Jewels of Bohemia September 2016 part 2

We are to meet our friend Birgit at 2:30 at the entrance of the Old Jewish Cemetery. Milan was kind enough to help us select the cemetery as a meeting place prior to our journey to Europe.  The restaurant where we ate lunch is just a block from the Old Jewish Cemetery so this is perfect.

Jennifer, Paul and I arrive on time but upon looking about we don’t see Birgit. We are debating on whether we should walk down to the actual entrance, which is across the street but below street level, when I hear Paul exclaim “here she is”! I turn around and see a smiling Birgit standing by Paul. After giving Birgit a hug, I introduce her to Jennifer and then ask Birgit if I am finally pronouncing her name right. Birgit, in her matter of fact way, tells me that I still am not saying her name correctly but assures me that she has become used to my mispronunciation of her name and that it’s okay! Ha, this is one of the things I like about my friend Birgit; she tells it like it is!

Paul, Birgit and I met when we were all part of a group in 2010 that traveled to Russia and joined Biosphere Expeditions, an organization studying the habitat for snow leopards in the Altai Mountains. Birgit and I discovered that we had a mutual love of cats, nature and that we simply enjoyed each other’s company. Since our meeting in Russia six years ago we have continued to stay in touch via email. When I told Birgit we were coming to Europe she made time in her busy schedule to travel from Austria so we could spend some time together.  As I step back and take note of my petite friend I see she hasn’t changed at all and she sure hasn’t gained an ounce!

The four of us are going to Vysehrad the site of Prague’s first castle although the castle no longer exists. I had researched the web for places that most tourists don’t visit while in Prague and Vysehrad was always near the top of the list of recommended sites to see.  We know that we will have to take the metro to Vysehrad but we don’t know where the nearest metro station is. As luck would have it, Milan and the rest of our group appear on the corner not far from where we are making our plans. I walk over and ask Milan where the closest station is and he says that we need to walk back to the restaurant and continue on for a couple blocks. I might add that this afternoon is scheduled as free time for our group but Milan has unselfishly volunteered to take anyone who wishes to go with him for further exploration of Prague. I believe the rest of our group took Milan up on his offer.

We wander around a bit but eventually find the metro station. Birgit, (because she speaks a little bit of Czech) approaches the woman in the ticket booth to buy our tickets. Birgit requests senior tickets for we Kansans but the ticket seller informs her that only Czechs are eligible for the discounted tickets. Oh well, the tickets don’t cost much anyway. Tickets in hand we walk over to get on the escalator and see two or three freestanding “posts”, each  equipped with a shining green light, situated a few feet from the entrance to the escalator. People are just walking past these curious structures as they step on the escalator. Green means go right?  We join the other metro riders and get on the escalator that takes us deep under the ground.

We find the metro red line that will deliver us to Vysehrad station and soon the underground train arrives. We pile into the nearest car and within minutes we have arrived at our destination. I am completely disoriented once we are above ground but my cohorts, using a map and common sense, decide we must go “this way” and sure enough we soon find a sign for Vysehrad prominently displayed. From here on all we do is follow the frequent green signs pointing toward Vysehrad and after a nice stroll we arrive at the ancient castle grounds.

We walk under the arch of the massive stone gate and are immediately struck by the sparse number of other humans. A few people can be seen scattered around but most are natives enjoying the peace and quiet of this attractive green space. How nice to be in this solitude after the crush of tourists and bustling activity of the city this morning.

One of the reasons I wanted to come here was to see the St. Martin Rotunda which we spot a short distance from the arched gate. This unique stone structure is touted as one of Prague’s oldest surviving buildings. There is a sign on the door giving the times that mass is held in this 11th century chapel but I can’t see how in the world many people could fit inside the fascinating rotunda. If I recall correctly this rotunda is only one of three original rotunda that have managed to survive wars, “progress”, or just the decay of time.

Another reason I wanted to come to Vysehrad is to see the cemetery which is located next to the Church of St. Peter and Paul. I read about the uniqueness of the cemetery at home where one writer described it as an open air art exhibit, where prominent Czech composers, artists, writers, scientists, etc. are buried. I found that description quite intriguing and thought the cemetery would be worth visiting.

