Prague, Czech Republic, October 24, 2010


Saturday we left our ship for an 8-hour bus ride to Prague.  The countryside was interesting, but the ride seemed to be extremely long.  We were with 16 couples from the Viking Sky, 2 bus drivers and one young chaperon.  We stopped at a truck stop for lunch, in the Czech Republic where no English was spoken and we could no longer use our Euros.  The food was a Czech buffet and it was quite an adventure to pick out unknown foods.  I thought I was safe with soup with meatballs until I found out the meatballs were liver dumplings!  Others got what they thought was a breaded cutlet to find out it was liver!  What an experience after being pampered for 2 weeks.

We checked into a lovely Hilton Hotel, went to the cafe and all 4 of us ordered a hamburger!  We went to the top floor of the hotel to a beautiful night club.  The decor was extremely modern and beautiful with all different colored neon lights.  However, it seemed to be a hangout for people who were quite a bit younger than we were.

The following morning we met for a guided tour of Prague.  As you can see from the pictures, it was a very cold, gray day.  We were bussed to the castle complex, dropped off at The Old Town Square.  Many hours and many miles later we walked our way back to our hotel.

St Vitus Cathedral, the seat of the Archbishop of Prague
located within the Prague Castle complex 





The grounds around the castle




guarding the castle

                                                                 couldn't get a smile from him!


Changing of the guard




St Vitus Cathedral





One of the gates of the castle complex





a museum within the complex




I am eager to see what I can do with this ominous picture!







View of Prague from the Prague Castle




St Vitus




Prague's Old Town Square



Old Town Square is a really fun place with many different booths with many different items for sale and lots of different kinds of food for sale.  One man was roasting whole hams on spits over a wood fire.  He would slice  slabs of ham and sell them.  Delicious!  We found an outdoor cafe with heaters and enjoyed a Czech sausage meal.


Astronomical Clock, a medieval clock that features an hourly "Walk of the Apostles" show




Jesus and one of his apostles making their appearance.  At the bottom right is the skeleton that is ringing a bell, announcing the hour.





14th century Gothic Old Town Bridge Tower
It is reported that back in the 16th century several reformers were executed and their heads were
put on the spikes of this bridge.





View from the Charles Bridge




One of a dozen statues saints and Christ on the Charles Bridge
The bridge is lined with merchants and their wares.
It felt like Jesus was going to chase them off from the bridge
as this seemed a holy place with all of the saints lining the bridge!




View from Charles Bridge




Charles Bridge