Prague - Day 1

May 23, 2016

Even though we only have 2 full days in Prague I knew that Jim needed to sleep.  He fell asleep quickly last night, but at some point woke up and couldn't go back to sleep for several hours.  At 9:00 I knew we had to get going, so I woke him up.  We came to the conclusion that coffee wasn't going to happen here at the apartment.  The kitchen isn't all that great, though it looks nice.  We ate yogurt and a banana, then went around the corner to Starbucks.  Jim got a Pike Place coffee.  He said it seems much stronger than the coffee at home.

We walked towards the Jewish Quarter and toured the Jerusalem Synagogue, also known as the Jubilee Synagogue.  It is very unusual inside, with a Moorish influence.  There were displays explaining about the history and also discussing Jewish Life in Prague.

We had decided to go on a guided tour.  Because of the timing of it, we chose a tour billed as Grand Tour - Prague Step by Step.  This 3.5 hour tour was a combination of bus (60 minutes) and walking (150 minutes).  We found an outdoor market around the corner from where the tour began.  We shared a sandwich and a Czech dessert we saw a lot of people eating yesterday.  It was a pastry type thing in a cone shape, with ice cream.  The stand at the market did it a little differently.  The pastry was circular and open on both ends.  The woman brushed melted chocolate on the inside, then filled it with strawberry ice cream.  It was really more of a strawberry sorbet.  Delicious.  It was refreshing, if a bit awkward to eat the shell.

At 2:30 the tour started in a small bus.  It was conducted in English.  After 15 minutes some people were picked up at a second stop.  They were Spanish speakers.  Now the guide was explaining things in both languages.  Later we asked him how many languages he speaks.  The Czech guide also speaks English, Spanish, German and French.  Wow!  I feel so inferior.  He said he needs to know so many languages to make a living as a tour guide.  I did not particularly enjoy the bus portion, as it was hard to see things on the opposite side.  We drove through Old Town and New Town, along the riverside, and eventually up to Prague Castle.  From there we got out and walked.  We went through several exterior areas of the castle, and the cathedral.  It was nice having a guide that could explain the history to us.  We then walked down to and over the Charles Bridge.  The tour ended in the Old Town Square at the Astronomical Clock.

As the tour was ending the rain started.  The astronomical clock does something on the hour, and I wanted to see it.  We grabbed a table at a restaurant that had covered outdoor dining.  At the top of the hour I videoed the clock.  It was actually a bit anticlimactic.  We had ordered an overpriced dinner,

beer and wine in order to get out of the rain.  It was coming down hard.  The tent like covering began leaking over our table.   They had us go inside, where our food was waiting.  It was actually very good. We finished dinner about the same time the rain stopped.  It was a nice walk back to New Town, where our apartment is.

Italian Meals

Who doesn't like food pictures?  Enjoy...

Prague Arrival Day

Sunday, May 22, 2016

We were picked up at the airport by a private driver.  Our Airbnb host arranged it.  It was more than public transportation, but less than a taxi.  She told me it would be 400 Czech Koruna. That is $16.59 at today's exchange rate.  Less than $17 for a private driver?  Yes please.  He was holding up a sign with our name when Jim found him.  When I came out to the Arrivals Hall he lead us to his car.  Apparently the parking is free if less than 15 minutes, and he was there longer.  He asked for 500 CK.  He wanted an extra 100 for the parking.  Jim handed him 500 and the driver returned 400 to him.  When we arrived at the apartment the Airbnb host, Sarka, told him it's 400 total for everything, including the parking.  Alrighty then.  What a deal!!

Okay, the apartment.  Well, let's discuss the street first.  It seems to have a number of sex shops and girlie shows.  There is also a police station almost directly across the street.  This place has many fantastic reviews, so I guess the good things outweighed the obvious negative things.  I mean, who wants a police station across the street?  😆

It's a one bedroom apartment with a washer, just what we needed.  I washed a load of laundry right away so it will have time to hang dry.  I was surprised to not find a drying rack.  

To keep Jim awake we went out to scope out the area.  Just around the corner...a Starbucks.  

What I would give for an iced tea.  Of course that's not a popular thing in Europe.  I have found bottled peach and lemon iced tea.  No thanks.  I guess we will go for the frappacino.  They were thinner than what we are used to, and the sizes seemed smaller.  But they were cold and tasty.  Then we walked.  And walked. And walked.  It was sunny and hot.  We walked around the Old Town and New Town.  We walked most of the way across the Charles Bridge.  We will go back another day to explore the other side in depth.  

We even found Jamie's street --- or close enough.

It was time to stop by the store to pick up a few things, hang the laundry to dry, and think about dinner.  We ended up at a traditional Czech restaurant and it was very good.  Jim got his Czech beer (a pale and a dark) and I had some white wine that was half dry.  Just the way I prefer it.

Walking back we saw someone outside the Burger King drinking beer.  They sell beer at Burger King here?  Why yes they do!

It's an early night for us.  Jim was snoring less than 5 minutes after his head hit the pillow.  The first day is the worst day.