Again we follow the signage directing us to the Church, although it isn’t long before we can just walk towards the obvious spires of the church. After using the restrooms, (where I ended up tipping the attendant the equivalent of two dollars because I didn’t pay attention to what the coin was worth), we walk back to the cemetery. Birgit and I wander through the interesting monuments while Jennifer and Paul sit down on a bench, one to rest a sore back, the other to rest a cranky knee.

Birgit and I visit as we wander the cemetery pathways often stopping to photograph or comment on the unique monuments of various graves. Naturally, I have no idea who the people or what their occupation was that lay beneath these interesting gravestones. Knowing that information probably would have helped understand the monuments that marked the graves. One of my favorites is a stone sculpture of a fallen Eagle lying on its back with an obvious broken wing, claws clenched and bill open in death. Some markers, like the one where three hands appear to be trying to turn a wheel, leave me completely bewildered.

When Birgit and I have toured most of the cemetery we rejoin Paul and Jennifer who have seen much of the cemetery too and we walk over to an adjacent park. We casually stroll through the park where stately trees tower over us while unseeing statues appear to be staring at us. There is a high point on the edge of the park protected by an iron rail fence and we climb the stairs to see what is up there. Ooh, what a beautiful view of the Vltava River. There are two people standing on what look like surf boards paddling down the placid river. There is a formidable wall below us that I assume was part of the ancient castle fortress walls.

We leave the pretty park and walk back toward the entrance gate but notice people walking up a hill near the Rotunda. The four of us decide to find out why people are climbing the hill. Wow, this was worth the climb as we have a wonderful overview of Prague and the river. We can even see Prague Castle far away in the distance. Looking down on people strolling along the Vltava River, I suggest we find our way down to the river’s edge and perhaps even walk back to our hotel following the river for much of the way. I think we three women are more enthused about this idea than Paul is!

As we try to find a different way out of Vysehrad that will deposit us next to the river, we watch in awe as Birgit runs down a steep hill to see if the arch gate in the fortress wall below us might be an exit. Birgit also runs back up the hill and informs us that the gate is locked. Holy Smokes, now I know why Birgit does so well in the orienteering races she participates in. I am feeling very old and out of shape after witnessing that!

We do find our way to the river and stroll along the water’s edge on the uneven cobblestone walkway. There are lots of people here, mostly locals with a majority of them appearing to be college age kids. It isn’t hard to figure out why this is a favorite place for young people as there are open air bars every few feet it seems. Some of the restaurants and bars are situated on old ships docked all along the river’s edge. There are also joggers, bicyclists, and people feeding the numerous ducks and swans that ply the river’s edge. The atmosphere is very laid back in this area.

The four of us meander along the calming river, taking time to sit down to allow Paul to rest his knee from time to time. At one point Paul has about had enough walking but Jennifer consults her handy-dandy gps on her phone and we find that we are only a half mile from our hotel. We decide to stop at the first suitable cafe once we are back in the city center to give us all a longer break from walking as my legs and hips are pretty sore too. Jennifer who carries a fitbit informs us that we walked around nine miles today!

 

Once we leave the river it doesn’t take long to find a cafe with outdoor seating. I don’t recall what we ordered for dinner but we did enjoy people watching while eating our meal. One thing we notice is that many of the local people have leg tattoos, lots and lots of people smoke, and we marvel at how many women manage to walk on the rough cobblestone in high heels! When we have finished eating our waiter is walking by and I call out “check please”. I know what I’ve said immediately and Paul bursts out laughing.  Paul says he had this vision of the waiter returning with all of the staff in tow. We all laugh over the double meaning in this instance and the use of the word check becomes a running joke throughout our time in the Czech Republic. Oh well, maybe you had to be there.

