October 28-29, 2024
Monday was a travel day as we departed Berlin and went to Prague.
We really liked Berlin! Should be no surprise as everyone told us they loved it when they visited as well. Once again the travel gremlins interfered with our plans! We got to the ticket office at the Central Train Station and found our hoped for 1116 train to Prague was booked full. Lesson learned: book ahead of time!!! (So I sat down and booked our train departing from Prague to Vienna on Friday)
We got seats on the 1316 train and then sat/wandered/picked up snacks, etc. while waiting the 3 hours we had for departure. We tried the “famous” curry wurst from Wurst 36, that had a long queue at it, and still found it unimpressive. Maybe it really is just a hot dog with curry powder on the ketchup.
The train was great and the scenery showed farms and as we got to Czech Republic, the hills got bigger and the fall foliage colors improved. At the point the Elbe was winding through its valley, the foliage reminded me of New England.
Turns out October 28 is Independence Day here. Most stores were closed so we had to get some provisions at the grocery store in the train station. We happily found a roasted chicken and got some veg to steam. We’ll go to a main supermarket to get the items we didn’t get much of due to the crowds at the store and the mass of people crowding through it.
Tuesday started a bit cloudy and then turned sunny and beautifully warm. We used gpsmycity app to see many of the sites in the old city of Prague. Noticed many tour groups led by guides with banners, umbrellas, flags, etc. Every now and then we could stop near an English speaking guide and capture a bit of the story being told. We couldn’t quite figure out the astronomical clock even with a nearby guide talking.
We went to the ATM to get some Czech Crowns to have some walking around cash, especially as you have to pay to use a public WC. We tried Thom’s ATM card but learned it was not the main account card so I hadn’t put in a travel notice for it. It was amazing to see how quickly Schwab updated the card’s details once I added Prague as a destination. We got a 1000 crown note ($43+/-) and then went to the teller line to get it broken down to smaller bits. That took a while…..
Then off to the next stop. We spotted a used clothing store that was really great. I just wished I needed more stuff! And I didn’t want to add to the luggage so we browsed and walked out empty handed.
It was an interesting day for sites – rotating heads and dancing buildings. The rotating head of Frank Kafta starts it’s movements every hour, on the hour, and rotates every which way for 15 minutes. With the reflection of the sun and nearby buildings it was really interesting. The dancing house turns out to be a Frank Gehry design.
We ended up returning along the river which was fun to watch. There was a waterfall, about 3-4’ drop, and we could see an active lock on the other side. Perhaps when we cross over tomorrow we’ll see more of it.
I walked into a souvenir shop and found my embroidered flag to sew onto my travel backpack. I’ve been collecting them for countries travelled to since retiring. I don’t have much room left, but there is a spot just for it.
As hunger developed Thom wanted a real Czech restaurant to sample potato soup and Czech ham. There was a beautiful smoker in one of the squares with a spit of several large hams. The aroma was terrific, but it was early in the day and lunch was not yet on the agenda. We should go back.
We found a restaurant and weren’t disappointed. Great bread, pot roast goulash, potato soup and a ham/cheese plate. Seems pickles are big here too. Very tasty.
We headed back to the flat and stopped in at a beautiful looking fish market. We decided we need to come back here for a meal and tomorrow they will be fully stocked up for the week. We went into an enormous 4 level mall in search of a good-sized grocery store (on -2). Everything seemed to be available, French goodies, fancy booze, clothing, jewelry, you name it. We couldn’t get out fast enough, as not really our sort of place.
October 30, 2024
Prague is beautiful. Everyone said so, and now we agree.
It’s crowded. Maybe not very crowded but can’t imagine what it’s like in June or September. We were also in all the hotspot tourist locations with lots of guided tours.
Today was a slightly less of a walk, about 2.5 miles, but we went farther afield. We first went across the very popular walking bridge and saw the river from another angle. We’ll try to get a little boat ride on one of the cute little boats tomorrow. They only go if they have 6 people so very small…..
We walked up the steep cobblestoned “road” to the castle. It is very large and more imposing than predicted in the guides. We didn’t go in for the full tour and I’m not sure how much you’re able to see when the president is in residence. The US White House is a “tiny” house compared to this place. It covers over 17 acres with all the gardens, building, summer house, etc. The gardens would be something to see in the spring. This time of year, we saw a few roses and lots of hardy mums.
The next stop for the day was the tower at a high point overlooking the city. Google told us there was a tram nearby that allowed us a bit of a rest. Then it was another 20 min climb.
We learned before leaving the flat that, as we’re over 70, if we carry our passports, we can ride the metro system for free. That proved to be quite helpful when it started to rain. Also, we had hoped to ride the funicular to/from the tower back down. It wasn’t working. It was a steep, billy goat type of trek back down to the town. Wet leaves and cobblestones, and uneven steps, made for a slow go.
We waited some to get a bus back into town and the main square where we planned to buy some real, on-the-spit Prague ham and a giant potato pancake for supper. The fish shop/restaurant was a short walk from there. Thom had beautifully fresh grilled monk fish and I had a terrific bowl of mussels. The rain stopped while there and we headed back to the flat for a nap!
