PRAGUE Complete....
Overwhelming would be an understatement for this city. My first impression was not the best one. The train pulled into Hlavni Nádrazí station in what I thought was the center of Prague. Well, it sort of is. It's between old and new town, which would I guess make it the technical center, but it wasn't near the old town, which is where all the sights are. THAT is what I would call the center of town. So the adventure begins with no hotel or hostel booked for the night. I get off the train and immediately someone looking to fill a spot in an apartment approaches me. It turns out she wanted someone in there for longer than a night. So I go into the station and like my friend said there are many places to change money and get a hotel. I change money and later realized I got ripped a new one for doing that. I needed the local currency though, especially to book a hostel, and I didn't want to lug my stuff to God knows where to get a decent rate. Oh well. I got the money. I can use it or lose it at the end of the trip. I'll use credit cards for as much as possible to get the best rate. I got a place that the lady said was about a 10-minute walk from the station. Great! I thought. So I began my journey with a room for $20. Fabulous! I was hoping for $10, but since I was looking for a room by myself tonight (I need it at this point to just sprawl out again) I had to take what I could get. If I wasn't in such a hurry to get this process over with I might've found a better deal, but I'm glad for what I got. So I walk. She neglected to tell me it was all uphill. Fifty pounds on my back. Whoa. I arrive and the front desk clerk checks me in and I go to my room. The place LOOKS like a hostel. I get in the elevator and there's a pull out door, but no sliding door to separate the elevator from the shaft. I could reach out and touch the floors as I passed them. Lol. This was getting funny. I got out and it looks once again like a high school hallway with no lockers lining the halls. It's long and wide. I find my room and there are 3 beds in it. No towels. Hmm. I go back to the front desk and ask to make sure I got a single. I wouldn't want any surprise visitors in the nights like when I was in shared rooms and thought I'd be alone for the night. He assured me it was a single. I then asked about the towels and he said to leave a 100Kc deposit for the towel and I'll get it back when I return the towel. Okay. No problem. He gives me the equivalent of a hand towel. Whoa. I needed a shower thought and I wasn't going to complain. I went back upstairs and the showers are communal and very open. Scary. They have stalls, but glass doors. It doesn't seem crowded here so I won't have much of a problem. I took my shower to get the grime from the train ride off me. That felt good. Staying in hostels is not for everyone. It's almost like camping in a way. Glorified camping. I was happy with clean clothes and a clean body and went out to venture. I wasn't all excited because as I walked through the residential area to get to the hostel it looked like parts of Russia. It was very plain, desolate, and I had to question the safety of the area. Both the lady at the train station and the hostel clerk assured me it was okay. It just looks like a run down neighborhood.
I walked into town and it was like the curtain rose from a dingy theatre and presented this colorful production of lights, sets, and sounds. I stepped into beauty and medieval times. It took me a while to get into town. I think I took a round about way. I finally made my way to the main street of Václavské Námestí. This was where you find your chain stores such as TGI Fridays, H&M, Zara, and a bunch of others as well as casinos and exchange places. Everything just got a little pricier in this area. To give an example: to buy 500mL of water where I'm staying in a residential area not far from the train station just cost me $0.38 while buying that same bottle of water in this area escalates from $1.25 as you get closer to the old town and the tourist area. Funny how economics work that way. I was told you could get a beer, pork, sauerkraut, and the dumplings for less than $5 if you find the right place. That same Czech meal in the old town was like $18.00!!! Almost 4x as expensive. I just had munchies all day because my friend told me not only is it gorgeous, happening, and artistic here, but it's damn cheap and that's part of the charm of coming here. If you want to stay in dorm rooms, you can stay here for $5/night!!! Mine cost a little more for location and a single room. Food was noted to be just as cheap. Anyway, enough economics. I ended up in old town and it was breathtaking. I came into Old Town Square. Beautiful stoned buildings with such artistic carvings and paintings. I couldn't believe my eyes and my trigger finger couldn't stop catching photos. Just from today I think I got about 140 pictures to go through. The square is the home of the astronomical clock where on the hour a skeleton empties his hourglass and a procession of apostles march by. I was too taken aback by everything around me and the things I was seeing to wait for the clock. Every turn was amazing and I don't think I could describe it anymore than it felt like I was walking into a storybook. Incidentally I have to look up Pinocchio now. This icon was prevalent everywhere and a handicraft of the area seems to be marionette making. I thought this story took place somewhere in Italy, not Prague.There was even a black light black theatre marionette show I considered going to. Wood toys and puzzles also a specialty of the Bohemians. I also found out they specialize in the Paganistic ritual of Easter. I jut learned today that most Americans combine the Christian observance of Easter with the Pagan ritual of decorating eggs. This decoration of eggs is a Pagan ritual to represent the fertility of spring. There are beautiful eggs in some of these shops decorated to unfathomable beliefs. Some even cut like snowflakes and how they did that without breaking it I have no idea. There were also these fascinatingly ornate gingerbread cookies made with dark honey dough. 