Feeling refreshed, we continue towards the hotel. We pass by a storefront with a lit sign hanging over the door that says beer spa. There are advertising posters in the window and one pictures a handsome man soaking in a barrel of beer while holding a stein of beer in his hands. On other posters scantily clad women are shown serving beer to the beer spa customers. Which poster do you think I photographed?  Someone, (Paul?) wonders if you just fill your empty beer glass from the vat you are soaking in:).

When we reach our hotel, Paul and Jennifer decide to go to their rooms. I walk with Birgit to the train station where she takes me inside to show me how huge it is. After “checking” out the modern train station we return to the street where we say goodnight. Birgit is staying at a hostel that is on past the train station in the opposite direction of our hotel.  It is getting dark and I am a bit nervous about walking alone as there is a small park across from the train station where several inebriated people are sitting and standing around. There is a young man pulling his suitcase along the street and I do my best to stay close to him. I am definitely out of my comfort zone in this situation.

We are up at six, eating breakfast at seven, and sitting in class at eight! Yes, you read that right; we are having a lecture from a history professor this morning. The woman whose name I can’t recall talks to us for an hour and disseminates information over a long time span of Czech history. Unfortunately she has a soft voice and I have to strain to hear her part of the time and I am sitting right next to her. The professor also talks very fast and I’m afraid I and others had trouble keeping focused the full hour.

Milan gives us a ten minute break after class and then we meet in the lobby where Milan will take us via metro to the Charles Bridge. Paul, who for some reason after the fact read the directions on our metro tickets we bought yesterday, hands Milan his metro ticket that we never validated. Milan looks shocked and tells us we are so lucky not to have been stopped by a metro controller as we would have had to pay a fine. We then hear the horror story of another couple in this group who visited Vienna prior to coming to Prague. They had validated their tickets at one point but not at the next point if I remember right. The two were checked by the controllers and were ordered to pay a fine, on the spot, of 103 Euros each. They didn’t have that much money on them so the metro “cops” reduced the fine to 103 Euros for both of them. Are you kidding me! Wow, we really were fortunate that we weren’t caught with non-validated tickets.

Milan takes us to the upper end of Wenceslas square first where we look out over the statue of St. Wenceslas and the square. There is a cross laid out amidst the cobblestones where we are standing and Milan tells us the story of this icon. In 1969 a 21-year-old college student, whose name is Jan Palach, set fire to himself on this very spot to protest Soviet occupation. By committing this extreme act the young man hoped to inspire the Czech people to not give up hope of becoming a free country. As hard as the Soviets tried over the years to stamp out the memory of this young man,(who died three days after setting himself on fire), the Soviets failed to do so. Twenty years later the Velvet Revolution took place and Czechoslovakia was a free country.

Milan then takes us to the metro station where he shows us how to validate one of the tickets that he handed out to us in the lobby:). The escalator seems to be very fast and it is a little scary getting on and off of it. We pack into a car on the yellow line and after a couple of stops we get off and go deeper underground to catch the red line (I think) that will take us to a station close to Charles Bridge. Milan tells us to hang onto our validated tickets until we are above ground as the ticket checkers can be anywhere!

At the base of Charles Bridge, Milan goes to buy tickets for our river boat ride that we are taking this morning. Birgit isn’t here yet so I give Milan some Czech crowns so he can buy her ticket when he purchases the groups tickets, I don’t want Birgit to miss the boat! Birgit arrives shortly after this and explains that she stopped to watch the pageantry of the Astronomical Clock on her way here.

Our group climbs aboard the small, enclosed boat along with a family that includes three young children. Refreshments are passed out before we cast off and our captain welcomes us aboard. Between taped recordings, (first in English for us then repeated in German for the family), with some input by our Captain, the history of Charles Bridge and of the buildings we float by is narrated to us. Our Captain also has photos of some major events, including the blowing up of the enormous Stalin shrine that sat high on a hill above the river, once the Soviets were expelled. He also shows photos of the devastating flood of 2002 that affected much of Central Europe. I found the boat tour a pleasant experience plus we received a different perspective of the bridge as we sailed under it and of the city of Prague as we look up at it from the river.

