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Wenceslas Square
more a mall really After the touristic washout that was yesterday, today could only get better! Started with breakfast in the Alton basement. The hotel is 5 floors and I am in 502 on top and over the back rather than over Legerova main street out the front TG. The usual continental selection of cold meats and cheeses that I definitely do not do for brekky. But there were cereals and some fried eggs so had a couple of them on bread etc. Out of the room around noon and headed along to the National Museum which is just down the hill and at the top of Wenceslas Square. Despite the name this is not really a large continental square as one might think but rather a long 1km or so mall with shops and banks and fast food and Starbucks etc and the odd arcades. Wandered into the art nouveau Lucerna Pasaz (passage) and saw (not looking) the upside down statue of Wenceslas by perverse sculptor David Cerny (see pic). There was a kino (cinema) there and the new film Czech Lidice was on – with English subtitles. Price was only about $8 and thought might see it later. Having Googled it this morning
National Museum
metro entry under the red M I think not! – it is about total massacre of the inhabitants of Czech village in retaliation for murder of Nazi protector of Bavaria/Moravia Reinhard Heydrich. No doubt a hot issue for Czechs, but maybe not my scene on holiday!
On Wenceslas Sqr discovered how to do lunch here – go into a big deli and buy various little open sandwiches for about 15Kr (90 cents) – on sliced baguette mine was very nice ham with some potato salad underneath. In the above Lucerna Pasaz went to a coffee shop upstairs (see pix of stained glass etc) and annoyed that smokers seemed to enjoy all the good spots with view over the arcade – then realised that ashtrays on virtually all the tables so was soon almost surrounded by people lighting up! You get so used to this NOT happening in Oz I tell you! Wandered further down the ‘Square’ – bought a good 200pg road atlas of most of Europe - love maps so I can work out where I am in relation to where I am going – this was only about $9. Saw some LP guides in English but not yet the bullseye Western Baltics I
St Wenceslas statue
at the top of the Square, Museum behind am after for later to cover Croatia etc. By chance discovered a great church which is not listed that I can see – finally found name Our Lady of the Snow in info outside. Snapped quite a bit there – see pix.
I had stopped in at Museum – which is otherwise dusty and not very exciting they say – but new annex might be OK. As there was a classical bon bons concert on there at 7pm decided I might as well. Claimed the over 60’s discount – 350kr (just under $20) rather than 400kr. So had to head back there. It was 5 string players with (Japanese) woman piano player doing Vivaldi, Mozart, Smetana, Paganini, Dvorak etc excerpts. They played in the middle of the central staircase with cushions either side on the stairs. It was diverting enough and made a change (I have a little recently bought Altec Lansing USB speaker in my luggage to listen off the laptop which is nice). After that back to the hotel to change (shorts today were a bit brave as still quite cool) – fell asleep for a bit then went to Pizza Coloseum (their spelling) on the corner
perverse Cerny statue of Wenceslas
in Luzerna Pasaz off Wencesals Sqr near hotel – this was better than I expected. A nice Greek style salad but this was no coarse grainy fetta but a very nice soft white cheese (Italian?). Then a saltimbocca alla romana – prosciutto wrapped fried chicken on potato gratin which was all round very nice. With a large glass of the local Pilsner Urquell this cost all of $28 so food will not cost a fortune here anyway.
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Huddo
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Beer face packs
Hi Mike, Beautiful photo's there, our Lady of the Snow, superb. Loved the beer facials for the real men to aspire to! Good value food as well. Love Huddo and girls.