Beauty intoxication in Prague
There are very few things that would make me get up at 4:45 a.m. voluntarily (I am generally more likely to see that time from the other side), but an essentially free trip to Prague is one of them. Bauer (a German catalogue company similar to Sears) had given me a free bus trip to Prague with three nights in a hotel for two. The catch? On the return trip we had to stop for three hours at Bauer's giant shopping mall in Bavaria. Karl-Heinz was going to be in the States on the departure date so Rose (the other American midwesterner here in Gernsheim) was willing to risk it and come with me.
I picked Rose up at 5:15 and we drove over to Pfungstadt where we were catching the bus. The bus was supposed to be there at 6 a.m. but, not surprisingly, it was late. So then we spent hours winding around Germany and then the Czech Republic. Besides breaks, our first big stop was for lunch was at the Pilsner Urquell brewery in Pils, Czech. Having long been a fan of this beer (one of if not the original Pils beers) I was pretty thrilled. We didn't have time for a tour but ate in the beer hall and had dumpling slices similar to the ones I had had in Slovakia a month earlier. I enjoyed mentioning that to Rose, snot that I am.
We finally arrived at our hotel on the outskirts of Prague at about 6 p.m. Rose and I basically dropped our bags, went to the reception and asked about getting downtown. I had feared we would not have access to any mass transit but SCORE! there was a bus a hundred yards away that took us in one stop to a subway. We got the directions from the great English speaking kid working at the desk of the Eurohotel and bought the bus/subway ticket from her as well for 20 Czech money which is less than a buck. The subway ride in was only about 20 minutes. As we were leaving the hotel in the early evening to go and see Prague we noticed most of the other guests settling into the hotel bar. I don't get it. The hotel was fine but it was also in an office/industrial park. I guess they were waiting for the optional and very over-priced tour they had signed up for the next day. We had signed up for none.
So we get off the subway and decide to have a beer someplace too while we look at our map. We end up at the Zulu Bar (African theme) and the waiter helped direct up to the Charles Bridge. We wander over there (it was last Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving) and notice there are a huge number of spectacular buildings almost everywhere we looked. On the bridge we look out to the perfectly clear dark blue sky and the two sides of the Moldau (sp?) River. On one side the giant castle/fortress is bathed in yellow lights. On the other there are any number of architectural masterpieces also beautifully lit. The statues on the bridge stand out against the sky. Rose and I look around and she turns to me and says, "This is unbelievable." It was.
We took the subway and bus back to our hotel with absolutely no problems. The only issue is the subway closes down at midnight according to the hotel clerk so we had be back by then or face the taxis, an unappealing and expensive proposition. Following the included, pretty standard European breakfast we went back downtown on Thanksgiving day for a walking tour at 9:45 a.m. The tour was four hours and still only scratched the surface. But it was a good introduction. We met several other Americans and British on the tour.
We went back on our own to the Charles Bridge to look at each of the statues individually and ran into Joe, a retired Marine we had met on the walking tour. He told us he's eaten Thanksgiving dinner at "Joe's Bar" down the way which sounded good to us. We found it and the special Thanksgiving menu listed turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and coffee. When our plates came we each got an ENTIRE turkey leg, mashed potatoes flattened on our plates, unheated canned corn and something similar to but not quite cranberry sauce. The "pumpkin pie" was like coffeecake with some type of squash sprinkled on top! Close enough--we loved it! (Just wish I'd taken a picture.)
After dinner we went looking the the Municipal Building which our walking tour guide had not shown us but referred to as an excellent example of Art Nouveau architecture. After a bit, we found ourselves standing outside a building which was an homage to elegance. Every detail was perfect. We wanted to go in and there was a concert playing there at 8 p.m., a concert another American guy on the walking tour had recommended. "A real conceret, not just for tourists," he had said. It was 7:45 p.m. We went in and get the equivalent of 32 Euro tickets for 28 since we were super last minute. Fortunately, there was no dress code. I don't know classical music but Rose does and she told me I would recognize Vivaldi's Four Seasons once it started and of course, she was right. The hall was spectacular. Thirteen string musicians played on some original 18th century instruments a few of which neither Rose nor I could identify. As Rose said, there is just something about live music that makes it more moving. That music, in that building, in that city was almost overwhelming for me. It actually made me feel high. After the concert we saw the guy who had recommended the concert to us with his two young adult daughters. I told them we were going to the Bone Church the next day. His 19-year-old said, "Cool!" and the guy turned heel to get away from us. We stopped in the chandeliered restaurant downstairs for a drink afterwards just because we wanted to sit there and admire the place some more.
Back at the hotel, another great clerk found the train schedule for Kunda Hora, the town we needed to get to to see the Bone Church the next day. Friday we started later than we should have and almost missed the train. I accosted a couple walking by waving our tickets at them since we couldn't find the track. They happened to be visiting from Israil and were heading to the Bone Church too! SCORE AGAIN! So we basically followed them there and visited the Church at the same time.
