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| Arriving into Prague on our bus |
We had to have our bags out for collection at 7am, then a breakfast before getting the bus at 8 to take us to Prague. About 6 hours by bus, we made a pit stop, crossed two borders, and saw progressively more snow!! Though we were prepared by our guide about the possibilities, the border crossing into Slovakia was easy, as they waved our bus through into the tiny country about the size of NH. Crossing into the Czech Republic, however, officials came on board and examined our passports. Once one country of Czechoslovakia, and said to have split by the “Velvet Revolution”, perhaps some animosity remains? Who knows, but at any rate, it was quick and perfunctory, with no bag searches , and we were soon on our way again. For our lunch stop, Clem and I both chose the lentil soup, which was delicious. I admired all the different sweets available, but surprisingly passed! Maybe I have had my fill of sweets as Clem may have had his of pretzels? Most likely just a temporary state!
These countries have not adopted the Euro, and our escort refers to it as funny money! They do accept credit cards however, which makes it easy, while I hardly bother to figure out what I am paying, as one dollar US is some 400 of their currency! Prices are listed in the thousands! A package of paprika was 2495.
We will arrive soon, check into our hotel, get some dinner, and then head out this evening for a night time tour of Prague. Thankfully it will be by bus, as it is 27 degrees now, so it will be colder this evening. I knew this would be the coldest stop. Let’s hope we have enough layers to accommodate it!
I also hope we get to see the lights we are expecting! Europe is suffering an energy crisis, and is conserving. Budapest was lit, but not like normal, and I didn’t even bother photographing at night. One town we visited had few lights if at all. And it’s dark here by 4pm.
Another thing I haven’t noted. As the tour has progressed, so has the coughing! People seem to have bad colds, and if they had COVID, no one is saying anything! We avoid those people, and wear our masks in buses and any crowded places. We are still all healthy, and hoping to stay that way!
We finally arrived, and after checking into the lovely Augustine Hotel, grabbed a bite and actually headed back out by small transport bus to see the city by night! It was marginally successful, as we could only see the sights on our side , and our guide spoke very fast, but our time outside, was much better. We were taken into the dancing dancing House, so called because the bottom flares out like ginger Roger’s skirt. The building has 9 floors, two of which are underground, and we went up 7 flights to a roof top bar to get a great view of the city. Then up to a monastery on a hill where we admired the buildings then entered a hall for a drink. Not a beer lover, I was pleased to find they had hot wine, which was quite tasty, and did a good job to warm me. We were dressed in travel clothes,rather than the multitudes of layers we have become accustomed to, and I was definitely missing a layer or two!
Photos to be arranged and captioned
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| Czech Philharmonic Orchestra performs in the 1885 Rudolphinum |
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| View from atop the Dancing House, named for ginger Roger’s flaring skirt |
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| The Strahov Monastery founded in 1143 near the path to the prince’s castle, which we got to by climbing a narrow steep snowy path. View from the top was lovely. |
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| Basilica of Assumption of our Lady, the church in the Strahov Monastery, originally Romanesque, and later rebuilt in the Baroque style. |
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| Another view of the Basillica through the interesting gate |
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| Lovely night time view of Prague from the monastery grounds |
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