My first half-day in Prague was quiet and spent in a newer part of the city. On the second day, I walked all over the beautiful, old, historic Praha city center.
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April 12, 2011
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My hotel provided breakfast, which was like a combination of German/Austrian and Moroccan breakfasts I've had: breads, yogurts, Nutella, hardboiled eggs, nuts, juice, coffee.
Then, I walked to the Státní Opera Praha to pick up my ticket for Carmen that evening. While I waited for the box office to open, I chatted a bit with a young Czech mother and her five-year-old daughter. She was there to buy tickets to her daughter's ballet recital IN the State Opera house! Her English was very broken, but much better than my Czech. ;)
At that point, I could say: Dobry den (Good day), Prosim (Please), Djekuji (Thank you), Na shledanou (Goodbye), and Kavy (Coffee). You know, the basics.
After obtaining my opera ticket, I jaunted over to Wenceslas Square to buy a tour ticket. Erica recommended the six-hour Ultimate Walking Tour of Prague. It included lunch, a boat tour with one free (espresso or alcoholic) beverage, and a bus up to the castle. As she instructed, I found a yellow umbrella-clutching woman next to the Wenceslas horse statue.
She led the French-speaking tour, though, so I had to wait about twenty minutes for the English one.
In the meantime, I enjoyed Wenceslas Square, a huge, open shopping area.
Finally, this awesome Czech guy named Radek (ignore the spelling) introduced himself to the group of about 15 people. Most were British; there was one Indian man and two people who adamantly said they were from Pakistan, though they were clearly American (and not even ethnically Pakistani). We were confused, and they didn't really talk to anyone else for the rest of the tour. Huh.
Side note: For anyone traveling alone: I highly recommend guided walking tours. This was the first I'd taken, and I loved it. Two British men and the Indian man were also solo travelers. We had lovely conversations throughout the day! The rest of the Brits were also really nice--everyone was social and curious about each other. :) Sadly, I cannot remember ANY names, but if you were on that tour: thank you. It was a pleasure spending the day with you!
Radek led the tour with knowledge and humor. He was friendly and spoke to everyone individually on the walks in between landmarks. While he hasn't done much traveling outside of central Europe, he's incredibly well-informed, with a masters-level history degree. He quite enjoyed quizzing us about our home countries, or teasing us when appropriate.
On the walk through Wenceslas Square, he informed us that no one in the Czech Republic knows that one Christmas carol, and that while Wenceslas was pretty good (he's Bohemia's patron saint), he was actually never king. The square is quite important in modern history, as it was the site of the 1989 Velvet Revolution demonstrations and the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia. Radek was actually in Prague for a school visit and saw some of the protests!
It started pouring just as we ducked into the Lucerna theater to see David Černý's political statement:
We wandered through part of the new city ("for you American lady, new means 14th century") and I made a mental note to return to the Easter Market!
Radek took us into the underground subway station to show us a really old wall. It was old. I don't remember anything else about it. Yeah. But here he is! Blurrily!
We followed the yellow flag (he ditched the umbrella when it got crowded) through the alleys to the Old City...
...where we saw the famous Astronomical Clock!
The square had another Easter Market and was awfully packed with tourists:
Next was the Jewish Quarter, where we saw Europe's oldest surviving synagogue, the Old-New Synagogue:
The Old Jewish cemetery has about 100,000 bodies in it according to Wikipedia, and 200,000 according to my guidebook. The tombstones date from 1439 to 1787:
Next, we took an hour-long boat ride on the river. I chatted a bunch with the Indian guy and the young solo Brit guy. As it was cold and drizzly, we all appreciated the chance to sit and warm up with a free beverage. Mine, naturally, was espresso.
We just enjoyed listening to Smetana's die Moldau (named for the river on which we floated) and watching the view:
St. Vitus Cathedral on the castle hill:
Kafka Museum:
The Charles Bridge:
This hill, on which a giant metronome now sits, has an insane history. First, a 50-foot high Stalin monument was built there in the 1950s and was removed in the 60s. Then, in 1996, a 35-foot-tall statue of Michael Jackson was placed there as a promotional stunt.
Theeen we walked more! Thankfully, not too much before we had lunch.
I had real Czech goulash, which was not what I though it was. It was much better. The beer was good, too.
Here's the blurry gang!
At lunch, Young British Dude (who had "only been to Prague once before, with his mates, for a stag party, so he doesn't really remember it...") and I bonded with Young British Couple who were both middle school teachers and really needed time away from work.
Fortified, we trooped over to the world-famous Charles Bridge:
Blue sky peeked out by the time we crossed!
We caught a tram up to the Prague Castle.
First stop: the Summer Gardens, created by Ferdinand I for his wife, Anne.
(see the TV Tower?)
The Ball Game Hall, the Míčovna (according to the Prague castle wiki, though it doesn't have its own page), was built in the 16th century as a place for sports similar to tennis or badminton (says the link above).
It was destroyed in WWII and restored in 1952...by the communists. Notice a small change they made?
We continued closer to St. Vitus' Cathedral and the palace...
...and arrived just in time for the changing of the guard:
Good job, men.
Inside, Radek quizzed us about the event portrayed in this stained glass window. Any guesses? I was the only one to get it right! See the end of the post for the answer! :)
Note that the pretzel was not in the Biblical description of the event, but perhaps one was there:
Or the window was paid for/commissioned by a baker.
Our stay was short, and my pictures do not do it justice. But it was beautiful.
We left the cathedral as shadows started to fall:
And I found more evidence of Maria Theresa's extensive European reign:
At this wall, overlooking Prague, Radek left us. We had a slightly awkward group goodbye and tipping moment, and he was gone. The Brits, Indian, and I took a gazillion (approximately) photos of the gorgeous, red-roofed view:
Five of us--the Indian and British guys, and a British couple--wandered back slowly toward the Old City and Wenceslas Square.
We leisurely strolled, discussing meeting up the next night for the free (with price of tour we just finished) Ghost Tour of Prague, until I realized I had an hour get from the Charles Bridge to Vinohrady, eat dinner, fancy up, and walk ten minutes in heels to the Opera.
The Young Solo British Dude sped up with me, but we got lost.
This is the direct route:
View Larger Map
We were clearly not taking the direct route. So, we hopped on the subway, which thankfully he had already figured out, and thankfully, my hotel was only a block from a stop. I left him with a quick, over-the-shoulder goodbye, and SPRINTED to my hotel.
Did I eat, change, and make it to the opera on time?? Did I ever see the British/Indian friends whose names I can't remember again?? Stay tuned for the final chapters of Wien und Praha. ;)
**The stained glass window depicts Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down to the believers in Acts 2!
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