Wednesday, March 29

We left Dresden by train shortly after noon on Wednesday, following the Elbe River down to Prague. It’s about a 3-hour trip. We look forward to train travel days because we enjoy relaxing and watching the scenery go by. On this trip we saw that winter was slowly losing its grip on the region, and the flooding of the Elbe increased as we headed south. The Elbe becomes the Moldau at the Czech border; the Czechs call it Vltava.

Prague’s Holešovice railroad station is a dark, dingy reminder of the Communist regime. Coming in with a large group of travelers from Germany, we passed several currency exchange booths, but none of them were doing any business. The station’s only “bankomat” was easy to find – there was a long line of people waiting to use it! When we reached the head of the line, I learned that my new bank card which had worked just fine in Germany was useless in the Czech Republic. Fortunately, we had a backup card from another bank that was acceptable to the machine, and we got the Czech crowns that we needed.

My next assignment was to figure out how to get to Guesthouse Lida. Our host there had sent detailed instructions for our transport by metro, Prague’s underground subway system. So I knew what to do – it was the how that had me baffled. Trying to solve the complexity of the ticket machine between the repeated attentions of an overly aggressive taxi driver proved frustrating. Finally the taxi man gave up and sent me to the Tabak store for my tickets. No trouble there – we were soon hauling our suitcases onto the subway and speeding to the metro stop Pražského Povstáni, only a few blocks from Guesthouse Lida.

Our host, Jiri, could not have been more friendly and helpful. He served us coffee and tea as we sat around a table, looking at maps and talking about how we would spend the next five days. For that evening, he suggested a walk over to the ancient Vyšehrad fortress. We could walk the castle walls and watch the sun set over the river. We had already packed a picnic supper, so we grabbed our cameras and set off. The weather was cold and windy, but the views were fabulous and the sunsets were beautiful!

Thursday

Our big splurge for this trip was Šárka Pelantová, a Personal Prague Guide whom we hired for two of our days in Prague. Šárka is literally world-famous – I’d seen recommendations for her tours on web sites all over the Internet. Knowing that she would be booked well in advance, I had made our reservations with her last December.

Šárka met us at our guesthouse on this morning and gave us a quick overview of our plans for the day, using a map and a very handy guide to architecture and Czech history that she had prepared. She is charming, funny and very well educated. She has a knack for adapting her presentation and plans to fit her clients, so our tour is personalized and fits us perfectly. And she knows Rick Steves! It was fun to hear her stories about working with him.

We took off on the metro and got off at the top of Wenceslas Square – which seemed to be filled with Italian students. Šárka explained that the students are required to take educational field trips, with their teachers, at this time every year – and they prefer Prague because it is cheaper! Here is the statue of “good king” (actually a 10th century prince) Wenceslas, depicted on a horse, leading the Czech people. We walked the length of the square as Šárka explained its historical significance. Most recently, the “Velvet Revolution” of 1989, when the Czechs became free of the Soviet Communist regime without anyone being killed, took place here. Today, the square was being decorated in preparation for the Easter festival.

At the lower end of Wenceslas Square we turned right and began to walk the ring road, a wide pedestrian walkway that rings the city, toward the Powder Tower. The ring road divides Old Town from New Town.

When we reached the tower, we turned left, inside the ring, and headed for Old Town Square. As we walked, Šárka was explaining history, pointing out architecture, and stopping for “Kodak moments.” Prague has more beautiful buildings than any city we’ve visited – it was a marvelous tour.

We reached Old Town Square just in time to watch a performance of the Astronomical Clock. When the clock strikes the hour, the rooster crows, the windows above the clock open, Death rattles his hourglass, and the little figures of the apostles parade by. The clock is beautiful, and the show is short. But it’s all fun, and the crowds applaud.

Being in Old Town Square brought back a personal memory. In 1968, when I was 15 years old, touring Europe with a group of high school students, we had spent a few days in Prague. It was the days of the "Prague Spring" - an attempt by the Czechs to free themselves from Soviet rule - and things were tense. There were big crowds of people on the square, and I remember thinking then that Prague was an ugly city. Now it's one of the most beautiful in Europe.

Šárka took us to a coffee shop across the square from the clock, and there we sat and talked for an hour. It was interesting to hear about the transition from Communist rule to democracy, and the roles that her father (who was a leader in the revolution) and her grandmother (who longs for a return to the security and stability of the Communist era) play in her life. We enjoyed our coffee (and dessert!) and were treated to a front-row seat for the next performance by the Clock.

We entered the city hall building next door to the Clock and rode an elevator to the top, where we got some nice views of the square and the city. Then we were back on the street, heading for the Charles Bridge. Šárka led us on an interesting path through the old University grounds, avoiding the touristy Karlova street. We saw several beautiful doors there, then came out of the university right in front of the bridge entrance. We crossed the Vltava river on the Charles Bridge (built in the 14th century!) along with a horde of other tourists. The bridge is packed with street vendors, musicians, artists, and lots of strolling people and tour groups. Šárka told us about some of the statues and related the story of St. John of Nepomuk, a man about whom many legends are told. He was thrown off the Charles Bridge in 1393 and a plaque marks the spot.

