Istanbul Arrival

The only way to fly! Waiting for our flight in Prague in the first class lounge. Notice the champagne on the table at 10:00 am.



The hotel we are staying at sent a driver to pick us up at the airport and I can see why. The winding, steep and narrow roads were like a maze and would be impossible for the novice to negotiate.

Alice and Jim met us at the hotel and we went for a short walk to get a feel of the area. The hotel is in a perfect location and will serve us well.

We are presently sitting in the Red River Pub drinking beer and eating Turkish tapas while watching the soccer game with many soccer fanatics.

St. Vitus Cathedral

We had all but given up seeing this landmark, but yesterday we decided to try again and only had to wait 30 minutes before being allowed in.

It was well worth the wait as St. Vitus Cathedral is the largest and the most important church in Prague. It was founded in 1344 but not completed until 1929 and is the burial place for Czech rulers. It also houses other valuables – medieval paintings and religious artifacts etc.



We decide to take the tram back to our hotel and were caught up eating street food when the tram arrived and of course, we hopped on the wrong one. We stayed on for an hour and saw a completely different city - many of the areas had a communist look [if there is such a thing] to them. Very interesting and one of the best free tours we had.

Our Hotel

We stayed at a small Czech hotel while in Prague and we found the first two days tough - we didn't have AC and we really couldn't go back to the hotel except to sleep. It cooled down nicely at night so we were fine at that point. Once we changed rooms we found the hotel more to our liking. Lesson learned - make sure your hotel has air if you travel in July!

The elevator was small and we had to squeeze to get Fred, myself and our two carry-ons into the tiny space. Good thing I'm not travelling with a three hundred pound partner.

We are leaving tomorrow morning so we spent the evening packing and getting things in order. No souvenirs - no problem!

Josefov

The Jewish Quarter [Josefov] was quite intriguing today. We walked through this area of Prague and began to understand a little more of the history of the Jews, especially during WWII.

One of the most impressive sights in Josefov was the Old Jewish Cemetery, a former Jewish ghetto. This cemetery was used from 1439 to 1787 and it is the oldest existing Jewish cemetery in Europe. The Nazis made it a policy to destroy Jewish cemeteries, but Hitler ordered that this one be left intact, since he was planning to build a Jewish museum in Prague after all the Jews in Europe had been exterminated.

There are more than 100,000 Jews buried in this small plot, the graves being layered 12 deep in some places. This is not unusual for European cemeteries where space is at a premium. In the Old Jewish Cemetery, there are around 12,000 tombstones, crowded closely together with almost no grass between them.

We also entered the Pinkas Synagogue that is now one of the memorials to the 77, 297 Jewish Czechoslovak victims of the Holocaust. Their names are inscribed on the walls. There is also a collection of paintings and drawings by children held in the Terezín Concentration Camp during WWII.




The day wasn't all serious as we did take time to go out for our first authentic Czech meal [we have been eating mainly Czech food, just not the completely ethnic style].

We ate in a restaurant that had formerly housed a wine cellar - stones and bricks everywhere! I ate a spicy goulash with a variety of dumplings and potato pancakes while Fred sampled the tenderloin with whipped cream and cranberries. Both were very good, even if they were served with tons of gravy.

Time to Wander

This morning we started walking with no destination in mind and of course, no goal means many kilometres and sore feet - Fred even had to buy new sandals! We first toured the square where the Czech "Velvet" Revolution took place in 1989 and then walked to the Charles Bridge to watch the street performers. It is extremely hot and humid in Prague today so we spent a good percentage of our time looking for a visor for me - something that is almost unheard of in the Czech republic.

It seems that at every corner there is another fantastic medieval building or church. It all adds up to a lot of editing of pictures back in the hotel room!




On the recommendation of Doug and Lenore, we had to make one stop at the U Fleku Beer Hall. They promised I would love the dark beer [which is usually a no-go with me] and they were right. It was one of the best beers I have ever tasted. The waiters are entertainers who constantly are trying to get you to drink more!


Our last stop of the very long day was at the Restaurant Caupona where we thought we were having a relaxing meal, but were actually being cheated by the wait-staff. This was a huge disappointment and is another story in itself!

Prague Castle

We spent most of today visiting one of Prague's better-known sites, Prague Castle. It is a huge complex/arrangement of buildings, gardens and towers. Pictures do not do the castle justice. I could bore you with architectural details or I could just say it was "stunning".


One of the draw-backs of touring in the summer is the crowds and today was just as busy as tomorrow will be. St. Vitus Church was open to the public, but the wait lines were two to three hours long. Scratch that off our list of "must sees".


I love the outdoor cafes that are so perfect just to sit and grab a bite to eat. Nothing better to do that take off the sandals and put my feet up.


Back around our hotel location, near the Old Town Square, the crowds were watching the World Cup soccer games on a huge outdoor screen. Beer, sausage and kebob stands were doing a thriving business. Of course, the partying went on late into the night!

Let the Adventure Begin

We left Calgary at 1:15 pm on June 30th and sixteen hours later we were boarding a bus for Old Town Prague. Flying business class made the trip enjoyable and not such a chore - the only problem was a four hour delay in Frankfurt and we spent that in a relaxing business lounge with showers and free food and drinks.


Shortly after leaving the metro, Fred was trying to find our hotel in the heart of Prague. Although the hotel is not the classiest of places, it is very typical of older, historic buildings.



We kept our touring to a minimum today so that we could get a feel of the Old Town - but in reality we were exhausted! People watching and having a cool Czech beer became our number one priority.