Along with the paintings, classical music, marionette makers and puppeteers, dance, and other artists in general this is a thriving artistic town. I bought a ticket to see one of the avant-garde black theatre shows at the Laterna Magika called Kouzelny Cirkus or The Wonderful Circus. This was after strolling down and discovering the Vltava River after passing through the Jewish quarter of Josefov. 
So many things to see. I saw the Prague Castle in the distance and had to venture. I ran into the House of the Senate and all it's beautiful gardens before realizing I was running out of day and should maybe save the Prague Castle for the next day. I have until 5:00PM to catch the train. I wandered around that area and Bohemia finding all the cute and crafty stores carrying such specific items to Prague before I found the infamous Charles Bridge. I guess the bridge was made famous not only because of its architectural beauty against the backdrop of the Prague Castle, but because where St. Jan Nepomucky was tossed over the bridge for guarding the secrets of the Queen from the suspicious King Wenceslas IV. I didn't know the history, but found all the statues and stonework against the river and the city views a stunning sight. I came back over the bridge and walked down the river to find another famous sight called the Dancing House. The same architect who designed the Guggenheim in Bilbao designed this house.
I was there!! Not for the designing process, but to see the Guggenheim. Frank Gehry is the architect and this was definitely in his style of curvy and strange shaped buildings. Clearly I didn't schedule enough time for a true Prague experience. The sun was setting and I bought a ticket for the show. I had to get back to change and I wanted to get out before the sun set over the Charles Bridge. I saw some breathtaking photos from artists of different vantage points as the sun set or night shots and I wanted to capture that as well as best as I could.
I shuffled back to the hostel and didn't have time to stop and eat. I changed and went right back out again just making it in time for the show, but missing the sunset. Damn! The city is too big!! Lol. The show was fascinating. It was like watching an old 70s Pink Floyd video or something. It combined film and dance. The show itself is 30 years old and started in Prague in 1977. I guess that's how old the film is as well. The characters in the film looked almost identical if not close to the actors on stage. I wonder if they re-did the film for the cast or if the film is still in the 70s. It sure looked like it, but what remarkable casting. It was very avant-garde following these two clowns that were born in eggs that seemed to be birthed by a rose. The characters switched between stage and film. These curtains created the screen that raised and lowered and as the dancers passed through the slits, sometimes they appeared shortly after on the film. There were some hilarious moments like when the clowns were riding a ladder on a few stretches of road. The film was 3 screens large so it gave the real sense of motion during this sequence. There were some dark moments too with Punch and Judy marionettes and the skeleton marionette as well as the circus tent catching on fire. The dancing was phenomenal, but the show was so powerful and active I lost some of the dancing while watching the funny things on the film or I was watching the dancing while missing what was happening on the film. It was so much to take in. I was so alert through the whole thing and never bored. If I were on acid though, it would've been one great trip. That's how avant-garde it was. I mean there were moments where it was just an eye on one of the big screens or one eye for each screen just watching the dancers, or the two clowns would be huge on either side of the stage making faces or watching with an eye or blowing a whistle. It was freaky. There were some black light moments that were definitely a treat to watch. I was so glad I did this, but I was shot afterward. A full day of walking around AND seeing this amazingly captivating show. I wanted to go to one of the social scenes. It IS a Saturday night, but the bars are generally not my scenes when I'm alone.