The Vltava is very full, and Prague residents were fearful of a repeat of the disastrous floods of 2002 which caused a lot of damage. Since then they’ve built flood barriers and these were up, although not yet in use, we were glad to see.

We rode the tram up to the castle, and Šárka gave us a tour of the castle grounds, including the private chapel of Maria Theresa, and St. Vitus’ cathedral. Then we went to Golden Lane where we had coffee in the Franz Kafka café before confirming plans for Saturday and saying goodbye to Šárka.

It was 5:00 pm and we had skipped lunch, but we needed to firm up plans for the evening. I knew that The Marriage of Figaro was playing at the Estates Theater, so we went to their box office to get tickets. They had two left – and they weren’t together! We decided to buy them anyway, and then we went to dinner at a nice little restaurant that was on Šárka’s recommended list. Ordering in a Czech restaurant is different – the menus are quite long and everything is a la carte. So there are several decisions to make, and we were not always sure what we were ordering. No matter what we chose, our food always arrived beautifully arranged on the plate, very colorful, and (mostly) very good.

We really enjoyed The Marriage of Figaro. It was exciting to be in the theater where Mozart had conducted. The music was beautiful and the show was funny. We had seats in boxes across the auditorium from each other so we could wave. After intermission the others in my box left, so Karen came over to sit with me for the second half. It was a lot of fun.

Friday

Today we were on our own. After breakfast we took tram #18 through New Town, down along the river, into Old Town, across the river, and up the hill behind the castle. All for 30 crowns (about $1.30) each. We got off at the entrance to the castle grounds up near the Strahov Monastery, above the castle itself. We had come to see the monastery library. Unfortunately about 300 Italian students were there for the same purpose and that made it difficult. But after they left we could see it, and the library is a very interesting and beautiful place. Thousands of old hand-bound books, plus collections of butterflies, insects, shells, animals and fish – all arranged in glass-fronted cabinets for viewing.

From there we walked to the Loreto – a Catholic church founded by the Capuchin order. Most of it consists of an open courtyard surrounded by a covered walkway, with little chapels and confession booths off the walkway all around. In the center of the courtyard is a large sculptured concrete building that looks like a mausoleum. But it is really a large chapel containing a statue of Mary and the baby Jesus. Many miracles of healing have been attributed to this statue, and its gaudy silver setting attests to its fame. In the second level of the main building is the treasury, containing beautiful works from the history of the church. Here I learned what a monstrance is – a holder for the host, or communion bread, in worship. They had some incredibly beautiful and valuable ones there, with thousands of diamonds, or pearls, or cameos, or carved coral.

From there we went to lunch, which was a rather strange experience. The walls of the restaurant were covered with notes that people had written on them – mostly congratulations for the good food. And it was good – but for some reason we were the only people there. Then we got back on the tram and headed for Mala Strana – the Little Quarter. There we toured the St. Nicholas church, one of two by that name in Prague. It is a huge baroque church with beautiful décor inside. We got to go up in the balcony too. We saw lots of gold, cherubs, fabulous statues and paintings. It was a little disturbing that the statues of important Catholics were many times bigger than life, but the statue of Jesus was only a few feet high.

We walked down to the Charles Bridge and found a marionette shop that Šárka had recommended. It was indeed a very nice shop, but we learned that hand-carved marionettes are too expensive for our budget. Karen spied a souvenir shop that she liked, so she bought some goodies. Then we headed home for a rest.

In the evening we went to the marionette theater to see Don Giovanni (Mozart’s famous opera). The puppet work was sensational, and the sets and costumes were great. They played it for laughs, and some of the humor was pretty crude. Most of it was really very funny and quite enjoyable.

Saturday

We were picked up by Šárka and a driver at 8:00 am for our trip to Ceský Krumlov. Šárka brought a surprise – two more people to go with us! Jane and Charlotte, a mother and daughter from Seattle, had been touring with Šárka’s father on Friday, and he handed them off to Šárka for the trip on Saturday. We were happy to have them along; they are nice people, and they absorbed half of the cost! Charlotte is a freshman studying at St. Andrews in Scotland, and Jane came over to meet her for a spring break jaunt to Prague.

We drove down to Ceský Krumlov, taking a “long cut” to miss severe traffic problems caused by the flooding. We got there with no problems. The Vltava runs through C.K. in a tight S bend. The castle is in one loop of the S; the old town is in the other. The castle dates back hundreds of years and has both fortress and palace characteristics.

We took the castle tour which is set up to lead the visitor sequentially through the years with the three families that owned it: Rosenbergs, Eggenbergs, and Schwarzenbergs. The most fabulous sight was a golden carriage – big enough for 4 people, completely covered in gold. It was probably pulled by 10 horses. Apparently it was only used once, for a ceremonial procession in Rome.

