Going Old World in Prague ~ Cafe Slavia

We were exhausted after returning by train from a 

day spent out of the city in Kutna Hora.   Though we

all could have fallen into bed for a nap we also realized

we were running out of time in Prague.  The next day 

we were traveling to Istanbul so if we wanted to see 

everything on our list, we had to slap ourselves awake 

and get to Cafe Slavia.

Cafe Slavia opened in 1881 and has been the place to 

meet for writers, artists, poets and performers.  It is

located along the river right across the street from the

National Theatre.  It is the type of place to gather and

discuss and debate politics, art and the latest projects

of the movers and shakers in the art world. Vaclav Havel

 used to hang out here.

As we were enjoying our hot drinks, Midi nodded to a 

nearby table and said, "Check out this guy, looks like a

truck driver, sounds like an opera singer".  Yeah, it's 

that kind of place, a few tables away a beautiful woman 

was being interviewed by a nervous guy.  The woman's

cute cocker spaniel ended up jumping up on the guy 

for a taste of his dessert and that broke the ice and 

allowed the guy to relax and get on with it.

As you enter the main door be sure to check out the

sweets case and remember the number of the item 

you want to order.

Try to get a table along the river for great views 

of Prague Castle.  It is lovely to sit and watch the 

boats on the river and the people walking by.

It is nice to go late in the afternoon for a

snack and coffee.  A piano player performs 

late in the day and it is a perfect place to relax 

and soak in a bit of Prague history.

For us, the guys headed home afterwards but Kate

and I took one final stroll over the Charles Bridge

to say goodbye to Prague.

Kutna Hora, Czech Republic

As a day trip from Prague we decided to head

out to a lovely village called Kutna Hora.  We 

left early in the morning and took the tram to 

the main train station in Prague.  From there 

we took the fast train for about an hour to the

main train station at Kutna Hora.

There is a Visitors Center at the station that

can give you maps and advise you as to what 

you can see in the time you have.  We took a

short walk to the Cathedral of Assumption of 

Our Lady and Saint John the Baptist at Sedlec,

This is a Unesco World Heritage Site and has a 

very interesting history.  

  The city was prosperous due to silver mines and the 

area reflects the wealth of times gone by.  The town 

was the cultural center of Bohemia and became a royal 

city.  The cathedral was built in the late 13th century

 and was burned in the 15th century, it was a ruin for 

over 300 years.  When the church was restored it was

 done in the style called Baroque Gothic.

Then it was a short walk up the road to the

Sedlec Ossuary.  The ossuary is said to contain

the skeletons of 40,000 to 70,000 people.

The bones are artistically arranged into swags 

and a chandelier.  I confess I found it to be a

bit creepy and hightailed it out of there pretty

quickly.

We then took a short bus ride to the town center

of Kutna Hora.  While we were on the bus we 

stood up to get off at one point and an older gentleman

in the back of the bus motioned for us to sit down, it 

wasn't time to get off.  When it was the correct stop, 

he motioned for us to get up.  He also told us through

hand signals where to walk and to not turn at the 

crossroads but to continue walking.  We shook hands

 and thanked him and thought we were following his

 directions but we turned at the wrong street and a lady

who was also on the bus yelled to us to keep going

straight.  Now, of course, neither of these people spoke

English but they were happy to assist us through hand

movements.  We find this all over the world, so many

lovely people who help us find our way in remote cities

and villages.  This is often our best memory of a place.

The churches and museums can all blend into one but 

we always remember the people we meet.

We did find the beautiful Cathedral of Saint

Barbara.  This is one of the most famous gothic

churches in central Europe.  Saint Barbara is the

patron saint of miners which is appropriate since

this is a former silver mining town.

The glass windows in the cathedral are stunning.

The color and design are so vibrant.

Within the town you can enjoy a wine garden

right along side the vines.  The views of the 

valley are lovely.

We found a restaurant with a garden terrace 

and enjoyed a lovely lunch.  The Czech Republic

is known for their beer and I have been told it is

very delicious if that is something you might like.

Personally, you couldn't pay me to drink beer, I

have never liked the taste.

Be sure to stroll through the town and look at

the pretty buildings.  Then it was time to get to

the train station to head back to Prague.

Prague Castle

On our first full day in Prague we decided

to tour Prague Castle.  The castle sits high 

on a hill and is visible from many parts of 

the city with a particularly good view from

Charles Bridge.

