20191028 Monday, Prague- Czech Republic
The morning began with a trip to the Hilton Breakfast Buffett, which was a good Buffett with a wide selection of foods. There was a selection of sausages- Beef, Chicken, and 2 different styles of Pork as well. There was also an omelet station, but more unusually, there was a semi-DIY egg griddle where the chef cracks eggs on the grill, but you can use a spatula to take them off exactly like you like them- sunny side up, over easy, over medium, or over well. An unusual sight was an older Indian couple in the corner who packed up a huge take out container (4qt capacity) with the help of the hostess. We felt a little guilty just leaving the dining room with a banana and bottle of water for stashing in our day bags.
Last night’s storm clouds had cleared off, revealing scattered cirrus clouds in the morning with the promise of better weather for today’s planned tours. Our day will start with an included Viking Panoramic Prague tour, which should run from 8:20am to 1:30pm. We have signed up for an optional Prague Food Tour to follow the Panoramic Prague tour, so we should be kept busy all day.
We met our Panoramic Prague tour guide, Thomas in the Viking lobby, and loaded up with about 6 other couples into a 40 passenger bus. There were couples from several different Viking River Cruise boats, and some were pre-cruise, like us, and others had completed their cruises. Interestingly enough, one woman said she recognized us from a prior cruise. She had been to Cuba on Viking, so that may have been where we had run into her before.
Our bus drove us through the outskirts of Old Town and crossed the Vtlava River and climbed the hill to the Hradcany or Prague Castle district. We disembarked our busy few blocks from the entrance to the Prague Castle, along with several other large buses filled with largely Asian tourists, including Koreans, Japanese and Malaysians. As a large group of Malaysians filed by us, lead by their tour guide waving a Malaysian flag at the top of a staff, Thomas introduced us to his mother, who was leading the Malaysians. Small world. Thomas told us how he had spent 2 months in New Zealand- a more than 20 hour flight from Prague. Then on a recent tour, there was a man from the same district within New Zealand where he had lived during his stay. So tourism can certainly make the world seem smaller.
It is interesting to note that Prague and other European destinations have become very popular with Asian tourists. The locals don’t seem to mind this so much as they do seem to mind and resent tourists now coming from Russia, since the Czechs and Slovakians lived under Russian occupation from the end of WWII to the fall of the Soviet Union. They celebrate the “Velvet Revolution” that triggered independence from Russia. It is called the “Velvet Revolution” supposedly because no bullets were ever fired, but the Russian military police sure beat the heck out of a large group of student protesters.
Western music is popular throughout Prague, but Russian music- not so much. Michael, our night tour guide from last night had on a popular Czech radio station that played mostly American and British pop and hip-hop, and at the Gate Restaurant where we dined last night, the TV monitors had on MTV music videos. We also found out that many places are happy to take US currency, although at a highly marked up exchange rate.
Anyways, getting back to the Prague Castle, we did have to go through metal detectors and have our daypacks searched before entering the complex. We soon found our way to the facade of the St Vitus Cathedral- a huge and ornate Neo-Gothic cathedral, replete with quite a collection of gargoyles.
Inside is the Royal Mausoleum where St. Wenceslas (the same Jolly King from the Christmas song) and Charles IV are interred.
The stained glass work and vaulted ceilings are as spectacular as any in Europe. This is the most important cathedral in the Czech Republic, and the site of coronations for Czech Kings and Queens. The present structure is the third religious structure on the site with the first being erected by Prince Wenceslas in 925. The present structure was begun by King Charles IV of the Holy Roman Empire in 1344, but wasn’t completed until 1929.
Inside is the Royal Mausoleum where St. Wenceslas (the same Jolly King from the Christmas song) and Charles IV are interred.
The stained glass work and vaulted ceilings are as spectacular as any in Europe. This is the most important cathedral in the Czech Republic, and the site of coronations for Czech Kings and Queens. The present structure is the third religious structure on the site with the first being erected by Prince Wenceslas in 925. The present structure was begun by King Charles IV of the Holy Roman Empire in 1344, but wasn’t completed until 1929.
Next stop was the main entrance to the Prague Castle to see the changing of the Guard. There are ceremonial guards who have to stand like statues on each side of the main entrance, not unlike the Beefeaters who guard the Tower of London. There are also younger soldiers wearing body armor and toting machine guns nearby to ensure actual security of the Castle. The ritual changing of the guards involves some fancy rifle work with shiny bayonets and precision footwork, and our guide got us front and center as the guard marched right in front of us. We had stood outside the same gates last night during our night tour, and the contrast is literally day and night. There are many interesting sculptures topping the fence posts in front of the castle.
