Picturesque Prague                                                                               July 14, 2001

We drove from Munich to Prague to meet friends.  Cruising along the freeways of the Czech Republic was even better than driving the Bayerische Autobahn -- much less traffic and hardly any trucks.  Then again, there were the cities.  Pilzen wasn't too bad at two in the afternoon, though there isn't a bypass or an simple way through town.  Prague was another story.  Even with a good map, it took us almost an hour to find our way to the backside of our old-town hotel.  There, the bellman got into our car and helped us wend our way through the maze of one-way and closed-off streets to the hotel's entrance. 

Jim, Jan, Elizabeth, and Bob (that's Dick in the middle) arrived in Prague after a week of barging through southern France (note: barging refers to floating a river barge, not being "ugly Americans".)  Visiting with them and catching up on things took priority, with Prague's history and the sights as the backdrop.  Still one couldn't help but admire the picturesque, baroque buildings, still intact after hundreds of years and not reconstructed as is the case with many "historic" buildings in WWII-ravaged Europe.  They were magnificent with their many colors, complexity, ornate-ness, appended statues and abundance.

Prague was full of mostly college age and younger tourists; it seemed there were tourists and tour groups everywhere.  Yet we were told it gets much more crowded, and we did notice that many of the pricier restaurants were almost empty.  Be sure to avoid the busier season if you're at all claustrophobic. 

There's lots to see in Prague; schedule about 4 days to do it justice.   Six bridges cross the Vitava River between the tourist sights in the southeast and Hradcany Castle on the hill overlooking old town.  The scenic Charles Bridge was lined with kiosks selling artwork and souvenirs juxtaposed between the numerous, large, coal-black statues.  Hiking up to the Castle and Royal Palace, we happened upon the noontime changing of the guard -- young soldiers, rifles in hand, marching in their handsome sky-blue uniforms.   Nearby, there are extraordinary stained-glass windows in St. Vitus's Cathedral.  Near the river, the Josefov Jewish quarter includes an historic synagogue, an old, dilapidated, tightly-packed graveyard, and several kosher restaurants. 

The next day when a rain shower sent us indoors, we looked around the National Museum.  The museum entryway was marvelous, vanilla-colored walls, carved wood ceiling and massive marble stairways.  The museum had a retrospective of Czech artist Jan Christofori (interesting tonal paintings, many with some three-dimensional aspects) and housed an extensive natural history exhibit that included more preserved (i.e., stuffed) animals than I'd ever imagined.  In one way, this is better than a zoo -- the birds and animals are easy to observe as they stand perfectly still.  When the weather cleared, there were the confusing, narrow streets and alleyways to explore.   These were filled with shops selling antiques, lead crystal, marionettes and handcrafts, especially Russian-style dolls-within-dolls.  Given the strong dollar and the weak Czech crown, things were definitely a bargain.

For music lovers there were performances in the afternoons and evenings (Mozart, Vivaldi, Don Giovanni) in halls throughout the city.  For the rest of us, there were outdoor cafes scattered around town and in the huge central square; an excellent spot for people-watching and imbibing the city's ambiance.

And then we were saying good-bye and on our way back to Munich.  Our short visit over too soon.  Yet this was a special sort of trip -- full of conversation, gourmet meals, new places -- all shared with old friends.

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For some good Info on Prague check out "Actonsteve" at IgoUgo.com.