Mon., 7.23.18 Monday Fun Day in Prague!
- Jul 23, 2018
- 3 min read
Today is our last full day, as well as our only day with no travel or planned excursions. No alarms, no buses. What a perfect way to wind down our trip!
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We started out with another glorious day. The sun was warm, the shade was cool, and the steady breeze was dry. The area desperately needs rain and our trip was abbreviated on the boat because of the drought, but the silver lining for tourists is that we enjoyed 11 straight days of beautiful weather.
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We took an Uber over to the Charles Bridge, a pedestrian bridge filled with people, musicians, and artists. It connects the Old City to the Prague Castle area. It is simply delightful!
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The artist above is a photographer whose work Kerry bought to bring home.
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We had a big breakfast in the hotel, so skipped lunch to explore more of the city.
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When we were making some purchases on the Charles Bridge, I felt a large wet drop on my arm. Then, within a minute, the skies opened up and we found ourselves on the bridge in a heavy downpour. The vendors, artists, and musicians scrambled to keep their wares dry and the tourists raced off one side or the other for cover. And then, just as abruptly, the storm passed and the sun came out again!
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We stopped in a small outdoor cafe for beverages and then took off in pursuit of the John Lennon Wall. This popular attraction is a wall of graffiti that dates back to the 1980s when it was a source of irritation for the communists in charge. The original wall had portraits of Lennon (the students called their movement "Lennonism.") and lyrics of Beatles songs. It has since been painted over many times and we saw fans writing messages and signing their names. There was one musician playing guitar and singing Beatles tunes, reminding me of Strawberry Fields in Central Park.
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We then walked up to the Prague Castle property again. We were especially interested in getting inside the St. Vitus Cathedral, a stunning church reminiscent of the Cologne Cathedral from our '78 trip. We even attempted to reenact a picture on the steps!
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After heading back to the hotel to freshen up, we walked to a nearby restaurant for our last dinner of the trip. We sat at a high-top table in the Republica Restaurant, which is a place that we had passed by a number of times and it had been recommended by the hotel staff.
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Kerry had a schnitzl (which was the best I ever tasted), John and I had pork dishes, and Steve had a schweinhaxe (roasted pork knuckle) that was quite impressive looking, as well as delicious.
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Here we are on our last night toasting to a great trip:
That is our waitress in the background. If I were to offer a general observation after three short days, I would have to say that the Czech people we met here were not very welcoming. Even the "friendly" ones seemed sarcastic and curt. This applies to the tour guide, every hotel person, the waitstaff, Uber drivers, and shop keepers. The artists we met were quite lovely and charming, however!
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Back to the hotel to pack for the morning bus to the airport (all arranged by Viking). We fly from Prague to Zurich and then to Logan.
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Skipping ahead...
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All our connections went perfectly. Swiss Air is fantastic- the attendants were wonderful and the food was quite good. I had a great travel partner to my left on the flight- a 12 year old from Connecticut named Ryan Bradford. We compared experiences, and movies. He took a little snooze on my shoulder while "Isle of Dogs" played on my monitor. I also watched "Black Panther," "Downsizing," and half of "The Disaster Artist."
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The driver delivered us back to Bridge Street and our dear friends left for Richmond in the Berkshires.
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Tired, but oh so very satisfied, I'm happy to be home with a lifetime of memories to hold close.
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