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Sunday 5-1 to Tuesday 5-3
We took a train from Vienna to Prague and it was a beautiful ride; really comfortable and great views of the countryside. Some kind of yellow flower is in bloom everywhere. We arrived late in Prague and just spent the evening watching several episodes of American tv – yay! I was so sad to see Michael Scott’s finally episode – I actually got a little teary eyed :o(
Sadly, Prague was frickin’ freezing and rainy. Summer, where are you?! We do not have a winter wardrobe on this trip, but the weather gods seem to want to challenge us on that point. We ran into a group of American college kids studying abroad and they said it was a freakish change in weather; it had been in the 70s just a few days before. Oh well; we braved the cold and tried to make the most of our short time in Prague. We visited Prague Castle – on record as Guinness’ largest ancient castle (built 880 CE) in the world and the Gothic Cathedral of St. Vitus.
Sitting on top a hill overlooking the span of the city and the Vltava River, Prague Castle was the first castle we’ve been to that actually still looked like a medieval bastion and not an ornate Renaissance or Baroque palace. We strolled down the hill, through the Mala Strana but got caught in a downpour; so we did the only thing that makes sense on a rainy day: we went to the mall and caught a movie ;o) “Thor” = not so impressive
Our final day in Prague was the coldest; they were actually predicting snow for the day! I saw a few flakes in the air but, fortunately, no real snow fall. It was painfully cold and we tried to warm ourselves up at Starbucks for a while. We were pretty miserable trying to catch as much of the city as we could before leaving. We headed to Old Town Square to get a glimpse of the famous Astronomical Clock. Built in the 1410, shortly after the invention of mechanized clocks, this medieval time piece rings every hour on the hour with a display of
moving statues and a parade of apostles. The clock tower is really cool; it not only tells time but also the position of the sun and moon, sunrise & sunset, the current sign of the zodiac and which month we’re in. Not bad for a 600 year old clock.
We made a side trip to the Communist Museum – sounds like a very dark and gloomy place, but their exhibits were actually really well done (and all in English!). The museum focused on how the Communist Party and Soviet Union were able to wield considerable influence and gain power in Czechoslovakia after the World Wars. The funniest new fact I learned was that the Soviets never completely succeeded in convincing Czech citizens of anti-American ideals because the Czechs were in love with U.S. country & western music before the Iron Curtain had been drawn. It started to warm up a little in the afternoon, so we took advantage and strolled across the medieval Charles Bridge on our way home. I had no idea Prague was susceptible to so much flooding, but apparently the bridge has been rebuilt at least half a dozen times due to flood damage over the
centuries.
Our time in Prague was extremely short – only two days – probably our shortest stop on the entire trip. Everyone I’ve known who has come here has said they’ve loved the city. I’m sure Prague holds a lot more charms than we were able to experience, due to time and weather, but oh well! Next stop: Paris!!!! My home away from home!!! I can’t wait to be back there!!!
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