Prague

 We arrived in Prague after dark.  Another great huge train station where I could not figure out where one finds a Bolt pick up location.  And there is way less English on the signs here.  We ended up just grabbing a taxi that was waiting there.  I'm sure it cost double the price but worth it for the lack of hassle.  

We got to out 'hotel' and managed to get through the key codes etc to get to our room.  What looked grand and palatial in the ads is just a tiny little room with a kitchenette tucked in the corner.  I don't think I even took a picture.  We crashed pretty soon after arriving.  

We weren't even sure where we were.  We knew we were on the 'castle' side of the river, opposite Old Town.  As it turns out, everything is fairly close to us.  The river is not wide so the bridges are not long.  Our hotel is called Royal Prague City Apartments at 20 Petrinska if anyone wants to Google it.  

Our first morning we had a slow start.  It was Saturday and as it turns out, a national holiday, St. Wenceslas day and the anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia in 1918 (don't fact check this).  We were completely unaware!  We started our day with a plan to visit Old Town, stopping for breakfast first.  We also needed bus passes.  We thought everything was further apart than it is but we also wanted to use them for the funicular that goes up to the top of a hill near our hotel. 

First breakfast.  We stumbled upon a super trendy place that would totally fit in with Victoria's brunch scene.  Kampa Cafe. I left mom to wait for a table while I crossed the bridge to find a place that sold bus passes (as it turns out, you can buy them on the bus but live and learn).  

Avocado Bene and Field Berry Pancakes. 
They really know how to present food here.  

Then we headed back  over the bridge to Old Town.  Oh, my, God,.  It was a total gong show.  There were so many people!  I mean SO MANY.  WE just followed the crowd to the main square where they have the astronomical clock.  We got there right before noon.  I had no idea what was going on, there were thousands of people just standing around.  I realized that noon was soon so I assumed the clock  did something?  Mom went off the find a bathroom so missed the show.  I was very underwhelmed.  All I noticed was a skeleton ringing a bell.  I filmed it.  Let's see if I  can upload the video...

just in case, here is a video of it.  I completely missed the little windows up top opening.  I only knew it was over when the crowd cheered. 

Here's some random pictures of things we saw on our first day walk-about. Prague is full of beautiful old buildings somewhat like Vienna.  Less uniform than Vienna, more colour.  But to be honest, on that first day, all I was noticing was the surging crowds of people.  Most of the picture I took were pointing up, above people's heads.  

We left the square to see if we could visit the Jewish cemetery.  This time we did know it was Saturday but we forgot that was important when trying to break into a synagogue. Here are a couple of pictures through gates. 

The Jewish Quarter, despite being completely closed, was also a mass of people.  We decided to leave the maddening crowds and head to St. Wenceslas Square, still not realizing it was St. Wenceslas day.  No matter, we are the only people on the planet who could manage to not find a giant square in the middle of the city with a huge party going on in it.  We did not find it.  But we did search for and find the only known 'cubist lamp post' in the world.  

I'm sorry to report, the picture does it justice,
it is quite boring.  It's not even a cube for goodness sake!

We had done a lot of walking so  we headed home to get ready for our next event.  We had bought tickets to go to a concert at one of the churches, St. Clementine's, for 7 pm.  Out after dark!!  

Look at those vaulted ceilings. 
You just know the acoustics were awesome

After that we came home.  We were both starting to get a cold so that was not great. 

Here are some  random photos from day one in no particular order. 

Just a guy walking his goat along the river...

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Next day in real life and next day in blog life...

Day two in Prague was a Sunday, of a national holiday weekend so it continued to be super busy. We wanted to go up the Funicular to Petrin Park.  There is a replica of the Eiffel Tower up there that apparently has an amazing view.  The park is very close to where we are staying.  But we got there and the funicular is closed for repairs 'due to weather'.  We thought it was the big storm two weeks ago but we have since be told it has been closed for a long time. 