There is a large plaza with a sweeping view over the river and Petrin Hill neighborhood. Of course there is a Starbucks coffee shop front and center, and on the edge of the roof, we say some young Koreans taking a potentially hazardous selfie.
Since the bus was kind enough to deposit us on the top of the Hradcany hill, we walked down through cobblestoned streets to the Church of St. Nicholas, perhaps the finest example of Prague Baroque architecture around. The fine green patina on the copper cupola is quite a landmark. It was constructed in the mid 1700’s.
Stories abound regarding the 79m tall belfry and it’s upper windows, which were favorite roosts of the Nazi SS and later KGB observers because it has direct sight lines to the American and Yugoslav embassies, as well as the access route to the West German embassy.
Our walk took us to through the Malá Strana or “Lesser Town” neighborhood of Prague, whose main landmark is the pedestrian Charles Bridge. King Charles IV ordered construction to begin in 1357 on the 9th of July at 5:31am because of his beliefs in numerology and serology that the numbers 135797531 would bring good luck.
We were given some free time to shop and find a bathroom at the Malá Strana Bridge Tower. We found a local specialty called Trdelnik or Sweet Chimney Cake, consisting of bread baked around a ceramic cone, rolled in sugar and filled with yummy pistachio ice cream to tide us over until our afternoon Prague Foodie Tour. It was delicious- the “Cone” is like a pastry, but you need to be aware that the bottom is not watertight, so be prepared to deal with ice cream dripping out the bottom if you don’t eat it fast enough.
Sweet Chimney Cake
East German Trabant has a plastic body and lawn mower engine.
We walked across the bridge and found it to be very crowded. There were a few beggars working the crowd, but one, who looked like an original thalidomide child (no limbs below his waist, and only a stump of a left hand and partially formed right hand), looked like he truly deserved a handout, even though Prague boasts an unemployment rate of only 3%. There was a jazz ensemble playing New Orleans jazz in the middle of the bridge, causing a huge bottleneck, and a pick pocketer’s paradise. We were fortunately able to navigate our way through that with our pockets intact, and cell phones still in our possession.
The Charles Bridge is lined with statues on each pillar, but the statues that we see today are all replicas, with the originals apparently in storage in some national museum warehouse, but that doesn’t stop millions of tourists from touching the bronze plaques flanking the statue of St. Jan of Napomuk, crowned with a halo of gold stars.
He was martyred by King Wenceslas IV (not the Jolly Wenceslas, but the evil brother) for either protecting the confessional secrets of Queen Sofia, or disrespecting the King by confirming a Monastary without his permission. The plaque on the right depicts Queen Sofia, while the plaque on the left features a dog. Touching the images is said to bring either good luck or a return visit to Prague.
He was martyred by King Wenceslas IV (not the Jolly Wenceslas, but the evil brother) for either protecting the confessional secrets of Queen Sofia, or disrespecting the King by confirming a Monastary without his permission. The plaque on the right depicts Queen Sofia, while the plaque on the left features a dog. Touching the images is said to bring either good luck or a return visit to Prague.
Just downstream of the Charles Bridge is a tiny neighborhood served with narrow canals like a micro-miniature version of Venice. It’s easy to miss if you don’t look carefully.
Once across the Charles Bridge we entered the Klementinum, which started its life as a medieval Dominican monastery dedicated to St. Clement in the 11th century. Today, it houses the National Library of the Czech Republic. It has an astronomical observatory tower that holds the oldest records of weather in Czech lands dating to 1775.
We emerged from the Klementinum in front of Prague CIty Hall and soon found ourselves in Prague’s Old Town City Square, with its famous Astronomical Clock, which was installed in 1410. It is the 3rd oldest astronomical clock in Europe, and the oldest clock still operating. There is supposed to be a “Walk of the Apostles” on the hour, concluding with the skeletal figure of Death ringing in the hour, but we didn’t stick around to see the show. The clock itself is sheathed with netting, apparently to protect it from pesky birds, but makes the clock look a bit messy. The astronomical clock in Rostock, Germany, doesn’t have to contend with birds since it is located inside it’s cathedral. That clock was built in 1472.
From the Old Town Square, we wandered up into the old Jewish Quarters, which had been largely depopulated during WWII, but the now is the most exclusive and expensive neighborhood to live in around Prague. We saw a Ferrari and a Lamborghini on the streets.
We walked by the entrance to the Jewish museum, which is a complex including the Jubilee Synagogue and the old Jewish cemetery, but none of the brightly hued Moorish exterior was visible from the street we were walking on- just a plain looking brick structure from the backside. We concluded our Panoramic Prague tour at a rather odd bronze statue of a giant gorilla laying on his back with his basketball sized highly polished golden balls proudly on display. The sculpture is named “King Kong Balls”. I guess it’s about on par with Helsinki’s Peeing Bad Boy for distasteful public art.
