cash from ATMs. You usually get the best rates from banks. Glad you enjoyed the adventure! Can't wait to catch up.
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