After the castle tour we crossed the bridge into the Old Town. Šárka found us a great place for lunch. Then we all went our separate ways to shop. Karen bought some garnet earrings, mugs, and decorated eggs. I bought a wooden puzzle and an architecture set.

The town of Ceský Krumlov reminded me of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany (but without all the Christmas shops). It is a charming little tourist trap that hasn’t changed in several hundred years. We thoroughly enjoyed it and we’re glad that we set aside a day to go there.

On the way home we stopped by Castle Hluboka for some great Kodak moments! It’s a fairy-tale castle from the 19th century. Very beautiful, and all for show.

After we returned home we went out to dinner with Jane to a restaurant recommended by our hosts. I had chili goulash and it was hot! Good, too.

Sunday

Our last full day in Prague; I am sorry that we have to go tomorrow. I got up early and left before breakfast, taking the metro to Old Town. I walked across the Charles Bridge, taking photos of it and the surrounding areas (start with #16). The bridge was very quiet, only a few people around. There was a man under the gateway tower playing a wooden flute. There is a good echo under there, and I could hear him halfway across the bridge. That and the rush of the river were the only sounds.

I went down to Wenceslas Square for breakfast at a little café. I got a window seat to watch the people while consuming my omelet and cappuccino. It was a peaceful morning.

At 10:00 I met Karen and Jane at the Mucha Museum. Alfons Mucha was a Czech artist who became famous early in the 20th century for his posters of European actress Sarah Bernhardt. His work defines the “art nouveau” style – think art deco plus curves. We couldn’t take any pictures there but I think you’ll enjoy the coasters we bought. When we came out of the Mucha, Charlotte met us. She and Jane went off to the Museum of Communism but Karen and I went to the Jewish Quarter.

The Jewish Quarter is the area of Prague where the Jews traditionally lived, in the northwest part of Old Town. It is also known as Josefov, after the one emperor (Joseph) who treated the Jews comparitively well. There are several sites on the tourist map there, and one can buy a combination ticket to visit several of them. I wasn’t sure where to buy the ticket, so I approached one of the sites and we were directed. On the way we were stopped and herded off to a side street, along with everyone else on the street. Men with smoke bombs were setting them off, and they were clearing the street. It turns out that they were filming a TV commercial. Filming is a big business in Prague.

We found the synagogue where they sell tickets, and bought a combo ticket – 6 sites for 290 crowns. We started with the memorial building – room after room of empty space. The walls are lettered floor to ceiling with the names of people who were taken by the Nazis. Then we went through the cemetery – an amazingly jumbled collection of beautiful tombstones. The ground there is crowded, that’s for sure.

We walked through some synagogues and saw the beautiful treasures taken by the Nazis from all over Europe. Torah shields, silver and gold; scroll handle covers, silver text pointers, even crowns. Beautiful tapestries that were used in the synagogues. We also went to a site that was dedicated to the Burial Society. It was the group to be in, apparently. These were the people that arranged funerals and got the graves dug.

After the Jewish Quarter we went home for a rest, then walked along Jecna St. in New Town to visit Prague Christian Fellowship. This is an English-speaking congregation led by a missionary couple from Texas. I had found them on the Internet. Their worship service was at 4 pm, meeting in a Methodist church building. They were not really very hospitable, but I couldn’t blame them. Their focus is on people living there, not tourists. They have a strong fellowship of young people, mostly under 30. The songs were all familiar to us – the same ones we sing at Salem Alliance. I was thankful to have a chance to worship God with fellow Christians on the other side of the world.

Jane came along with us for the church service, and Charlotte joined us afterwards. We all grabbed sandwiches for dinner at a place called Coffee Heaven, then went to the Image Theater for the black light theater. It was a space farce, with a running gag of two astronauts and all of the space creatures they encounter on their journeys. Very well done and quite funny!

Monday

Today we said goodbye to Guesthouse Lida and our new friends Jane and Charlotte. Our host gave us a ride to the station, and we set off on the metro to catch our train to Berlin. We stopped on the way at Wenceslas Square so that Karen could get rid of the last of our Czech crowns. She came back with lunch and a very nice garnet necklace. Our metro tickets were good for 75 minutes, so I was hoping that a) she would be quick and b) we wouldn’t have our tickets checked. No one had checked our transportation tickets since we arrived in Prague – unlike in Berlin, where they were checked nearly every day.

I got one of my wishes; Karen came back pretty quick. And this turned out to be a good thing, because just as we exited our last stop in Prague, I had my ticket checked. Fortunately, we passed.

From the train we saw extensive flooding of the Moldau (Vltava), much worse than what we had seen on the way down. Homes were under water. Soccer fields had only goalposts poking up above the surface. Traffic signals seemed to be planted for the fish. It was the worst flooding I’d ever seen in person. We were glad that the railroad tracks were not under water.

We followed the Vltava into Germany, where it once again turned into the Elbe, and soon arrived back in Berlin. We didn’t go anywhere in Berlin except to our hotel – we got a good sleep to prepare for the long trip home.