Prague

Prague                 February 11, 2018

We're getting our bearings in Prague.  As our base, Bruce has us booked into a "palace".   That term is a little more lofty than the reality.  Actually, it's a lovely old hotel with suites that serve as two-room apartments and give us the opportunity to have our own breakfasts or cups of tea, etc. - and to have lots of space!  I guess the word palace has a different connotation here, as I notice it being used to refer to shopping arcades, hotels, and big buildings.  

                                           Deminka Palace!

We are really enjoying our Deminka Palace!  It's very old-world, with tall, tall ceilings and windows, cozy radiator heat, embellished woodwork and fancy iron grill work in the corridors and staircase - a perfect fit for this elegant city.  Next door is a classic old resto, serving typical Czech food, such as potato soup, goulash with dumplings or pigs' knuckles/duck or rabbit with cabbage and potatoes.  Good, old-fashioned comfort food - and beer, of course! 

Beautiful stenciled wood doors and tiled floors at Deminka "Palace".  

  The pretty, light-filled staircase.  We're on the 4th floor - and there is an elevator.  

 Among the interesting things that we've discovered in the past few days include the fact that there is quite a large Vietnamese community here.  Apparently, the Viets arrived during the Communist era when both countries shared the same type of government.  When the Soviets left (in the wake of the Velvet Revolution in 1989), most of the Vietnamese stayed.  As a result, there are lots of Vietnamese restos - like the one where we enjoyed bowls of pho one evening!  

 Located in a mall, this resto was short on ambience but made up for it with their delicious pho - and their cute toddler who made googly eyes at us while we ate.  

The temperature has hovered around the freezing mark for the past few days.  There's no snow except for a few stray flakes today.  However, as we have gotten out and about, the damp chill has nearly frozen our fingers, despite gloves, hats, scarves, etc.  Some of you are probably thinking, "Duh, you chose to visit cold cities in the winter!!".  Yes, yes we did.  So, ok, good excuse to pop into a cafe for a coffee and apple strudel, which we did this afternoon.  Our fingers thawed out, and we enjoyed the most delicious, light, classic Czech dessert.  I am determined to try making it when we return home.  

                   Sweet trdlo being cooked over charcoals outdoors.

The other sweet street food that we've stumbled upon is something called trdlo - one of those Czech words that we have no hope of pronouncing.  It is a light dough wrapped around a stick and slowly grilled over charcoals, then sprinkled with sugar and walnuts.  Yum!  Bruce and I ordered it off a menu one day during another cafe stop.  I'll remember the experience for a couple of reasons - the discovery of trdlo, the fact that it cost a fortune since it was in a high tourist area and we were eating it indoors, but mostly because we happened upon the opening ceremony of the Olympics being broadcast on the huge screen tv in the cafe!  What luck!  We love the Olympics - and we got to see the young athletes entering the stadium, looking so proud of their nation and so hopeful, even those from tiny, decidedly un-wintery places like Madagascar and Jamaica!   The lovely Korean winter fairies leading each team were beautiful!  I'm encouraged that North & South Korea are joining together for the games.  

On weekends, the tourist areas here are busy!  We can't imagine what it's like when the weather is warmer.  In the massive Old Town square, clumps of people, clad in European black, surround guides.  Passing near them is like being at a U.N. outpost - each group listening to the pertinent info in their own language.  We could detect Spanish, Italian, German, Czech or Polish (not sure which) and, of course, English.  

             The ancient Charles Bridges spans the Vltava River

The famous pedestrianized Charles Bridge, built in the late 1300's (!) and spanning the Vltava River, attracts a lovely, strolling crowd, taking in the scenes of both sides of the city from the river.  It's a bit like a party, as folks stop to take selfies, get their images quickly drawn by charcoal artists, have fun feeding & attracting pigeons, study the many statues of saints that line the bridge, or gaze up and down the river at the nearly empty tourist boats.

                             

       Huge statues of saints and heroes, 30 in all, line the bridge.

A number of charcoal artists do portraits, including caricatures

                Looking up at the real Castle from the Charles Bridge

  Crowds on the Charles Bridge; we're told that it's wall-to-wall in the warmer weather!

Prague has a proud history, dating back to at least the 14th century when it was the center of European culture and ruled by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor.  He founded Charles University, one of the oldest universities in the world - still a highly respected center of learning and tuition-free for Czech students!   

As we have walked around, we've been wowed by the architecture, ranging from grand, baroque styles to lots of art nouveau and some modern. With little damage during WWII, it's all still there, reining over this majestic city - ornate and fascinating in detail and a good reason to look up!  Here are a few buildings that have caught my eye:  

                             Art nouveau Europa Hotel

                 the fabulous art nouveau Jerusalem synagogue

Old Town scene

Old Town Square

wowser!  

We've learned that the Czechs are known for their lead crystal glassware, puppets, garnet jewelry (in addition to their beer and pastries).  Some of the shop window scenes that we encountered:

                                               Puppets

                                                  Crystal

                                             Gingerbread!

We have only one more day here for now.  We hope to tour the Jewish quarter tomorrow.  As usual, we walk everywhere and have been logging about 7 miles each day on our fitbits.  How else does one manage to stay lively after all that comfort food?? On Tuesday, we'll be off to Budapest by train, a 6 hour trip.