Prague's Old Town is Nicer than Alexandria's Old Town

I’m not really sure I can figure new Europe out. We went through a cursory customs check in Switzerland (I think they were just happy we weren’t staying in the country). In Prague, things were very efficient (I’d be surprised if that is often used together). Our luggage was coming out as we got to baggage, and then there was no customs to go through – we just walked right into the arrival hall, where our driver met us. So, basically, here we are twenty years after the fall of communism, and they couldn’t care less who is in the country.

(Written later – okay, the Czech Republic is part of the European Union, but I didn’t think Switzerland is – neutral and all that diplomacy stuff.)

The driver and I hit it off instantly. He spoke no English, and we spoke no Czech. So it was a pretty quiet drive from the airport to the hotel in the rain. The first restaurant we saw was a McDonalds, and the second was a KFC. These were both out in the suburbs. The Hotel, the U Pava, is situated on Mala Strana (the Little Quarter) right near the famed Charles Bridge. It’s in-between Prague Castle and Old Town (Stare Mesto). The room are fine – the girls got a nice-sized suite (there’s three of them) and Carol and I are in a smallish room, but that’s fine.

After a quick clean-up, we walked across the Charles Bridge in the rain. There are two towers – one on either end, with the famous statues all along the bridge. I really did not start taking pictures until the way back when the rain had stopped. The streets of Old Town run hither and yon, and each turn is a delight. With the square, the clock tower, the churches, and the cafes, Prague reminds me a little of either Venice (albeit without the canals, obviously), Siena, Italy, or Seville, Spain. Prague is larger than the those cities, but it is similar in that there is a sight to see around nearly every corner.

There is also a mish-mash of tourists. It was a rainy Sunday, but it was clear that a number of the folks wandering around are Czechs. There’s also other Central Europeans, the requisite number of English, and even some Americans. Very cosmopolitan – not just a swarm of tourists. After the hottest July on record in Washington, it’s nice to be where the temperature requires long sleeves at night, and there is no sweating during the day.

I willfully committed one of the first sins of tourism – we had lunch at a restaurant in Old Town Square. That, of course, means we overpaid for lunch. On the other hand, we ate at the famed Unicorn house, sitting outside (under awnings). We could watch the striking of the famous Astronomical clock (3pm) from our seats, and the food was far tastier than I expected given the location (yes, Carol and I each had the beef goulash). And the Gambrinus beer was quite good.

After lunch, we wandered around Old Town Square, and tried to find our way into the Church of Our Lady Before Tyn (no luck finding the entrance – we did later, and it was closed for the day!). We did go up the Tower at Old Town Hall – which gave great views around the city. Once I can get reliable wireless, I will download a photo or two. The trumpeter who sounds his horn on the hour played some tunes at the top for our – or his – amusement, including “New York, New York.” Which, I gotta admit, was not the song we were expecting. The Tower is crowded – there is no one way around, so it’s like a mosh pit of tourists each going in different directions – but there was also not a rush to get us off the tower.

We then wandered the side streets off the square. No one thing stood out (although it is hard to find an ATM), but just blocks of great architecture and history, including the Power House gate and the Municipal House.

After finding our way back to Old Town Square (there’s no rush), we got some average tasting gelato (well, to be fair, it’s not Italy). We then headed past Kafka’s street to the Jewish Quarter, where we went through the fascinating Jewish cemetery – gravestone upon gravestone piled higgedly-piggedly on top of each other because they were not allowed any additional burial sites.

Back along the Vltava River to the Charles Bridge. Crossing it in the late afternoon clearing was more pleasant than the first trip across in the rain. It’s really a beautiful, lively pedestrian bridge, with musicians and artists trying to sell their wares.

We stopped for before drinks at a bar/restaurant on the canal (the Cestova) right near our hotel – it was the creatively named Restaurant Cestova. Carol and the girls ran out of gas, and went back for a nap at the hotel. I had another beer and planned the next day’s walk about. We probably covered five or six miles today, which does not sound like a lot, but given the jet lag, that was plenty.

After waking my reluctant sleeping beauties up for dinner, we headed to the nearby Three Ostriches Restaurant. I had the ostrich medallions, Carol and Julia had the lamb shank, and Torie and Maddy had the duck. The food was quite good, but the girls were way overtired and, dare I say, cranky from their jet lag. After they ate, they mercifully headed back to the hotel (they were way overtired in that classic teenage girl way where anything set them off, and it was time for them to snipe at each other). Good times, good times.