Once we dock, Milan and three members of our group leave for Nizbor to take the optional tour of the Ruckl Crystal Factory, (optional means it will cost you 120 bucks to partake in the tour). The rest of us strike out on our own to visit more of Prague.  Our quartet walks across Charles Bridge to Lesser Town as we want to explore this area a bit more. We take some photos of each other on the bridge and then search for a place to have lunch. We get off the main street in hopes of finding some cheaper eating places but don’t have much luck. We end up back in the busy part of town and sit down at an outside table in front of a small café.

There are menus on the table but they don’t include prices so Paul asks to see a priced menu. Well, it is a little high but not bad for being in the midst of a tourist area. Hmm, what did we eat? I don’t remember but I do recall Paul looking at the bill and seeing an eight dollar charge that he can’t figure out. When he asks the waiter what the charge is for the young man informs Paul that it is a cover charge. Oh get out; no wonder this place isn’t very busy. We made a mistake of not writing down or taking a photo of the name of this cafe because Paul surely would have written a review on Trip Advisor warning other Prague visitors to steer clear of the cafe. Live and learn I guess.

After lunch we are looking for Wallenstein Gardens, another place the website author recommended to visit for a quiet refuge. We find the small side door cut into the imposing white washed wall and walk in. Once inside the walled garden the noise level decreases substantially. There is a maze of manicured, hedge-lined paths, so we choose one path that leads us to a palatial building which is the home of the Czech Senate. Another path takes us alongside an enormous fish pond where colorful fish are swimming and an impressive fountain sets in the middle of the pond. A moorhen and her two chicks are hiding among the tall reeds that grow in clumps here and there.

There is also a refuge for owls on the grounds that I want to see but when we ask a young woman in the museum where the owls are located she has no idea what we are talking about. Our foursome leaves the museum building and walk along the perimeter of the spacious grounds in hopes of stumbling upon the owl refuge. We come upon a bizarre manmade wall that looks like dried mud stalactites. There are faces and creatures hidden in this strange wall and we have fun searching for and finding several of them. At the end of the stalactite wall is an enormous wire cage with a half-dozen owls perched high in their enclosure. They remind me of our barred owls at home but are much larger. After admiring another part of the gardens filled with statues depicting Greek mythological scenes we leave this beautiful place.

We use an exit on the opposite side of where we came in and see an intriguing street that we decide to explore. The street climbs steadily up and we find ourselves in the midst of buildings for foreign ambassadors and government workers. This is a very upscale neighborhood and even the massive doors are impressive and imposing.

It is time for Birgit to return to the train station to catch the train that will take her back to Austria. We walk to the metro station that is next to Wallenstein Gardens and say our goodbyes to our Austrian friend. Birgit invites us to come to Austria sometime where she would like to show us some of Austria’s’ National Parks. We tell her perhaps we will come and that she should visit Kansas someday too! So much to do and so little time. Being able to spend time with our friend gave special meaning to our trip to Central Europe. Thanks for putting out the effort to come see us Birgit.

Jennifer, Paul and I debate what we should do now and for a time we just sit and rest outside the metro station. We talk about going to the beer museum which a colleague of Jennifer’s suggested was worth the visit but it is in the opposite direction of our hotel, and by now it is late afternoon. Instead, after punching our tickets, we take the metro back to New Town, take a seat outside at a cafe, order a beer (Bernard beer which we all agree is better than Pilsner), and watch the parade of people go by which includes a group of Hari Krishna’s playing homemade instruments.

On our way back to the hotel we find a restaurant close by our hotel so Jennifer checks the reviews about it using her phone and finds that it has very good reviews. When we get to the hotel Jennifer wonders if we should make reservations for the restaurant. Since non-smoking areas are limited we decide this is probably a good idea. Jennifer has taken a photo of the restaurant’s name and shows it to the woman at the front desk who is happy to call and reserve a table for us.

The restaurant is very nice and our waiter is delightful. Jennifer orders the deer steak which is one of their specialties, Paul orders smazak (fried cheese) which is a Czech favorite, and I opt for a vegetable/mushroom dish. The food is quite tasty and we all share some of our meal with one another.