This is the only picture I took in Petrin Park
that day. A tribute to the victims of communism

Anyway, we had a walking tour booked for 11 am so we decided not to climb the hill right beforehand.  I think I mentioned that I had a cortisol shot in my knee right before I left for this trip.  I had been told it would take three to seven days to start working.  The first couple of days, my knee was not good but then all of a sudden, it was great!  My left knee has been so bad on my last couple of trips, and to be honest, at home as well, that I was starting to think adventure travel may not be in the cards for me going forward.  But now...  all bets are off, here I come Ubekistan!  Unfortunately, someone told mom not to get the shot so she is still hobbling.  And my vacation itinerary, even toned down, is probably going to put her in a wheelchair.  Today was a LOT of walking and stairs so we are in for the night.  Therefore, I am finally going to get this posted!  

We did a lot of walking before our tour, just to get to the meeting point.  

There is a lot of public art in Prague.  This is a spinning
wheel  with three acrobats that change colour as they spin

We had signed up for a free walking tour of the castle and area.  We finally got to start using our bus pass, which we bought because it included the funicular!  We were both feeling pretty under the weather with our colds.  Drippy and coughy, the 8th and 9th dwarves.  Have I mentioned how tall people are here.  We seem even shorter than usual.  

Anyway, back to the walking tour.  We met at a metro station and all piled on a tram to head up the hill. I like a tour that starts at the top and only walks downhill. 

I don't actually remember much from this tour.  Mom and I were both a bit spacey with our colds.  

Two astronomers, one who theorized that the
sun was at the centre of the universe and 
the other who did the math to prove it, or 
the other way around, the math then the theory?

Our tour included the noon changing of the guards which is the 24 hour change of the whole bunch (troop, regime?).  With a band, no less.  There are throngs of people so I  didn't see much but we did get to watch the new guards arrive.  And the band but I didn't get a photo of them so they may as well not exist. Oh wait, the red guys ARE the band.  Back from the social media dead!  

Blue guys are guards!  You'd think the tuba vs rifles might have been a clue.  I have a cold, stop harassing me!  

That all ended fairly quickly, at least the parts we could see.  Next stop, an amazing look out. Our guide was quick to point out, not as good as the Petrin lookout. Thanks for rubbing it in.  But since this was all we had, we suffered through.  It is an amazing view of the city.   Third to none!  Photos never do grand vistas justice but that is not going to stop my from making you look at some pictures

Onward to the Cathedral.  This is a special cathedral because kings are both coronated here as well as buried here.  Apparently that is rare.  By the way, the Habsburgs had their grubby royal fingers all over Prague as well as Vienna.  Which is not surprising since they were all over Europe.  But it was Charles IV, who was not a Habsburg, who built all of this stuff.  Including the Charles Bridge which is what most tourists to Prague remember the most. Most also means Bridge here so that is most helpful when I use the word most twice in one sentence.  Most! 

Back to the Cathedral.  It was started in the 14th century and 'officially' completed in 1929.  Because they ran out of money due to the market crash and then the end and beginning of the world wars.  

You can see the different eras of construction. The oldest is the dark
parts of the right, then the less dark centre and the very top
is the most current.  I'm sure the words baroque and classical
and neo-classical were used but I'm making most of this 
up anyway so let's not push our luck.

Charles IV was raised in France so Notre Dame was 
a big influence.  Lots of gargoyles!

Original mosaic.  

And that was the end of the tour, or at least the last photo I took.  Mom and I walked back down the hill to the Charles bridge area.  We had crepes for lunch.  We are one bridge over from Charles so we walked home.  And crashed.  It was early but our colds were now in full swing.  Mom was fast asleep and I read for a while and then slept through the night.  We didn't even wake up for dinner..

Crepes for lunch.

So a slow day for a change.  

Here is a picture of a jackdaw which are all over the place. But hard to get a picture of.

And that's the end of day two and this post.  Let's all agree never to fact check any of this information. It may all have been a fever dream!