Central Europe ‘23 – Day 6

Off to Prague first thing on Thursday. Up early and a quick getaway from the Art Hotel in an effort to be on-time for our train to Praha (Prague). We hoped that we could accomplish a little planning and maybe a kink might happen in the 4Hr run to Czechia 🇨🇿! Smooth commute to the train station and we boarded without issue. Vienna treated us well!

As with Budapest, here are some of our observations in regard to our Vienna visit;

• Weather – No rain to speak of, but we were cold multiple times while exposed to the wind. Single digits °C promoted lots of walking.
• Currency – Austria was all EUR so once again, no issues… we actually picked up a few at home prior to departure just in case cash was a requirement.
• Metro – Used the U1, U3 & U4 lines and all ran as expected. No waits, well signed, and clean/organized! The only hiccup was a very noisy ticket machine experience with some overzealous folks that were “way ahead” on the Pilsners at Wien Hauptbanhoff.
• Connectivity – Excellent access in Vienna with most businesses / attractions having posted network info to log on and access
• Language – We were never in a position to struggle with this. In fact, the one occasion where we thought we’d have troubles (Heuriger) the service folks were very proficient in English!

We were on the ground in Prague at 11:35 AM… exactly on schedule and we’re ready to turn this town upside down! We decided we’d make the 10 minute walk to our accommodations, the Golden Crown Hotel. Here we dropped off bags and hit the streets almost immediately. Holy beautiful city… it’s hard to capture it in words / on iPhone but it is simply gorgeous!

Perhaps the most well known site in the city is the Charles Bridge. It was our first attraction of the day (as well as a thoroughfare to others). The stone bridge, lined with beautiful sculptures, was quite lively with the sounds of voices from around the globe. We were reminded of the bridge scene from the movie Mission Impossible shot on the bridge. We took our time, even stopping for a little jazz concert to take in the vista.

Our walk continued, as we wound our way upwards past the tiny streets and shops of a busy Castle District. So scenic! At the summit 😅 we found Prague Castle, begun in 880 AD and recognized as the largest coherent castle complex in the world and UNESCO Monument. We entered the castle, after a brief security check, and roamed the courtyard eventually coming to rest in a seating area positioned under the noon sun. Felt great! Histories of Monarchs and Emperors make Prague Castle one of the most important sites in the Czech Republic. Such an imposing and impressive space!

While there we also took advantage of the opportunity to get a glimpse of St Vitus Cathedral. A place of worship has been located on the site since 925 AD and not until the latter half of the 19th century completed into its present state. Both the Castle and Cathedral are free to enter and visit, with tickets required for specific tours. Undoubtedly, these structures are dominant features towering over the city of Prague.

Getting a little foot weary, we exited away from the crowds and strolled to the closest Metro station, Hradčanská (Line A) and did our first run through the ticket process for transit. Bit different than Budapest/Vienna, but still pretty user friendly (not quite signed as liberally as the others). We transferred at Mustek Station and were back to complete check in in no time! Janie had one adventure, navigating the check outs at the local grocer (just some fruit and drinks for the room). She described it as “messy”! 😳 We took a pause for part of the afternoon, having a quick sandwich, clean up and maybe even a little kink to gather ourselves. So far we’ve managed okay and sneaking in breaks is an important part of making good travel decisions!

We got on the move again early evening, and strolled the Wenceslas Square area. It was bustling with commuters, tourists and business. It’s long been a site for celebration and protest for the people of Prague. During the 1938 May Crisis, the square was the site of massive demonstrations against Nazi Germany’s demands for the Sudetenland and the appeasement policies of the First Czechoslovak Republic’s allies England and France. In 1989, during the Velvet Revolution, large demonstrations (with hundreds of thousands of people or more) were held here.

Thursday night we had something entirely different planned. We eased our “evening best” clothes out of the backpacks and headed for the Czech State Opera for the production of Rusalka. Neither of us have ever been to a real Opera beyond the daily throes of teaching, so a “first” for us! We had what I thought were very cozy seats… second level boxes with just four seats (we wondered aloud who our dates would be). Lo and behold… no one! Felt like Mr and Mrs Lincoln. Pretty fancy getups on most so we were a bit underdressed (but not too far off 😉)!

As for the Opera, it’s made very accessible. Pop up screens that translate the voices to English text were most helpful. Czech composer Antonín Dvořák based his most beautiful opera on the fairy tale The Little Mermaid, by renowned Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. The music, sets, and technical pieces, in my very limited experience, felt top notch. The Opera, in its entirety, was over three hours in length (2 breaks built in). Great view of the pit and musicians at their work as well! We’re so fortunate to be able to do this… in short, one does not get to go to the Opera in Prague every day! Feeling blessed!

Central Europe ‘23 – Day 7