We arrived after freezing out butts off waiting for the bus in Brno on Friday. Since then, we have done Bikram yoga (Paul's first time, and in English!), the free walking tour, eaten at a Hare Krishna vegetarian restaurant, hiked up to Prague castle and the surrounding gardens, seen "The Hobbit" (in English!) and what is best to do in Prague: get lost in the little side streets all around. We have really enjoyed having our feet on the ground in the same place.. The last few weeks had been crazy but fun. I am FINALLY feeling normal again, no more meds. To top it all off, it has been in the 40s here. YES, the 40s! There have been times when I have been able to walk around without gloves or a hat. It's incredible.
Today, as it is Christmas Eve, we took a special river lunch cruise and went up and down the Vltava. We figured we had get on the water in one of the big river cities we have visited, so no better day than Christmas Eve. It was interesting, though. We boarded the little boat and soon learned we, and another older British couple, were in the presence of a very special tour group from Belarus (or Russia, one of the two) and enjoyed the Russian (?) tour guide tell his group alllll about the sights they could see out the window. Who knew we would be so lucky? Paul and I just enjoyed our meal and the passing scenery. We were so special we even got to have the accordion player sit at our table and serenade us nearly the whole time. It could have been a disaster had I been high strung, but, once I got some food in me and tuned out the Russian over the loudspeaker, we had a really good time and a laugh.. It was nice to just cruise up and down and see things from another vantage point.
Some things I have learned while in Prague:
- There are parts of buildings here (such as the walls of the castle) that are over 1000 years old. Wow. Prague has a long, and at some times dark, history.
- Prague was actually first inhabited by Jews.. Once the Christians came into the country, the Jews were confined to their little section and weren't allowed to leave.. They basically lived in squalor, in tiny houses and on top of eachother. Then, during WW2, the Jewish Ghetto was completely destroyed.. There is actually a place in Prague that was the waitiing room for children who would eventually meet their end at concentration camps. Back during the Nazi occupation, the children there would not be allowed to do anything at all, except paint. Now, within the walls of the Jewish Center, you can see these paintings on display. We haven't gone inside yet, but I would like to... I think?
-The biggest day during the Christmas holiday is the 24th. Families all get together and celebrate well into the night. Everything shuts down after 4 pm, and then reopens at midnight for mass and drinks.
The Czechs also have a tradition where they buy 2 live carp from the market and leave it in their bathtub for 2 days...They the father of the household prepares one of the fish to eat, and the other goes with the mother and children out on walk into nature... They let the other carp go free. I wonder how they choose... A traditional Czech christmas dinner is usually fried Carp and potato salad with mixed salad too... And of course, beer.
-There was a guy who in the 60's set himself alight in the middle of Wincelas square to protest communism. They finally got their freedom in 1989, when the "Velvet Revolution" happened and the Russians left. Byeeeeeee.
From the perspectives of the people we have encoutnered in these post-communism countries, we can see that they have a pretty big distaste for them...Even in modern times. Sorry, Russia.
In the category of travel tips, here is what we have learned
-If you buy meat off the street from a place that weighs it, it's a scam. You will pay over 4 times what you though you would originally pay. Go for the sausage (or chimney cake thing) and skip the scales....
-If you buy drinks at a place around the city center, be sure to count your change because the bills here have high denominations, so it's easy to get jipped... And unless you say something to the staff they will get a really good tip from you. For example, 200 Crowns in $10.00. So, if you only have a 5000 crown note and spend 200, it's easy to get jipped you if you don't count correctly. This may get more difficult (and easier to get jipped) as you consume the local (strong) brews.
-Many post communist countries often use the "honor system" with their public transportation.. You buy a ticket and then get it validated at a little machine once in the bus, tram, metro, etc. If you fail to show your ticket to the inspector upon request, they will make you pay a hefty fine. And if you can't, they call the police. It was the same in Hungary. We bought our tickets, used the metro, and in my medicated stupor I couldn't remember where I had put my ticket once we got up the stairs to the friendly (not) inspector who happened to be at that station that day. Common sense would say that "you have to show your purchased ticket to the person before boarding the train (at most stations, sometimes not), and her husband has a ticket, so just be more careful next time". No. I dug around almost in tears because I couldnt remember where I put the blasted thing.... I thought it came out when I pulled a tissue out of my pocket... Freaking out, I sent Paul to get money to pay the fine (over 35 euros) and pleaded with the inspector and insisting it was a mistake. Then I looked in the pocket of my purse, there it was. Phew. Long story short, keep your ticket handy just in case; they dont play around! Same goes for Prague..They take their jobs very seriously. We could have easily hopped on for a freebie ride on many of the modes of transport, but, we were honest. I was so scared in Hungary!
Other than those first hand experiences, we have had a great time here. The best way to get around is on foot.. Prague seems like a sprawling city, but really, it's pretty compact and very walkable. Yesterday we ventured on the metro to a cafe where the yoga teacher we met at Bikram also works.. It was french cafe that serves up quiche and croissants, wine and the like.. Lucy, the teacher, had been to a lot of places we are heading to, so we figured we would visit her and hear any advice she may have. We ended up staying there for over an hour, chatting and enjoying fresh ginger tea. We felt like locals just sitting in a cafe... that's what everyone does here.. I must say it's a great way to spend a couple hours and just relax. We walked around a bit after and realized how close we actually were to the apartment we are staying in.. We just continued along one road and eventually got back.. No need for the metro, really, unless you need to get someplace fast!
On the way back, we also saw a famous landmark in Prague... the State TV Tower.. Back in 2001, an artist (who is known for his tongue in cheek art) created giant baby sculptures and put them on the tower, crawling up and down and all around. It was definitely a funny sight... I think they used to be painted pink, but now are black.
Unfortunately the wifi at the place we are staying is probably from the time of the dinosaurs, so uploading pictures will have to wait until I write my final post about Prague.. No photo streaming at this place.
I hope everyone out there has a very Merry Christmas.. I am missing my family and friends during the holidays for sure, but I know the memories we are making will last forever and there will be more times to celebrate together in 6 months time.. Plus, we are so lucky that we get to see Stephen in Istanbul soon and then Ian and Celia in Goa! Yay family time!
Until then, we have a few days to check out the rest of Prague before we head off to Istanbul.. Will update more on our flight.. Be safe and have fun everybody!! Hope Santa (or Baby Jesus, as they believe here in the Czech Republic.. yes.. he comes in through the window at night) is good to you!
MC
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