That being the case, it was after 11 AM by the time we set feet to cobblestone, and took a meandering stroll up to Old Town Square.
There really isn't a way to walk around the old parts of this city without meandering, really.
We walked around the square for a bit, but it was very crowded.
It was almost the top of the hour, so we rounded the corner to see the Astronomical Clock in action, but it's currently closed for renovation or cleaning or something.
From there, we headed west to the Charles Bridge, towards Malá Strana, vaguely in search of some sustenance.
The bridge was also very crowded, but the views from the middle are worth the trouble.
Once across the bridge, we took the stairs down to the street and aimed slightly uphill to find some lunch, crossing over the Čertovka (Devil's Canal) along the way.
Lunch was soup and pizza at some Italian cafe named "Balcone's" (they don't appear to have a website).
After lunch we headed a few blocks back towards the river to see the Lennon Wall.
There was a guy playing guitar and singing a Beatle's song, which seemed appropriate.
Next, we strolled back up the hill and a few blocks along Újezd towards the Petřín funicular.
We rode the crowded funicular to the top of Petřín Hill, and found our way to the Petřín Lookout Tower (Petřínská rozhledna).
My three fellow adventurers climbed to the top to take in the view, while I wandered around the park. If someone reminds me, I'll figure out how to put some of their photos in here.
It was around 3:30 PM when we left the tower and walked down through the park/gardens, aimed roughly at Prague Castle.
There are plenty of scenic overlooks along the trails.
The clouds were beginning to disperse, so we had to take new photos on the way down. I think you get the idea by now, but just in case...
Once back on an actual road, we made a point to walk past the KGB Museum...
... but it was "closed due to technical reasons", according to the sign in the door. If you can't read it through the security screen, the red sign in the window promises "Just Facts". It all seemed like a parody, but I suppose they're perpetually on the defensive due to the history of Russo-Czech relations.
As it was 4 o'clock, and we planned to go to Tesco (grocery store) before dinner (6 PM), we sauntered back down to the river, through the narrow streets of Malá Strana.
Once we reached the river, Brenna went ahead to do some scouting around a corner.
We crossed on the Legion Bridge (Most Legií - google translation of the Czech page).
There were some great panoramic views of the riverfront and the Charles Bridge along the way.
The clouds were rolling back in, just before sunset. Or maybe they never really left?
Upon completing our river crossing, we were back in New Town ("new" being relative), only a few blocks from Tesco.
Tesco was crowded, hectic, and an exercise in the use of Google Translate, but we managed to obtain some essentials.
We also bought a bunch of food, including some snacks, breads, cheeses, fruit, etc., for light breakfasts this week.
It must have been after 5 o'clock when we left Tesco, but we had time to stop at the apartment to drop off the provisions and ditch our bags before dinner.
Just before 6 PM, we ventured back out to meet the Moravian College (henceforth MoCo) contingent, who had arrived in Prague late this morning, at U Medvídků.
The beer and goulash were both excellent. I can't speak for anyone else, but I didn't hear any complaints.
After dinner, we returned to the apartment to unwind and do some planning.
Tomorrow, Brenna and Shannon are going to join the MoCo group to explore Prague Castle and its surrounding area.
Sabrina and I will come up with a plan in the morning. So far, all we've got is "let's see something new", which shouldn't be too difficult.
P.S. The original working title for today was "hills and stairs".
The bridge was also very crowded, but the views from the middle are worth the trouble.
Once across the bridge, we took the stairs down to the street and aimed slightly uphill to find some lunch, crossing over the Čertovka (Devil's Canal) along the way.
Lunch was soup and pizza at some Italian cafe named "Balcone's" (they don't appear to have a website).
After lunch we headed a few blocks back towards the river to see the Lennon Wall.
There was a guy playing guitar and singing a Beatle's song, which seemed appropriate.
Next, we strolled back up the hill and a few blocks along Újezd towards the Petřín funicular.
We rode the crowded funicular to the top of Petřín Hill, and found our way to the Petřín Lookout Tower (Petřínská rozhledna).
My three fellow adventurers climbed to the top to take in the view, while I wandered around the park. If someone reminds me, I'll figure out how to put some of their photos in here.
It was around 3:30 PM when we left the tower and walked down through the park/gardens, aimed roughly at Prague Castle.
There are plenty of scenic overlooks along the trails.
The clouds were beginning to disperse, so we had to take new photos on the way down. I think you get the idea by now, but just in case...
Once back on an actual road, we made a point to walk past the KGB Museum...
... but it was "closed due to technical reasons", according to the sign in the door. If you can't read it through the security screen, the red sign in the window promises "Just Facts". It all seemed like a parody, but I suppose they're perpetually on the defensive due to the history of Russo-Czech relations.
As it was 4 o'clock, and we planned to go to Tesco (grocery store) before dinner (6 PM), we sauntered back down to the river, through the narrow streets of Malá Strana.
Once we reached the river, Brenna went ahead to do some scouting around a corner.
We crossed on the Legion Bridge (Most Legií - google translation of the Czech page).
There were some great panoramic views of the riverfront and the Charles Bridge along the way.
The clouds were rolling back in, just before sunset. Or maybe they never really left?
Upon completing our river crossing, we were back in New Town ("new" being relative), only a few blocks from Tesco.
Tesco was crowded, hectic, and an exercise in the use of Google Translate, but we managed to obtain some essentials.
We also bought a bunch of food, including some snacks, breads, cheeses, fruit, etc., for light breakfasts this week.
It must have been after 5 o'clock when we left Tesco, but we had time to stop at the apartment to drop off the provisions and ditch our bags before dinner.
Just before 6 PM, we ventured back out to meet the Moravian College (henceforth MoCo) contingent, who had arrived in Prague late this morning, at U Medvídků.
The beer and goulash were both excellent. I can't speak for anyone else, but I didn't hear any complaints.
After dinner, we returned to the apartment to unwind and do some planning.
Tomorrow, Brenna and Shannon are going to join the MoCo group to explore Prague Castle and its surrounding area.
Sabrina and I will come up with a plan in the morning. So far, all we've got is "let's see something new", which shouldn't be too difficult.
P.S. The original working title for today was "hills and stairs".
No comments:
Post a Comment