Adventures of an Anxious Traveler.
Prague & Czechia: A Dancing House and Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites
October 12, Saturday, Prague
Today we went for a walk along the Vltava River to Dancing House.
On the way, we found some unusual and interesting sculptures.
Dancing House stands on property destroyed by an accidental bombing raid in 1945. This alone is unusual since Prague wasn’t bombed except for this incident during WW II. Dancing House has a nickname — — “Fred and Ginger” — — after the famous dance stars: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. A tower made of rock represents Fred, and a tower made of glass represents Ginger.
We rode the elevator to the top and bought a beer so we could walk out onto the balcony to get the 180° view of the city and countryside. Besides the view and drinks, we were excited that the restrooms there were free. Toilets in Prague are difficult to find.
After taking advantage of the free restroom, we wandered back along the other side of the Vltava and into the church of Our Lady Victorious, which holds the original statue of the Infant of Prague.
They dedicated the church in thanks for The Battle of White Mountain, where Roman Catholic forces defeated the Protestant Bohemian forces. The Catholics won the church and the Protestants lost their religious freedom; so much bloodshed over beliefs. The statue of the Infant of Prague is tiny inside the huge church.
After we left the church, we stumbled upon another UNESCO World Heritage Site called Vrtbouska Garden. Like most things in Prague, the gardens were hidden from the street, and we only knew it was there because of a small sign on the sidewalk pointing toward a set of enormous doors on a building. We walked through the building and down a lengthy drive into a courtyard. Up some stairs on theright was a little office where we paid our admission fee.
Through the office door we walked out into a beautiful hidden garden. The gardens occupied multiple levels, each with its own plantings of greens, trees, flowers, and fountains. We made our way to the top, where we had a view of the gardens and the city. It was all part of a former palace pleasure gardens.
We went back to the apartment for a light lunch and then rested for our big dinner on the Vltava, our last evening in Prague.
That evening we found a beautiful restaurant situated on the Vltava river with plenty of outdoor seating–the Restaurace `Certovka. Our table was right on the river, and we watched tourist boats cruising the river while the sunset over the city which lit up before us. The evening was warm and we lingered at the table, enjoying dessert and sipping after-dinner drinks.
We felt so full that we were glad for the walk back to our apartment. We took one last look at the Charles Bridge then went back to our place to pack for the early morning departure.
A Memorial to Abandoned Cars.
(A Short Aside: One of the oddest things we experienced on our walks today was a memorial to abandoned East German car, the Trabant, which had a two-stroke engine and was the car most people drove. In September and October 1989, 1,600 cars were abandoned in Prague by 15,000 East German Refugees who fled for sanctuary over the walls of the West German Embassy.)
October 13 Sunday Prague to Cesky Krumlov
We got up at 5:55 AM so we had time to get an Uber to the train station and then catch the early train to Cesky Krumlov, a Medieval town and another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Just as we were leaving the apartment I ordered the Uber. The reply came back instantly directing us to a nearby meeting spot. We all got muddled up trying to find the pickup corner. After a few wrong turns we hurried along with our cases bumping along behind us on the damnable cobblestones. Our Uber would arrive in less than a minute. As we rushed toward the meeting spot, a big black Mercedes pulled up next to us. Our Uber driver found us. He loaded our bags, and we rode in high style to the train station.
On the Train
The early morning ride through Prague was smooth, and when we arrived at the train station, we still had 45 minutes before departure. The train station was busy. I bought some breakfast sandwiches and a cup of coffee for each of us. Then we tried to figure out on which platform to board our train. Everything was in Czech. A kind gentleman came up and explained how it all worked. He even checked on us later to make sure we found our train. Whew! The first leg of the journey was going well. The trip was delightful through the rolling Czech countryside.
About two hours later, we arrived at the Cesky train station, where I hoped we could get a taxi into town. The train station was a bleak remnant of the Soviet Era and I realized that at this tiny train station, there were no taxis. I knew the walk into town would take 25 minutes from the Google Map Screen Shots I saved. What I didn’t realize was how steep the descent from the train station to the town would be. We started our downhill walk on cement sidewalks through cute neighborhoods but it wasn’t long before the way got a lot steeper. At one point we were clinging to a railing with one hand and our cases in the other hand trying to prevent ourselves from toppling over the edge. At the bottom of the hill we crossed a river, and headed into town. Now the way into town was flat but full of Medieval cobblestones, big, nasty, horrific cobblestones, and hundreds and hundreds of tourists in large groups blocking the street. Navigating the gaggles of tourists and the cobblestone streets was like a being skier on a crowded, mogul-filled slope. Did I mention it was really hot?
Hot. Tired. Thirsty.
By the time we reached The Hotel Grand, “an unfussy hotel offering understated rooms and suites,” I was hot, tired, hungry, and thirsty. We couldn’t check in yet, but we could leave our bags at the reception alongside the bags of a lot of other people. Then Mary spoke the most magnificent words I heard the entire trip (maybe of my entire life), she said, “I need a beer.”
Kelley said, “me too.” And we were off. Somehow I found a renewed energy.
We found a pleasant restaurant right in the square, sat down, and ordered three beers and fries. I felt exhausted from my anxiousness about catching the train, the walk into the town, the heat of the day, huge cobblestones, and the d*mned tourists. The first beer went down so well that I ordered a second and felt myself beginning to revive. I was clearly dehydrated. We enjoyed our outdoor table in the shade. Even though it was early November, the sun was intense and the temperatures in the high 70s. At the end of the meal, I announced that I needed a shower and a nap.
Back at the hotel, we checked into our room which was very luxurious. The floors of marble, high end finishes, and a huge bathroom and shower were such a relief. I stripped off all of my clothes, washed out my base layer of woolen garments in the sink, and took a long hot shower. Afterward, I napped for two hours. While Mary and I recovered, Kelley was out doing recon, looking for souvenirs, and locating a place for us to eat that night. God bless her!
Dinner on the Vltava
About 4:00, we got dressed, found Kelley, and took off to see where we had to go to catch the Flix bus at 8:00 AM the next morning. The bus station was a ten-minute walk from our hotel. Cesky Krumlov is otherworldly with its narrow cobblestone streets, crowded passageways, and buildings built of stone. We wandered around soaking up the atmosphere and then went to the restaurant Kelley found for us. The Laibon restaurant was right on the Vltava River. In Prague, the Vltava looks like the Mississippi.
In Cesky it looks like a small stream. From our table we could hear the rapids from the river, watch a fisherman, and look up at the old walls of the city. By now, the temperature had dropped, and it was pleasant to sit and sip and savor our dinner. I ordered another beer for us all to celebrate our day in Medieval Cesky Krumlov. We wandered around the old walls walking off our dinner. And then, since it was another early morning, we headed back to the hotel where we ordered a takeaway breakfast for the morning. The hotel restaurant was still open, so Kelley suggested we sit outside on the veranda in the cool of the evening and enjoy some schnapps and more chips. Yes indeed!
Tomorrow involved a bus ride to Ceské Bujedoviche (Budweiser), an OS train with no seat reservations to Linz, and a change in Linz (8 minutes) to the train to Salzburg. That was a lot of changing and transferring. I slept fitfully that night.
