Prague - Day 2

Due to the previous night's drinking activities, we had a late start. Our apartment was so cozy and warm, a safe haven against the cold. We started out on another day of wandering through the city. We set out in the direction of the castle. On the way, we had to cross Charles Bridge, which it s the main tourist thoroughfare. Charles Bridge is dotted with statues stained black with age. Performers and venders line the bridge as well. It's actually a very touristic scene, but you can't help but be charmed.

There was a quaint jazz band which seemed very popular among the tourists. There was also a guy who made his monkey puppet dance to music. Everyday an old guy turns the crank on one of those all-in-one music machines. There was a blind woman singing opera and vendors selling photos, magnets, doing sketches, etc. Supposedly a saint was thrown from the bridge, and many people stop and touch the statue that depicts his death. It's supposed to bring good luck.

Across the bridge we found the lesser quarter. It is mainly pedestrian and you really get the feeling for the history of the city. Of course, there are a million and one souvenir shops, but you have to help out the tourism industry, right?

We stumbled upon a church and decided to pay the 100 crowns (about 4 dollars) to see it. We didn't realize it was a major site, St. Nicholas Church. It was very Baroque. When you stepped inside, you felt small against the immensity of it. Joe particularly liked the intimidating, oversized statues. There was gold decoration everywhere, large marble columns, frescos, statues and a very beautiful organ. They say that Mozart played on the organ, which I particularly liked.

After the church, we climbed the steep hill to the castle where we realized we didn't have enough cash on us to get in. We decided to come back a different day and wandered off down the cobblestone streets. We noticed that several people were going into a church nearby, so we figured we might as well. It was Loreta Church, a pilgrimage site for Christians. We couldn't figure out exactly why people took pilgrimages there. But we thought, hey, bonus, maybe we'll get some years off of purgatory.

Later in the day, we visited Wencelas Square, the main town square. We stopped off at a bar for some more Czech beer. (Okay, this was a daily activity, truth be told. Gotta live it up before returning to Egypt.) We found there were lots of great places to duck into. We sat and relaxed while a man played the piano. It was a classy, historic bar. Dark stained wood, nice ambiance. Places like this are hard to find in Egypt.

We also went to the old town square and took some pictures of the sites there. There wasn't much you could go into, but the square was a fun place to see. It reminded us of the square in Krakow, Poland. People could take horse-drawn carriages. There was a gothic church, historical buildings, a fountain, and an astrological clock tower. Side streets wind out from the center with restaurants and shops selling their wares.

Joe insisted on stopping at a meat market that we had seen earlier. He had to get his hands on some authentic jaternice. It's traditional sausage made from the scary, non-edible, non-vegetarian parts of animals. He thought it was okay, but he says he likes Polenas in Cedar Rapids better.

We ended up deciding on a Chinese restaurant for supper. I know, why eat Chinese in the Czech Republic? It's hard to find good Chinese in Egypt. I don't remember what we did that evening. I'm sure we went to a bar. It was a good day just enjoying the sites and historical streets.