Prague (Praha)

It seemed like a long and bumpy ride from the Airport to the Art Nuevo Palace Hotel in the heart of Prague. 

The roads had hairpin turns like a steep hiking trail decent. As we entered the congestion of the city the streets narrowed and had to be shared with street cars as well as pedestrians, bicyclist, and parked cars. 

On occasion the buss would pause long enough to let a trolly car pass and then drift onto the tracks in an effort to navigate around the many obstructions.

Once in the hotel the Viking coordinator gathered us to an orientation meeting. He explained about the Covid protocols including that only KN95 masks, not the paper surgical, or cloth masks were required at all times indoors. Then he handed out envelops with details of the Prague schedule and another envelop with the vile for our Covid saliva test for the next morning.  We were then released to check in to our room and figure out where to go for Dinner.

The Viking host recommended a restaurant 1 block from the hotel. 

It was an early dinner as our digestive clock was 6 hours off so we got right to it. 

The first thing the waiter did was to check our vaccine cards (required by the current guidelines). 

All good so we ordered drinks, Soup(Kale & Mushroom), a sausage sampler appetizer and an entrée each(Pork Loin and beef with sauce and with Dumplings).  

All were amazing!  Food coma set in as we headed back to the Hotel to crash for the night.  

We did struggle with the lighting (which requires a key card inserted into and outlet by the door at all times when you are in the room).  The thermostat also seemed to be running non-stop without any ability to control the temperature.  Theresa tried to use the hot water pot for tea but was unsuccessful in getting it to heat up.  A visit to the front desk in the AM would resolve all the frustrations.

A buffet Breakfast each morning was included with the Hotel room and started at 7am.  We were one of the first folks in as our sleep pattern had not yet aligned with the local time yet.

The Panoramic Prague walking tour Started at 8:20. 

A Headset with one earbud was issued to everyone so the guide could be heard as she pointed out all the history and architecture and POI on the Tour.  The guide was extremely knowledgeable and told lots of good stories.  Some key things we learned was that Prague(Praha) started out as 4 towns, separated by 13 gates and moats.    Entry fees were required to cross into each part of the city.  The architectures were a mix of Medieval castles and cathedrals, Art deco to modern iron and glass.  Buildings were decorated with gargoyles, house totems and Bohemian Graffiti.  More on Architecture styles To learn more about the Architectural Styles click here..

And here is our slide show.

There were many town squares and impressive avenues including one ordained with  a statue of the Good King Wenceslas.  ( now that Xmas song is stuck in my head). 

An interesting fact from the guide was that the Bohemian side of Prague was the Beer drinking side and the Moravian Side was the wine drinkers.

One POI that was a highlight of the tour was the Astronomical Clock that moved once on the hour.  According to the information provided by the tour guide once the clock had been built the town council blinded the clock maker so he could never build another one like if.

After the clock display, there was a 45 min break to get something hot to warm up.  We found a coffee shop down a narrow ally next to a Weed Shop.

It advertised Hot Wine so we had to try it!

Back on the tour we walked across the King Charles  Bridge that was ordained with statues depicting Saints, historical figures and events. The bridge was built in the 14 hundreds.

After we crossed the bridge we began to walk upwards to meet a bus that would transport us to the Prague Castle at the top of a large hill.  Very glad we did not have to walk that climb.

The Presidential Palace was once surrounded by a moat but now has a bridge leading into the main gate where 2 uniformed censures stood motionless for their 1 hour shift.

The building surrounding the cathedral were occupied as government offices and hosted many a foreign dignitaries and events.

The cathedral was massive with impressive stained glass and Statues and alters in every outclave.  It very much reminded me of Notre Dame Cathedral. 

As we were leaving the crowds seemed to have expanded exponentially and lines were forming for tours.

Our group proceeded to the bus for the short ride back to the Hotel.

We wandered up the street by the hotel hoping to find a restaurant suggested by our guide for that day's evening meal.  The menu that was displayed outside seemed fine and there were lots of locals entering so we thought that was a good sign. 

Kevin got a goulash and Theresa ordered a roast beef sandwich.  It was all good but not what we expected.  The goulash was meat with sauce and a potato dumpling and the beef sand was cold but yummy.

Back to the hotel for dessert and coffee as we attempted to stretch the day so we could get on the time zone.

The next day we were on our own to tour the town.  There were 3 sights that were of interest :

Museum Of Communism

Paternoster lift - the crazy elevator that belongs in Hogwarts- too bad that it was a Saturday and it was closed 😟

Rotating head sculpture

Theresa planned a route for .5 mile to the museum and then a 1mile walk to the turning head then .5 back to the hotel.  Fairly straightforward. Right!

Do not go by google maps in Prague!  Theresa took a snapshot of the route before the adventure, because there would be no cell service away from the hotel.  The museum of communism was hidden (in plane sight) as we missed a turn to find it.  Once there, we got the senior admission rate for entry.  The museum really should have been named the museum of anti-communism, as it described the oppression and brutality of that period 1945 - 1989.  There were lots of displays marching through the timespan. It was quite a lot of reading but very informative.  SEE pictures

Next we headed through some increasingly crowded streets in search of the rotating head.  This time google helped guide us to the correct turns and there it was, we found the head. 

We had to hang for about 15 min before any motion was detected.  Then the slices started turning and it became a bit mesmerizing.  It was quite ingenious masterpiece of art and machinery! for more info click this link Rotating head sculpture

Back to the hotel where we decided to enjoy the special of the day and prepare to pack for an early start and a long bus ride to Budapest where the boat awaits us!

Observations:

• Hotel and Restaurant staff were plentiful and very attentive.
• Everyone was out and about, Covid did not deter shopping nor working, they all marched on.  BTW, the COVID cases are skyrocketing here!
• Everyone dressed to impress, dress shoes, not tennis shoes, and many languages were spoken.  We felt a bit like American slobs.  But everyone was quite friendly!