The Bone Church is actually in Sedlec, an easy walk from the Kunta Hora train station. It's more the size of what I would call a chapel. Decorated in human bones from the cemetary, it is, umm, weird. Apparently the cemetary ended up with too many customers due to the plague and the powers that were decided to use the materials at hand, so to speak. So you get a coat-of-arms done in bones, bone chandeliers, bone garlands, you get the picture. The "artist" even signed it in, yeah you got it, femurs, tibias, etc. Google it and you can see photos if you want. It's a bit like going to a Ripley' s Believe It or Not. It was worth an hour trip from Prague, but probably not an hour and a quarter.
Based on a recommendation from a fellow Bone Church visitor (the place is surprisingly popular!) we met on the train back to Prague, that evening we went to the "U Prince" 6th floor terrace across from the astrological clock. We expected beer benches out on a balcony. Instead there was a complete, beautiful restaurant with some of the most spectacular city views I have ever seen. We each had a light meal, two giant beers and a schnaps for about 20 Euros each. The view alone was worth that much. We ran into a brother and sister who had also been on the train from Kunta Hora with us and went based on the other guy's recommendation. If you are ever in the neighborhood, go. Really.
The bus left at 7 a.m. (too early!) the next morning. We got to the Bauer store at about 2 p.m. and the bus driver told us we would leave at 5 p.m. Well, turns out the store closes at 4 p.m. on Saturday so we did a bit of shopping, had coffee and cake and were back heading home by 4:30 p.m. or so. We go back to Pfungstadt about 10 p.m.
We had a great time but, as the diet supplement ads say, results may vary. Prague sounds like hell in the summer, packed so full you basically cannot move. We were there at the lowest season and it was still busy. Our trip was clearly a bargain. We each probably spent between $200 and $300 but a free bus and hotel is not common. Currently, prices are still reasonable although not cheap. Once the Czech Republic gets the Euro (scheduled for 2012) they will probably increase. You can get by quite well with English but it helps if you can read a subway map, bus schedule, etc. And it always depends on whom you travel with; Rose was game for going on our own and cheap but not everyone is.
We could have prepared better by knowing exactly which buildings we wanted to see. There are several we missed and also didn't manage to see the Infant of Prague. It is a city that is all about architecture and the accompanying history.
So earlier this week I was at the Burger King in Darmstadt. A ex-student of mine works there and he asked me to tell him something fun. I said, "Well, I went to Prague." He asked, "So, does it live up to all the hype?" I paused, thought and said, "Yes, it does."
I picked Rose up at 5:15 and we drove over to Pfungstadt where we were catching the bus. The bus was supposed to be there at 6 a.m. but, not surprisingly, it was late. So then we spent hours winding around Germany and then the Czech Republic. Besides breaks, our first big stop was for lunch was at the Pilsner Urquell brewery in Pils, Czech. Having long been a fan of this beer (one of if not the original Pils beers) I was pretty thrilled. We didn't have time for a tour but ate in the beer hall and had dumpling slices similar to the ones I had had in Slovakia a month earlier. I enjoyed mentioning that to Rose, snot that I am.
We finally arrived at our hotel on the outskirts of Prague at about 6 p.m. Rose and I basically dropped our bags, went to the reception and asked about getting downtown. I had feared we would not have access to any mass transit but SCORE! there was a bus a hundred yards away that took us in one stop to a subway. We got the directions from the great English speaking kid working at the desk of the Eurohotel and bought the bus/subway ticket from her as well for 20 Czech money which is less than a buck. The subway ride in was only about 20 minutes. As we were leaving the hotel in the early evening to go and see Prague we noticed most of the other guests settling into the hotel bar. I don't get it. The hotel was fine but it was also in an office/industrial park. I guess they were waiting for the optional and very over-priced tour they had signed up for the next day. We had signed up for none.
So we get off the subway and decide to have a beer someplace too while we look at our map. We end up at the Zulu Bar (African theme) and the waiter helped direct up to the Charles Bridge. We wander over there (it was last Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving) and notice there are a huge number of spectacular buildings almost everywhere we looked. On the bridge we look out to the perfectly clear dark blue sky and the two sides of the Moldau (sp?) River. On one side the giant castle/fortress is bathed in yellow lights. On the other there are any number of architectural masterpieces also beautifully lit. The statues on the bridge stand out against the sky. Rose and I look around and she turns to me and says, "This is unbelievable." It was.
We took the subway and bus back to our hotel with absolutely no problems. The only issue is the subway closes down at midnight according to the hotel clerk so we had be back by then or face the taxis, an unappealing and expensive proposition. Following the included, pretty standard European breakfast we went back downtown on Thanksgiving day for a walking tour at 9:45 a.m. The tour was four hours and still only scratched the surface. But it was a good introduction. We met several other Americans and British on the tour.