After eating we decide to walk over to Wenceslas square and Jennifer takes the lead. Jennifer turns on a random street to cross over to the square and we find ourselves walking down an “adult” themed street. The explicit names and steamy photos on the various buildings don’t leave any doubt what is being advertised!

Ugh, we reach the square and there are just too many people here for us. We walk back to the hotel and decide to have a cup of tea on the restaurants small terrace. We about choke when we pay the bill as we each just consumed a cup of four-dollar tea! A small beer costs a bit more than a dollar! Beer please :).

Next installment-Leaving Prague and traveling to Cesky Krumlov

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JEWELS OF BOHEMIA SEPTEMBER 2016 Part 1

 

The day has arrived for Paul, me and our good friend Jennifer to drive to Kansas City and board the first of three planes that will deliver us to Prague, Czech Republic. Can it really have been a year since the three of us chose to book the OAT tour called Jewels of Bohemia?

Our trip is off on a good note since all of us received pre-check tickets when we printed them at home yesterday. This means we don’t have to practically disrobe nor remove our liquids from our bags. Boy does that speed things up. Our flights to Minneapolis, then to Amsterdam, and finally Prague are on time and smooth, actually we arrive early in Prague. The early arrival proves to be the first hiccup in our journey, (other than the fact that none of us slept on the planes much), because there is no placard with our names emblazoned on it in the maze of drivers waiting to deliver plane passengers to their hotels.

The three of us continue to scrutinize drivers as they walk into the arrivals area but none of them are holding up a Miller/Gehrt sign. Jennifer spots a young woman who is holding up a Grand Circle placard which is affiliated with OAT travel. We approach her and tell her we are traveling with OAT but there is no one to meet us yet. The friendly woman whose name is Adella (sp?) promises to call on our behalf if no one shows up in the next few minutes. Adella knows that Milan is our guide for this Central Europe tour and adds that she will be the local guide for our Prague tour tomorrow. Terrific, sometimes things just work out.

When no one has come to claim us after ten minutes, Adella calls Milan, who calls the driver and then Milan calls Adella to say our transport man will be with us shortly. The miracle of cell phones! Within ten minutes a stocky, tattooed man rushes over to us and breathlessly apologizes in broken English for the fact that we had to wait for him. We assure the fellow that it is no big deal and we follow him out to his van. Our luggage is loaded into the van, (which I am proud to say consists of only carry on luggage for all of us), and we continue on the final leg of our journey to Hotel Esplanade.

As we wind our way through a long and circuitous path to our Hotel, I must say my initial impression of Prague is not too favorable. Everywhere I look there is graffiti scrawled on doors, retaining walls, building walls and any other flat surface that the vandals can find to mark their territory. Ugh.

We arrive at Hotel Esplanade which is rather impressive at least from the outside. We check in and once we have settled into our very nice rooms, we Kansans ask the polite receptionist if there is an authentic Czech restaurant nearby. The woman tells us to turn right as we walk out the door, walk to the corner and turn right again. She informs us that there are two restaurants within a couple of blocks. Great, let’s go!

We walk into the first restaurant we come too and note that there are only locals eating here. This is exactly what we were looking for. The small cafe has long tables which seat 6 or 8 people and most of them are full. There is a table where one man is dining alone. We get his attention and indicate we would like to sit at the table too. He nods his head at us and goes back to eating his lunch. Since the menu is in Czech I just point to what the man at our table is eating as it appears to be stroganoff and looks delicious. Jennifer opts for this dish too. Paul points to what he thinks means goulash on the menu and says goulash and the waiter confirms that he is correct. We also order our first beer of many on this trip.

The food turns out to be delicious and cheap; if I remember right our meals were about four bucks apiece including the beer. The goulash Paul is served is nothing like the macaroni, onion, hamburger, tomato sauce mixture that I used to make. This genuine goulash consists of chunks of tender beef smothered in a tasty brown sauce accompanied by four slices of dense dumplings. I realize half-way through the meal that this cafe called Ferdinanda was a recommended restaurant on a website I found while searching for Prague restaurants frequented by locals. Talk about getting lucky.