We walked by the entrance to the Jewish museum, which is a complex including the Jubilee Synagogue and the old Jewish cemetery, but none of the brightly hued Moorish exterior was visible from the street we were walking on- just a plain looking brick structure from the backside. We concluded our Panoramic Prague tour at a rather odd bronze statue of a giant gorilla laying on his back with his basketball sized highly polished golden balls proudly on display. The sculpture is named “King Kong Balls”. I guess it’s about on par with Helsinki’s Peeing Bad Boy for distasteful public art.
From there, we broke off on our Prague Food Tour. Our new guide, Helena, rounded us up, along with one other couple from the Hilton’s Viking group, and we ended up joining two other couples from a different hotel.
Our first stop was a restaurant called Vitejte ve Spejli, which was like a Czech Tapas restaurant where small dishes are made and placed on a counter and customers can choose plates from a wide variety of open face sandwiches and other finger foods. The prices are indicated by the number of skewers in the dish. We began our progressive dining experience with an egg salad sandwich and roast beef sandwich, prepared with fresh greens and other toppings including cheese and pickled red onions. This was intended to whet our appetites.
There was apparently one couple that canceled at the last minute, but the restaurant still had extra dishes on the table for them when we arrived. There were some extra sandwiches we hated to see go uneaten, but our guide assured us we didn’t have to worry about finishing our tour hungry, and that we should save room for the entrees.
There was apparently one couple that canceled at the last minute, but the restaurant still had extra dishes on the table for them when we arrived. There were some extra sandwiches we hated to see go uneaten, but our guide assured us we didn’t have to worry about finishing our tour hungry, and that we should save room for the entrees.
The second stop was at The Restaurant At The Blue Duckling- a fancier place specializing in duck. The interior was very nicely decorated with the ambiance of old Paris. Our first course here was a combination of smoked duck breast and veal pate.
These were served with some mixed greens and berries, along with fresh rye and wheat breads and herb butter. The second course was veal with a Czech mushroom sauce. Creamed potatoes on a baked apple slice were plated with the veal.
And the final course was roast duck with stuffing and a prosciutto filled dumpling roll, with caramelized onions and cabbage.
We were also served a choice of Czech beer or Moravian wine. The Pilsner Urquell that they served out of bottles, was quite good. Compared with the Staropramen lager we had last night, this one had a brighter hoppy character, but not the bitters associated with pale ales I usually drink.
These were served with some mixed greens and berries, along with fresh rye and wheat breads and herb butter. The second course was veal with a Czech mushroom sauce. Creamed potatoes on a baked apple slice were plated with the veal.
And the final course was roast duck with stuffing and a prosciutto filled dumpling roll, with caramelized onions and cabbage.
We were also served a choice of Czech beer or Moravian wine. The Pilsner Urquell that they served out of bottles, was quite good. Compared with the Staropramen lager we had last night, this one had a brighter hoppy character, but not the bitters associated with pale ales I usually drink.
Our final stop was a coffee and dessert cafe across the street from the National Theatre, which was a favorite hang out of intellectuals and political dissidents. It somehow managed to survive the Nazis and Communists somehow.
We were served finger desserts including a fruit cup filled with local berries, a glazed creme puff, and a chocolate mousse cake. They were a bit slow on bringing out the coffee, but the espresso drinks were well prepared and tasty, and Janet had a nice big pot of tea. The desserts would have been right at home in an English afternoon Tea Party tradition.
We were served finger desserts including a fruit cup filled with local berries, a glazed creme puff, and a chocolate mousse cake. They were a bit slow on bringing out the coffee, but the espresso drinks were well prepared and tasty, and Janet had a nice big pot of tea. The desserts would have been right at home in an English afternoon Tea Party tradition.
Everything was delicious, and we were quite sated, but as I was finishing my cafe latte, I experienced a bit of gastro-intestinal distress, and headed for the bathroom, which was fortunately just behind our table, but down two flights of stairs. Somehow, everything seems to require stairs in this part of Europe. I don’t know if it was something we had during our Foodie Tour, or earlier, but I don’t think anyone else was similarly effected. I was happy that was the last stop of our tour, and our next stop was back to the hotel.
Everything was better after a couple doses of bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto Bismol), Imodium and a nap. I guess if this traveling always entails some risk of GI issues.
We called it an early evening and decided against wandering back into town tonight since our feet were tired. Our Apple Watches logged 15,000 steps or 6.1 miles on cobblestones and hills.
Tomorrow, we will head out on another optional Viking Tour to Kutna Hora, once an economic and cultural rival to Prague, built on the silver mining industry in the 13th century. This will give us a chance to see some of the countryside surrounding Prague, but will be a full 7 hour excursion.