We got our jet lagged bodies moving amd took

a taxi up to the castle.  At the entrance to the

castle we were greeted by this lovely sculpture.

Not the most welcoming...

,,,and only to be outdone by the brawny guy

with the club.  I guess it sent a message in 

days of old saying don't mess with us.

Much of the castle facade is under 

construction so I tried to crop the ugly 

blue plastic out of the photos.  Due to 

all of the wrapping we weren't able to

get the full view of what this looks like.

Prague Castle is considered the largest

ancient castle in the world and dates

back to the ninth century.

The reality of Prague today is it is no longer

an eastern European outpost visited by few

travelers.  Nowadays it is packed!  We found

this at the castle, throngs of tour groups are

weaving their ways behind a leader holding a 

ratty old umbrella with a scarf tied on to it.

We saw the long line at the church and all 

decided we had no interest in waiting.

So, instead we wandered around and

enjoyed the architecture.  The kids 

found a tower they wanted to climb.

Meanwhile, Midi and I followed our

noses.  Someone was cooking something

that smelled delicious ~ like something 

that would come from Grandma Kosty's

kitchen.  We ended up in a cafe, watching

the world walk by, admiring the view and

dreaming of what we would have for lunch.

I would say the best part of the castle

is the view.

Eats ~ Prague

We have had a lovely visit to Prague and have had 

the chance to sample some delicious food.  Here

is a sampling...

Outside My Window ~ Prague

The courtyard glows in the early morning light.

Our apartment in Prague has four large rooms

with huge windows that overlook the courtyard,

The sign for the cafe says, "Popo Cafe Petl, All in One".

Each day they unfurl an awning, put out some chairs and 

tables and get down to business.  Yesterday we all took

a nap since we have jetlag and we awoke to yelling from

raucous customers at the cafe.  At one point I looked out

and one of the men was on the ground, having fallen out

of his chair.  When we arrived home late last night we saw

a few young guys going in for a late night drink.

Meanwhile, a few yards away is another little cafe in

the courtyard located in this little tent.  The clientele

at this one seem much more reserved.

The magpies enjoy flitting in and out of the

wisteria, I've been trying to catch a photo of 

them but they are too fast for me.  The residents

of this courtyard are starting to stir, time to 

unfurl the awnings and start anew.

The Journey Begins

The Second Time Around Tour

It has been four years since our first trip around 

the world, The Last Hurrah Tour.  I guess in those

years we decided it was not the Last Hurrah because

here we go again.  The two pair of siblings have set

out to circumnavigate the globe again in the Second

Time Around Tour.  After a busy few months of work,

planning, graduation, wrapping up our lives so we 

could go off for a few months and driving halfway

across the country on the same day you have watched 

your child graduate from college (yup, we're nuts), it 

was finally time to hit the road.  Our first stop was

London, though it was only a short layover at Heathrow.

But we did have time for a cuppa.

And then it was on to Prague.  We think of this

stop as a bit of a homecoming for us.  Our Grandfather

left Czechoslovakia when he came to the United States

as a young man.  We believe he left from Brataslava 

which is now in Slovakia but at the time he left it was

still Czechoslovakia and we embrace this country as

part of our heritage.

We have rented an apartment and this is the view from

our street looking toward the Charles Bridge.

It was a bit rainy and overcast but we were ready 

to explore.  Prague is a beautiful city, it was not 

damaged during World War II, a rarity since so 

many European cities were bombed into rubble.

Since the city survived, it means we can enjoy the 

beautiful Baroque, Rococo and Art Nouveau 

architecture.

I kept getting separated from the group because I was

always lagging behind taking photos.  There were so

many little treasures to discover.

I love the colors and textures all around me.

So many things to inspire my creative spirit.

Look at the colors in this piece.

In every doorway, above every window is a new

delight to be discovered.

Another great use of color, it is so nice to see

the vibrantly colored buildings.  I tire of seeing

the limestone buildings that have turned an ugly 

black due to pollution in so many European cities.

This is the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town

Square.  You can watch the twelve apostles appear

every hour ~ I look forward to it.

I peeked into a doorway...

...and found this beautiful mosaic ceiling.

Then it was time to go down a lonely alley to 

find a little cafe off the tourist path and have

a lovely little dinner.

We were all fading fast after dinner and headed

toward home but stopped to take a stroll across

the Charles Bridge.

And a peek at the castle we will explore tomorrow.

Then it was time to head home and crash.

A great first day.