We went back on our own to the Charles Bridge to look at each of the statues individually and ran into Joe, a retired Marine we had met on the walking tour. He told us he's eaten Thanksgiving dinner at "Joe's Bar" down the way which sounded good to us. We found it and the special Thanksgiving menu listed turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and coffee. When our plates came we each got an ENTIRE turkey leg, mashed potatoes flattened on our plates, unheated canned corn and something similar to but not quite cranberry sauce. The "pumpkin pie" was like coffeecake with some type of squash sprinkled on top! Close enough--we loved it! (Just wish I'd taken a picture.)
After dinner we went looking the the Municipal Building which our walking tour guide had not shown us but referred to as an excellent example of Art Nouveau architecture. After a bit, we found ourselves standing outside a building which was an homage to elegance. Every detail was perfect. We wanted to go in and there was a concert playing there at 8 p.m., a concert another American guy on the walking tour had recommended. "A real conceret, not just for tourists," he had said. It was 7:45 p.m. We went in and get the equivalent of 32 Euro tickets for 28 since we were super last minute. Fortunately, there was no dress code. I don't know classical music but Rose does and she told me I would recognize Vivaldi's Four Seasons once it started and of course, she was right. The hall was spectacular. Thirteen string musicians played on some original 18th century instruments a few of which neither Rose nor I could identify. As Rose said, there is just something about live music that makes it more moving. That music, in that building, in that city was almost overwhelming for me. It actually made me feel high. After the concert we saw the guy who had recommended the concert to us with his two young adult daughters. I told them we were going to the Bone Church the next day. His 19-year-old said, "Cool!" and the guy turned heel to get away from us. We stopped in the chandeliered restaurant downstairs for a drink afterwards just because we wanted to sit there and admire the place some more.
Back at the hotel, another great clerk found the train schedule for Kunda Hora, the town we needed to get to to see the Bone Church the next day. Friday we started later than we should have and almost missed the train. I accosted a couple walking by waving our tickets at them since we couldn't find the track. They happened to be visiting from Israil and were heading to the Bone Church too! SCORE AGAIN! So we basically followed them there and visited the Church at the same time.
The Bone Church is actually in Sedlec, an easy walk from the Kunta Hora train station. It's more the size of what I would call a chapel. Decorated in human bones from the cemetary, it is, umm, weird. Apparently the cemetary ended up with too many customers due to the plague and the powers that were decided to use the materials at hand, so to speak. So you get a coat-of-arms done in bones, bone chandeliers, bone garlands, you get the picture. The "artist" even signed it in, yeah you got it, femurs, tibias, etc. Google it and you can see photos if you want. It's a bit like going to a Ripley' s Believe It or Not. It was worth an hour trip from Prague, but probably not an hour and a quarter.
Based on a recommendation from a fellow Bone Church visitor (the place is surprisingly popular!) we met on the train back to Prague, that evening we went to the "U Prince" 6th floor terrace across from the astrological clock. We expected beer benches out on a balcony. Instead there was a complete, beautiful restaurant with some of the most spectacular city views I have ever seen. We each had a light meal, two giant beers and a schnaps for about 20 Euros each. The view alone was worth that much. We ran into a brother and sister who had also been on the train from Kunta Hora with us and went based on the other guy's recommendation. If you are ever in the neighborhood, go. Really.
The bus left at 7 a.m. (too early!) the next morning. We got to the Bauer store at about 2 p.m. and the bus driver told us we would leave at 5 p.m. Well, turns out the store closes at 4 p.m. on Saturday so we did a bit of shopping, had coffee and cake and were back heading home by 4:30 p.m. or so. We go back to Pfungstadt about 10 p.m.
We had a great time but, as the diet supplement ads say, results may vary. Prague sounds like hell in the summer, packed so full you basically cannot move. We were there at the lowest season and it was still busy. Our trip was clearly a bargain. We each probably spent between $200 and $300 but a free bus and hotel is not common. Currently, prices are still reasonable although not cheap. Once the Czech Republic gets the Euro (scheduled for 2012) they will probably increase. You can get by quite well with English but it helps if you can read a subway map, bus schedule, etc. And it always depends on whom you travel with; Rose was game for going on our own and cheap but not everyone is.
We could have prepared better by knowing exactly which buildings we wanted to see. There are several we missed and also didn't manage to see the Infant of Prague. It is a city that is all about architecture and the accompanying history.
So earlier this week I was at the Burger King in Darmstadt. A ex-student of mine works there and he asked me to tell him something fun. I said, "Well, I went to Prague." He asked, "So, does it live up to all the hype?" I paused, thought and said, "Yes, it does."
posted by Terry at 6:24 AM
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