I like to go in groups to socialize, but not by myself. I don't like drinking alone unless I'm waiting to meet someone. I declined and decided to head back for bed. I have to be out of the hostel at 9:00AM and then do the train again that night. I'm looking at exhausting days ahead. My party time will come when I meet friends in London and Amsterdam. For now I say good night Prague.
I woke up early on this second day because I had to check out of the hostel by 9:00AM. No bother. It gets me going. I had my communal shower all to myself. Yay! I was also able to store my bags with the clerk again. How nice. I ventured out in search of breakfast. Nothing seemed open on this Sunday morning so I stopped at a local grocery store and loaded up on snack croissants and water.
I ventured casually into the old city again and stopped at a coffee shop for my morning brew. It was then I decided to wait around until the astronomical clock struck the hour to see the puppets play. It was interesting. Cute. Next stop Prague Castle. I ventured across the Charles Bridge and realized you could go up in the first tower so I did for some spectacular views of the city. 
I stayed up there for a while since I like being up high over things. My knees don't like it, but my brain and other senses do. It was a 135-stair climb with my knapsack on my back. Whew. I crossed over the bridge and into the town on the other side. It was a steep climb through the village to get to the stairs to initiate my ascent to the castle. 
There were 208 stairs to climb (yes I counted later). Whoa. I was getting a workout today. I went up and my mind was boggled with all the options I could take to see the grounds. 
Spectacular views of the city, wonderful architecture with the main church, manicured grounds, and all kinds of nooks and crannies. I was like a kid in a playground. I spent a good hour roaming the grounds before deciding to head back down the stairs. I decided I wanted what my "Lets Go" guide called a traditional Czech meal for lunch. I saw a restaurant called U Melenáse and decided for 222Kc it would be fine. It came with roast pork in gravy, red cabbage, and a special dumpling. To start was asparagus soup and to finish was apple strudel. I had an espresso with milk because the guide said that the coffee here might not be palatable for western tongues and judging by the coffee I had on the train and in other spots as I was coming in, I agree. The lunch was fabulous and relaxed.
I loved it. It was somewhat close to what my family used to make some Sundays at home, which made me wonder about my roots possibly being from Czechoslovakia as well. After all, family lines lie in the recipes they pass down to each other or am I crazy? I left the restaurant very satiated and headed for the center of town again. I was worn out with sights and sounds and wanted to do a little window-shopping of the art pieces from here. I found out about Pinocchio. 
It turns out that the story does take place in Tuscany in a real town there. Because of the black theatre and wood carving artistry of the Czechs, marionettes are also a part of that culture and Pinocchio is just a perfect icon. A lot of the stores had marionettes from Pinocchio, Faust, and Punch and Judy. They were well crafted and cute. They also carried various wood puzzles and children's toys. The crowds started getting large in the area so I headed back to the residential area to see if I could catch some wireless waves. After some trucking along various side roads I found a place called the Illusion Bar that gave me full signal. HALELUJAH!!! 
I was able to hook up with my OWN computer. Yay!! I stayed there for the afternoon after which I collected my bags and headed to the station. I was able to find my train this time and that's where I sit in my 6-person cabin!! Yes, 6 people are expected to take this overnight journey with me. So far 2 are missing that were supposed to get on in Prague. Maybe I'll just have one again or none if I'm lucky. I'll all the way up top again. Booo! It's like gymnastics to get out of this bed and I can't see out of any windows. I'll see how the nights progresses. Until then I say goodnight and goodbye to Prague. I should've spent more time with all the things to do and see here. I'll know better for next time. ;)
I walked into town and it was like the curtain rose from a dingy theatre and presented this colorful production of lights, sets, and sounds. I stepped into beauty and medieval times. It took me a while to get into town. I think I took a round about way. I finally made my way to the main street of Václavské Námestí. This was where you find your chain stores such as TGI Fridays, H&M, Zara, and a bunch of others as well as casinos and exchange places. Everything just got a little pricier in this area. To give an example: to buy 500mL of water where I'm staying in a residential area not far from the train station just cost me $0.38 while buying that same bottle of water in this area escalates from $1.25 as you get closer to the old town and the tourist area. Funny how economics work that way. I was told you could get a beer, pork, sauerkraut, and the dumplings for less than $5 if you find the right place. That same Czech meal in the old town was like $18.00!!! Almost 4x as expensive. I just had munchies all day because my friend told me not only is it gorgeous, happening, and artistic here, but it's damn cheap and that's part of the charm of coming here. If you want to stay in dorm rooms, you can stay here for $5/night!!! Mine cost a little more for location and a single room. Food was noted to be just as cheap. Anyway, enough economics. I ended up in old town and it was breathtaking. I