Bohemia!
Prague wasn't on the Grand Tour itinerary -- until so many people recommended it to us. It pays to listen to other travelers!
We crossed the border into Czechia (or the Czech Republic) on Sunday and The Mister expertly made our way into Prague. While Vienna had been wedding-cake delicate, I could tell even on the drive in that Prague is hearty, bold, and robust -- this is Bohemia, after all.
Earl was the one who did the booking for our nights here and I was pleased he picked a place in the center city. I always say I don't care how small the room is, I love to be in the heart of a city as close as dollars will allow.
Our cute little bell hop (photo below) was so proud to tell me that author Frank Kafka (1883-1924) worked in this building for 11 years when it was an insurance company. A bust of Kafka (photo below) is close to the lobby. I found out later that this town is slightly Kafka-crazy while, so sorry, Kafka is not a favorite of mine.
Now get this ... we take the elevator and here is the door to our room (below). From the size of this, you'd expect a nice-size room, right? I did.
Wrong. The room is small -- I mean, New-York-City-hotel-room small -- there isn't even a dresser. I tried to take some photos (below) but it's so cramped that it's hard to capture anything. But at least there's a high ceiling so we don't get claustrophobic.
Sunday night (arrival night) we did some walking around -- no clothes to unpack, after all. This town was hopping and stores, bars, and restaurants were still open when we called it a night, about 9:00. We loved walking around and getting a feel for the city.
This morning (Monday) at 9:00 a.m., we met with our guide, Jason, a British man who has lived in Prague for over 20 years. He gave us a tour of the city (this was a paid tour, not like the one in Beaune, France, with a volunteer) and the 2.5 hours spent with Jason were extraordinarily good! He gave us so much history of the place as well as fascinating information about architecture, politics, tourism, education, etc. I was disappointed to hear what Jason said about how people are feeling towards Americans. We had good discussions over a cup of coffee half-way through the tour.
Below are some photos I took along the way. I hope these aren't too many. Just scroll quickly if so. I try to keep the number down but then I think that I want to share this one with you, and this one, and this dozen ... and so it goes.
BTW, if you want to repaint your building in Prague, Jason said, you have hundreds of colors that the planning commission has approved -- but none of the colors is pure white
I was grateful to our guide for delving into the Nazi occupation of this city and how 86 percent of the Jewish community of Prague lost their lives. Since I have pre-schoolers reading this blog, I won't go into much detail. But in Vienna, by contrast, Nazi occupation seemed -- at least to me -- to be swept away. I was impressed how Prague is preserving the past and honoring those who suffered.
Just think about it! In some Prague families, the elders of the family lived during Nazi occupation ... the next generation lived during Communist ruling ... and now the people are free and while they celebrate their freedom they work to preserve it. The younger generation hears from the older people in their family stories that were not allowed to be told for decades.
Anyway, Jason added so much to what I had been reading about Prague. If you ever go to Prague, I have a terrific guide to recommend!
Prague is the most "foreign" city I've ever been in, in my limited travels.
The language is sooo very different (below) ... even Earl pauses!
And it's a subtle difference, but the people are more boisterous than in other big cities of Europe. The streets are cobblestone - but with speed bumps.
Prague is a city of music and tonight we went to a concert of George Gershwin music. We figured we have enjoyed two classical music concerts ... let's try something different.
Rhapssody in Blue ... Summertime ... An American in Paris ... Someone to Watch Over Me and many more, performed by six piece ensemble.
The concert was held, coincidentally, at the Spanish Synagogue, named because it reflects the style in which it was built. I sat next to a Jewish couple from London who could answer my questions about synagogues. I also continued finding out more about what I learned today about the Jewish plight in Austria and Czechia.
On a shallow note, I was happy to be able to finally wear a summer dress, but then it turned chilly and I had to put on a sweater anyway! But being in the low 70s every day is heaven for sight-seeing, so no complaints.
Thanks for reading my blog ... and treasure your freedoms!
Jane
We crossed the border into Czechia (or the Czech Republic) on Sunday and The Mister expertly made our way into Prague. While Vienna had been wedding-cake delicate, I could tell even on the drive in that Prague is hearty, bold, and robust -- this is Bohemia, after all.
