Thursday 9 June 2005 - Prague
Today will be our last full day in Prague.
This morning we had breakfast and walked down the street to the bottom of the hill. We walked along to the funicular railway (cable car) and caught it to the top of Petrin Hill.
On top of Petrin Hill you get great views of Prague. We then climbed the Petrin Hill Eiffelova - 299 steps up, 299 steps down - for even better views - although the viewing deck was packed with many tourists, and the wind was shaking the tower.
Afterwards we went into the Mirror Maze, next to the tower. It wasn't challenging, but cool to see yourself reflected thousands of times. After you get through the maze you see a diorama of the Swedes attacking Prague and the Czechs defending the Charles Bridge. The maze was full of French speaking students (presumably from France) who were very loud. The attendent kept telling them to be quiet and behave but they took no notice. After the diorama there is a series of distorting mirrors. While we were in this room some small schoolchildren came through - they were too short to see the joke in some of the mirrors, but had a very happy laugh when they could see themselves distorted.
We walked back down Petrin Hill through the park past the hunger wall - constructed as a public releif programme during a famine. We walked around looking for a church called St Michael's which had been moved to Prague from the Ukraine when the valley it was in was flooded for a hydro-electric scheme. When we found it, it was roped off as it looks in a very poor state.
We then walked into the city and had KFC for lunch. KFC in Prague is my kind of place - if you want a drink you can choose between Pepsi, Lemonade or Beer. I didn't notice until I had sat down that some of the customers were having beer with their lunch.
We then walked back through the city, looking at the puppet stores. There are several stores as Czechs are famous for their puppet theatres. Chaucey bought a Harry Potter puppet from one store.
We walked back over the Charles Bridge. It was packed with tourists and stalls for tourists. Because we couldn't walk very fast I stopped and looked around at the vista - Prague is a very beautiful city. I do recommend that if you are going to Europe that you make the effort to go to Prague.
We walked back up to our apartment to put away our purchases, stopping on the way for a homemade ginger lemonade from a cafe. Inside the cafe was a plaque, signed by Milos Forman, saying that a scene from the movie Amadeus was filmed in the cafe. The lemonade was very nice, and we will have to get the movie out on our return to see if we can spot which scene.
We got home and rested before going back to the city in the evening for a ghost tour. The tour ended up with just Chaucey, me and the guide so we had a more intimate tour than with a larger group, like we had with the communist walk the previous day. The guide told us interesting stories about the ghosts of Prague, some hidden treasures, and features of certain buildings.
One of the stories was about the Hotel "at the golden well". The story is that two french noblemen were travelling through Prague and stayed at the hotel. During the night the innkeeper murdered the two noblemen, beheaded them and stole their riches. The hotel changed hands and became a bakery . The new owner was visited by two ghosts, asking for a Christian burial for their bodies. At first he refused, so they promised him great wealth if he did. So he relented and arranged for the funeral they wanted. Then one day his wife fell into the well outside his shop. When they pulled her out she had drowned, but her pockets were full of gold. So no-one is quite sure what is reward is - his wife drowning or the gold. Afterwards he became famous and rich for his headless gingerbread men sold at his bakery.
Dinner afterwards was at a steak restuarant near the Charles Bridge. Very nice steaks. As an appertif I had Bechorova, which is a spirit with a cinnamon taste, very nice. Then it was off to the apartment to pack for our train journey tomorrow.
This morning we had breakfast and walked down the street to the bottom of the hill. We walked along to the funicular railway (cable car) and caught it to the top of Petrin Hill.
On top of Petrin Hill you get great views of Prague. We then climbed the Petrin Hill Eiffelova - 299 steps up, 299 steps down - for even better views - although the viewing deck was packed with many tourists, and the wind was shaking the tower.
Afterwards we went into the Mirror Maze, next to the tower. It wasn't challenging, but cool to see yourself reflected thousands of times. After you get through the maze you see a diorama of the Swedes attacking Prague and the Czechs defending the Charles Bridge. The maze was full of French speaking students (presumably from France) who were very loud. The attendent kept telling them to be quiet and behave but they took no notice. After the diorama there is a series of distorting mirrors. While we were in this room some small schoolchildren came through - they were too short to see the joke in some of the mirrors, but had a very happy laugh when they could see themselves distorted.
We walked back down Petrin Hill through the park past the hunger wall - constructed as a public releif programme during a famine. We walked around looking for a church called St Michael's which had been moved to Prague from the Ukraine when the valley it was in was flooded for a hydro-electric scheme. When we found it, it was roped off as it looks in a very poor state.
We then walked into the city and had KFC for lunch. KFC in Prague is my kind of place - if you want a drink you can choose between Pepsi, Lemonade or Beer. I didn't notice until I had sat down that some of the customers were having beer with their lunch.
We then walked back through the city, looking at the puppet stores. There are several stores as Czechs are famous for their puppet theatres. Chaucey bought a Harry Potter puppet from one store.
We walked back over the Charles Bridge. It was packed with tourists and stalls for tourists. Because we couldn't walk very fast I stopped and looked around at the vista - Prague is a very beautiful city. I do recommend that if you are going to Europe that you make the effort to go to Prague.
We walked back up to our apartment to put away our purchases, stopping on the way for a homemade ginger lemonade from a cafe. Inside the cafe was a plaque, signed by Milos Forman, saying that a scene from the movie Amadeus was filmed in the cafe. The lemonade was very nice, and we will have to get the movie out on our return to see if we can spot which scene.
We got home and rested before going back to the city in the evening for a ghost tour. The tour ended up with just Chaucey, me and the guide so we had a more intimate tour than with a larger group, like we had with the communist walk the previous day. The guide told us interesting stories about the ghosts of Prague, some hidden treasures, and features of certain buildings.
One of the stories was about the Hotel "at the golden well". The story is that two french noblemen were travelling through Prague and stayed at the hotel. During the night the innkeeper murdered the two noblemen, beheaded them and stole their riches. The hotel changed hands and became a bakery . The new owner was visited by two ghosts, asking for a Christian burial for their bodies. At first he refused, so they promised him great wealth if he did. So he relented and arranged for the funeral they wanted. Then one day his wife fell into the well outside his shop. When they pulled her out she had drowned, but her pockets were full of gold. So no-one is quite sure what is reward is - his wife drowning or the gold. Afterwards he became famous and rich for his headless gingerbread men sold at his bakery.
Dinner afterwards was at a steak restuarant near the Charles Bridge. Very nice steaks. As an appertif I had Bechorova, which is a spirit with a cinnamon taste, very nice. Then it was off to the apartment to pack for our train journey tomorrow.
posted by Michael at
11:12 PM
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