came into Old Town Square. Beautiful stoned buildings with such artistic carvings and paintings. I couldn't believe my eyes and my trigger finger couldn't stop catching photos. Just from today I think I got about 140 pictures to go through. The square is the home of the astronomical clock where on the hour a skeleton empties his hourglass and a procession of apostles march by. I was too taken aback by everything around me and the things I was seeing to wait for the clock. Every turn was amazing and I don't think I could describe it anymore than it felt like I was walking into a storybook. Incidentally I have to look up Pinocchio now. This icon was prevalent everywhere and a handicraft of the area seems to be marionette making. I thought this story took place somewhere in Italy, not Prague.There was even a black light black theatre marionette show I considered going to. Wood toys and puzzles also a specialty of the Bohemians. I also found out they specialize in the Paganistic ritual of Easter. I jut learned today that most Americans combine the Christian observance of Easter with the Pagan ritual of decorating eggs. This decoration of eggs is a Pagan ritual to represent the fertility of spring. There are beautiful eggs in some of these shops decorated to unfathomable beliefs. Some even cut like snowflakes and how they did that without breaking it I have no idea. There were also these fascinatingly ornate gingerbread cookies made with dark honey dough. 
Along with the paintings, classical music, marionette makers and puppeteers, dance, and other artists in general this is a thriving artistic town. I bought a ticket to see one of the avant-garde black theatre shows at the Laterna Magika called Kouzelny Cirkus or The Wonderful Circus. This was after strolling down and discovering the Vltava River after passing through the Jewish quarter of Josefov. 
So many things to see. I saw the Prague Castle in the distance and had to venture. I ran into the House of the Senate and all it's beautiful gardens before realizing I was running out of day and should maybe save the Prague Castle for the next day. I have until 5:00PM to catch the train. I wandered around that area and Bohemia finding all the cute and crafty stores carrying such specific items to Prague before I found the infamous Charles Bridge. I guess the bridge was made famous not only because of its architectural beauty against the backdrop of the Prague Castle, but because where St. Jan Nepomucky was tossed over the bridge for guarding the secrets of the Queen from the suspicious King Wenceslas IV. I didn't know the history, but found all the statues and stonework against the river and the city views a stunning sight. I came back over the bridge and walked down the river to find another famous sight called the Dancing House. The same architect who designed the Guggenheim in Bilbao designed this house.
I was there!! Not for the designing process, but to see the Guggenheim. Frank Gehry is the architect and this was definitely in his style of curvy and strange shaped buildings. Clearly I didn't schedule enough time for a true Prague experience. The sun was setting and I bought a ticket for the show. I had to get back to change and I wanted to get out before the sun set over the Charles Bridge. I saw some breathtaking photos from artists of different vantage points as the sun set or night shots and I wanted to capture that as well as best as I could.
I shuffled back to the hostel and didn't have time to stop and eat. I changed and went right back out again just making it in time for the show, but missing the sunset. Damn! The city is too big!! Lol. The show was fascinating. It was like watching an old 70s Pink Floyd video or something. It combined film and dance. The show itself is 30 years old and started in Prague in 1977. I guess that's how old the film is as well. The characters in the film looked almost identical if not close to the actors on stage. I wonder if they re-did the film for the cast or if the film is still in the 70s. It sure looked like it, but what remarkable casting. It was very avant-garde following these two clowns that were born in eggs that seemed to be birthed by a rose. The characters switched between stage and film. These curtains created the screen that raised and lowered and as the dancers passed through the slits, sometimes they appeared shortly after on the film. There were some hilarious moments like when the clowns were riding a ladder on a few stretches of road. The film was 3 screens large so it gave the real sense of motion during this sequence. There were some dark moments too with Punch and Judy marionettes and the skeleton marionette as well as the circus tent catching on fire. The dancing was phenomenal, but the show was so powerful and active I lost some of the dancing while watching the funny things on the film or I was watching the dancing while missing what was happening on the film. It was so much to take in. I was so alert through the whole thing and never bored. If I were on acid though, it would've been one great trip. That's how avant-garde it was. I mean there were moments where it was just an eye on one of the big screens or one eye for each screen just watching the dancers, or the two clowns would be huge on either side of the stage making faces or watching with an eye or blowing a whistle. It was freaky. There were some black light moments that were definitely a treat to watch. I was so glad I did this, but I was shot afterward. A full day of walking around AND seeing this amazingly captivating show. I wanted to go to one of the social scenes. It IS a Saturday night, but the bars are generally not my scenes when I'm alone.