Earl was the one who did the booking for our nights here and I was pleased he picked a place in the center city. I always say I don't care how small the room is, I love to be in the heart of a city as close as dollars will allow.
Our cute little bell hop (photo below) was so proud to tell me that author Frank Kafka (1883-1924) worked in this building for 11 years when it was an insurance company. A bust of Kafka (photo below) is close to the lobby. I found out later that this town is slightly Kafka-crazy while, so sorry, Kafka is not a favorite of mine.
Now get this ... we take the elevator and here is the door to our room (below). From the size of this, you'd expect a nice-size room, right? I did.
Wrong. The room is small -- I mean, New-York-City-hotel-room small -- there isn't even a dresser. I tried to take some photos (below) but it's so cramped that it's hard to capture anything. But at least there's a high ceiling so we don't get claustrophobic.
Sunday night (arrival night) we did some walking around -- no clothes to unpack, after all. This town was hopping and stores, bars, and restaurants were still open when we called it a night, about 9:00. We loved walking around and getting a feel for the city.
This morning (Monday) at 9:00 a.m., we met with our guide, Jason, a British man who has lived in Prague for over 20 years. He gave us a tour of the city (this was a paid tour, not like the one in Beaune, France, with a volunteer) and the 2.5 hours spent with Jason were extraordinarily good! He gave us so much history of the place as well as fascinating information about architecture, politics, tourism, education, etc. I was disappointed to hear what Jason said about how people are feeling towards Americans. We had good discussions over a cup of coffee half-way through the tour.
Below are some photos I took along the way. I hope these aren't too many. Just scroll quickly if so. I try to keep the number down but then I think that I want to share this one with you, and this one, and this dozen ... and so it goes.
BTW, if you want to repaint your building in Prague, Jason said, you have hundreds of colors that the planning commission has approved -- but none of the colors is pure white
I was grateful to our guide for delving into the Nazi occupation of this city and how 86 percent of the Jewish community of Prague lost their lives. Since I have pre-schoolers reading this blog, I won't go into much detail. But in Vienna, by contrast, Nazi occupation seemed -- at least to me -- to be swept away. I was impressed how Prague is preserving the past and honoring those who suffered.
Just think about it! In some Prague families, the elders of the family lived during Nazi occupation ... the next generation lived during Communist ruling ... and now the people are free and while they celebrate their freedom they work to preserve it. The younger generation hears from the older people in their family stories that were not allowed to be told for decades.
Anyway, Jason added so much to what I had been reading about Prague. If you ever go to Prague, I have a terrific guide to recommend!
Prague is the most "foreign" city I've ever been in, in my limited travels.
The language is sooo very different (below) ... even Earl pauses!
And it's a subtle difference, but the people are more boisterous than in other big cities of Europe. The streets are cobblestone - but with speed bumps.
Prague is a city of music and tonight we went to a concert of George Gershwin music. We figured we have enjoyed two classical music concerts ... let's try something different.
Rhapssody in Blue ... Summertime ... An American in Paris ... Someone to Watch Over Me and many more, performed by six piece ensemble.
The concert was held, coincidentally, at the Spanish Synagogue, named because it reflects the style in which it was built. I sat next to a Jewish couple from London who could answer my questions about synagogues. I also continued finding out more about what I learned today about the Jewish plight in Austria and Czechia.
On a shallow note, I was happy to be able to finally wear a summer dress, but then it turned chilly and I had to put on a sweater anyway! But being in the low 70s every day is heaven for sight-seeing, so no complaints.
Thanks for reading my blog ... and treasure your freedoms!
Jane
I keep intending to ask if I am correct in my assumption that you are navigating with a GPS recieving apperatus ?
ReplyDeleteIn walking around, we use Google Maps on Earl's phone and a paper map I always have in my backpack. Between those two, we usually get where we're trying to go.
Delete“it's a subtle difference, but the people are more boisterous than in other big cities”
ReplyDeleteMy paternal grandmother was from Bohemia. I’ve always attributed the wilder side of my cousins and siblings to that.