Posts Tagged ‘prague’

Prague Prattle

Thursday, November 13th, 2014

DSC03136I enjoyed Prague!

It intimidated me at first, especially the report of there being so many pick pockets and it being a ‘dark’ city.’ I think I saw two as they scoped out different crowds…their shifty eyes always moving.

We saw a lot of history, ate some unique food, and appreciated that this is a country that has only been under their own rule since 1989. If it wasn’t the Hapsburgs, it was the Communists. They are exploring and venturing out in this freedom to explore their identity.

And what a musical city! Every night there are a dozen concerts to chose from. Mozart made Prague his home away from home.It has a beautiful castle on a hill overlooking a river that runs through the middle of town and a bridge that spans it for strolling and listening to street musicians.

The Old town is the center of everything including a 600 year old clock that tells you everything from the time, to tides, to phases of the moon. Multitudes gather there every approaching hour to watch it come alive.

The language is missing a lot of vowels but has dots, dashes, and squiggles to make up for it. Sign language is spoken here!

Beer

Monday, November 10th, 2014

What would you do if you found that ordering the beer on the menu was cheaper than ordering the water?

Yep that’s my latest dilemma here in Prague, Cz.

Where as Belgium makes the most types of beer, and Germany makes the most quantity of beer, it’s the Czechs that consume the most beer. Each Czech (of all ages) consumes 1.5 liter of beer per day!

And it all started in the neighborhood of Plzen, where making the yellow fizzy stuff spread worldwide. A popular brand here is Budweiser. The Czechs say they had the name first. Many lawyers later, the Czech brand can be sold in Europe, China, and Africa, but in America it’s sold as “Czechvar”.

Only one brand is sold at any one pub, and it’s not common to bar hope. They relate it to being faithful to one woman.

And I’m too cheap, I drink the beer!

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King Wenceslaus I

Friday, November 7th, 2014

Well, Wenceslaus was really only a duke, but he is the patron saint of Prague and much revered today. Back in the early 10th century the Duke ruled Bohemia with strength and kindness. Frequently he snuck out in the dark of night to deliver food, wood, alms to the least in his kingdom. Upon his murder by his brother, Boleslav the Cruel (that should have been a clue), the Holy Roman Emperor promoted him posthumously to saint and  king. If you review the Christmas hymn about him, you’ll hear a little of his good deeds.

But to digress, Bohemia, like Tirol and Bavaria were countries that made a lot more sense geographically than current country borders. Their tribal background, culture, and ancient history give them a common ground in each of those distinct regions.

Prague is a city that is very proud of it’s ancient past, has emerged from the mantle of communism, and loves it’s beer and goulash. Oh, and my new favorite: hot mulled wine!

young boy in center is Wenceslaus with Grandmother Ludmilla

Young boy in center is Wenceslaus looking to the future, with Grandmother Ludmilla who raised him.

Where Next???

Wednesday, October 29th, 2014

We have 3 days to figure out where to spend the next 3 weeks,and we need suggestions!

We drop off our car in Munich next week and are footloose until we have to be in Basel, Switzerland on the 27th of nov.

We were mulling over Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Mittenwald????

We will be on trains and toting our bags.

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated. Tell us YOUR experiences!

Voyage’s End

Saturday, July 21st, 2012

River cruising is wonderful; you unpack once, wonderful food, impecible service, interesting people, fabulous scenery, educational, lots of exercise exploring our stops, many choices on what to do or not to do, and we had good weather on top of it!

We ended in Vienna, where if you chose, you could add on to your trip by a 3 day stay in Vienna with guide, or a 4 day side trip to Prague. We had thought about Prague but then realized the British Open was happening near our England stopover. Decision made…golf here we come.

The last night of our cruise we did get dolled-up and attended a concert of Strauss and Mozart music; home-town boys. A great way to end a GREAT cruise.