After finishing our tasty lunch we wander around a bit and end up on a bustling boulevard that is lined with restaurants and shops. There are throngs of people here, both tourists and locals, quite a contrast to the street where we ate lunch. A huge statue of a man on a horse looks out over the area from the upper part of the wide street. We look around a bit but our long and sleepless flight is catching up with us. We meander back to the hotel, stopping at a small shop near our hotel to buy bottled water. Paul and I take a nap once we are back in our comfortable room.

The group is meeting in the lobby at six p.m. and Paul and I arrive a few minutes early. Everyone else is already there except one other member. Wow, we aren’t used to being the last ones to show up. Once we all are assembled our very tall guide, Milan, introduces himself to those of us who weren’t on the pre-trip to Berlin. Milan then asks us to go around and give our names and say where we are from. When Jennifer, Paul and I have finished giving our spiel, one woman pipes up and asks if Jennifer is our daughter! Well, one member of this Kansas trio is feeling quite good after that question:).

Milan leads us out into the Prague night; it is already getting dark at six p.m., and talks about a few things along the way. He points out the Opera house that is very near the hotel and the Natural Museum which is undergoing renovation. We find out the busy area we were on this afternoon is called Wenceslas square and that the man on the horse is the patron saint of Prague, St. Wenceslas. This part of Prague is called New Town, never mind that it was laid out in the 14th century by whoever was King then, as a horse market!

Milan leads us away from the noisy, lit up square and takes us to a restaurant several blocks away. This is our welcome supper meant to give us a chance to visit and get to know members of our group. Oh yes, there are 14 people in this group, of those 14 there are only 3 men! Everyone but we three and one other woman, have traveled with OAT multiple times, anywhere from three to seven trips with OAT if memory serves me right. That is a good testament to OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel). I don’t recall what we had to eat that night but remember that the food was very good. Unfortunately the place was so noisy that it was next to impossible to visit with those sitting around you. Oh well we have two weeks to get to know each other. We return to the hotel around nine; well actually I think the three energetic sisters from California go off to explore Wenceslas Square. We Kansans are out of energy and ready to hit the sack so return to the hotel.

There is no rush to get up this morning as our tour doesn’t start until nine o’clock. We enjoy the breakfast buffet which has a wide variety of food from cereal, fruits, breads, eggs, cheese, bacon, and so on. I discover that the croissants are superb as is the yogurt which almost tastes homemade. If the meals so far are an indication of what is to come the old waist line will be expanding if we are not careful.

Ach, we are one of the last to appear in the lobby even though it is not quite nine o’clock. It looks like we will have to up our game to keep up with this group. Our bus and driver are waiting for us as we exit our hotel. Adella is also here and we all load on the bus where Waessik, (I think it is pronounced Veesik, hope so as that is what I called him), drives us to Prague Castle. You can’t miss Prague Castle as it dominates the landscape above the Vltava River. Before we disembark Adella warns us to keep our valuables close as there are pickpockets around. Actually, Milan has recommended that we leave most of our valuables in our room safes including our passports! Leaving my passport behind was very hard to do but he convinced us that just carrying a copy of our passports in Europe is fine.

We approach the castle from a side entrance and since we are a bit early, Adella takes the opportunity to give us some information about the castle. I will admit right now that I don’t remember much of it:). I do know Prague Castle is a Unesco World Heritage site and that this high point was chosen for building a castle back in the 9th or 10th century. The president of Czech Republic lives here today and building have been added through the century’s which has made Prague Castle the world’s largest castle complex that is still in use. Our group dutifully follows Adella in to the castle grounds. Our group enters a courtyard where we are overshadowed by a towering cathedral called St. Vitus. I do recall that it took centuries to finish this impressive building. The cathedral was started in the 14th century and finished in the 20th century (o.k. I had to look those dates up).