I like to go in groups to socialize, but not by myself. I don't like drinking alone unless I'm waiting to meet someone. I declined and decided to head back for bed. I have to be out of the hostel at 9:00AM and then do the train again that night. I'm looking at exhausting days ahead. My party time will come when I meet friends in London and Amsterdam. For now I say good night Prague.I woke up early on this second day because I had to check out of the hostel by 9:00AM. No bother. It gets me going. I had my communal shower all to myself. Yay! I was also able to store my bags with the clerk again. How nice. I ventured out in search of breakfast. Nothing seemed open on this Sunday morning so I stopped at a local grocery store and loaded up on snack croissants and water.
I ventured casually into the old city again and stopped at a coffee shop for my morning brew. It was then I decided to wait around until the astronomical clock struck the hour to see the puppets play. It was interesting. Cute. Next stop Prague Castle. I ventured across the Charles Bridge and realized you could go up in the first tower so I did for some spectacular views of the city. 
I stayed up there for a while since I like being up high over things. My knees don't like it, but my brain and other senses do. It was a 135-stair climb with my knapsack on my back. Whew. I crossed over the bridge and into the town on the other side. It was a steep climb through the village to get to the stairs to initiate my ascent to the castle. 
There were 208 stairs to climb (yes I counted later). Whoa. I was getting a workout today. I went up and my mind was boggled with all the options I could take to see the grounds. 
Spectacular views of the city, wonderful architecture with the main church, manicured grounds, and all kinds of nooks and crannies. I was like a kid in a playground. I spent a good hour roaming the grounds before deciding to head back down the stairs. I decided I wanted what my "Lets Go" guide called a traditional Czech meal for lunch. I saw a restaurant called U Melenáse and decided for 222Kc it would be fine. It came with roast pork in gravy, red cabbage, and a special dumpling. To start was asparagus soup and to finish was apple strudel. I had an espresso with milk because the guide said that the coffee here might not be palatable for western tongues and judging by the coffee I had on the train and in other spots as I was coming in, I agree. The lunch was fabulous and relaxed.
I loved it. It was somewhat close to what my family used to make some Sundays at home, which made me wonder about my roots possibly being from Czechoslovakia as well. After all, family lines lie in the recipes they pass down to each other or am I crazy? I left the restaurant very satiated and headed for the center of town again. I was worn out with sights and sounds and wanted to do a little window-shopping of the art pieces from here. I found out about Pinocchio. 
It turns out that the story does take place in Tuscany in a real town there. Because of the black theatre and wood carving artistry of the Czechs, marionettes are also a part of that culture and Pinocchio is just a perfect icon. A lot of the stores had marionettes from Pinocchio, Faust, and Punch and Judy. They were well crafted and cute. They also carried various wood puzzles and children's toys. The crowds started getting large in the area so I headed back to the residential area to see if I could catch some wireless waves. After some trucking along various side roads I found a place called the Illusion Bar that gave me full signal. HALELUJAH!!! 
I was able to hook up with my OWN computer. Yay!! I stayed there for the afternoon after which I collected my bags and headed to the station. I was able to find my train this time and that's where I sit in my 6-person cabin!! Yes, 6 people are expected to take this overnight journey with me. So far 2 are missing that were supposed to get on in Prague. Maybe I'll just have one again or none if I'm lucky. I'll all the way up top again. Booo! It's like gymnastics to get out of this bed and I can't see out of any windows. I'll see how the nights progresses. Until then I say goodnight and goodbye to Prague. I should've spent more time with all the things to do and see here. I'll know better for next time. ;)
posted by Chris | 9:23 AM
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