There is a large group of monks, some staring in awe at the cathedral, which helps me imagine that we are back a few centuries ourselves. We are not taking a tour of St. Vitus but we are allowed to enter the nave and we gawk at vaulted ceilings and gorgeous stained glass windows. Of course there are lots of other lookers so getting jostled is to be expected while taking a photo without being photo bombed proves to be tough.

Upon leaving the interior of St. Vitus we scrutinize the exterior more carefully. The rain spouts are gargoyles and I find them very grotesque as they look like they are throwing up. The Cathedral spires are so tall I find I can’t get the whole face of the building in a photo. Adella leads us around to the side where we can kind of see the various building stages of the cathedral. There is also a cool statue of St. George fighting a dragon, along with other beautiful buildings.

Adella leads us out of this courtyard and into another area that has the appearance of a small town. There are two enormous sculptures depicting men in mortal combat flanking the gate we walk through. Across the way two real men catch my attention because they are suspended by cables from the roof top of a grandiose building. The two fellows are busy painting and even though they have a small seat to sit on it looks like an extremely uncomfortable position to have to work from.

We walk across the street from the Castle to a restaurant, settle into the outside seating which are shaded by umbrellas and enjoy warm apple strudel. The view from our seats is stunning as we look over red-tiled roofs of the houses below. Milan points out a small white building in the distance and informs us that it sits on the grounds of the American embassy.

When we have finished our strudel, Adella tells us that it is time for the changing of the guards in front of the Castle gates and we walk back across the street where we will be close to the action. Our group along with many others watches as the blue clad guards trade places with those that have been standing for an hour in their small striped shelters without moving. How do the men do that?  Can you imagine the discipline it would take to not scratch your nose if it itches?? Once the men have swapped places and the guards that were relieved have disappeared, one of the fresh guards turns his back on us to attend to something we can’t see. Adella is astonished and tells us that this is not acceptable and she has never witnessed this behavior before. I would love to know what the heck the young man was doing.

It is time to move on and as we leave the Castle grounds we are astonished at the long line of tourists waiting to enter the inner courtyard. Wow does it pay to come early at these popular places. Adella and Milan take us to Lesser town from Prague Castle and we walk old, narrow cobblestone streets where the houses have wonderful paintings above the doorways. There are more beautiful buildings to be admired as we shoulder our way through other tourist groups. We reach Charles Bridge and are pleasantly surprised that it isn’t packed with tourists. There are musicians playing for tips and artists displaying their wares on the historical, statue-studded bridge. The most famous statue, St. John, has two places where the bronze gleams from tourists who rub the statue for good luck. Our group is no exception and I think most of us join in the tradition of touching the statue in hopes of good luck.

Once across the Charles Bridge we enter Old Town, (I know, it’s very confusing), and Adella tells us about more of the historical buildings along our path. Adella then takes us to the Astronomical Clock which is 600 years old (I think) and we stand around waiting for the clock to strike on the hour. Once the hour chimes the apostles appear one at a time in the open door and on the outside a skeleton nods and turns an hourglass over. At the very end the golden rooster gives a rather weak cock-a-doodle-doo. I can’t say this was a spectacular show but when you consider how old the clock is you have to admire it.

Adella leaves us after the Clock spectacle and we all thank her for the wonderful morning and for sharing her knowledge of Prague with us. Jennifer and I thank her again for her help at the airport yesterday. Milan takes over now and will walk us to a restaurant for lunch. Along the way, Milan dispenses more history of Prague and the buildings we pass by.

Milan leads us through the front room of the “Restaurace Mlejnice” restaurant where people are allowed to smoke. We continue to the back room which is nonsmoking where a long table has been reserved for us. When the waiter appears to take our drink order I ask for lemonade. The waiter states “mint or lemon”. I look puzzled and tell him I want lemonade. The young man testily repeats “mint or lemon” to which I say lemon since I don’t know what the heck I would want mint for! It seems that lemonade can be flavored here. Anyway I wasn’t the only one stumped by the question from the brusk waiter. The lunch of salad, roast pork and mashed potatoes was delicious but the portions were huge. This is my kind of food!

Next installment. Exploring Prague with our Austrian friend Birgit