Prague Continued

Day 2

We started our full day in Prague with a free tour that was recommended by several people. We stayed on it for about an hour of the 3. It was really interesting and did help us get a better understanding of the layout of the city. It started at Old Town Square which was a sight on my list. We saw the astronomical clock, learned about a couple of the churches there, the history of the WWII accidental bomb, and a special event happening in the center that included a beautiful flower carpet. We followed the tour to Wenceslas Square, but after an hour of history we were ready to bounce and explore on our own.

I wanted to see the Jewish Quarter, so we headed in that direction. I managed to get us lost for about an hour, something I’m getting very good at! I’m not sure why D lets me be in charge of how we get places. I think I’m about to lose that privilege. But, to my defense, Prague is an extremely difficult city to navigate. The streets wind around in no order whatsoever and change names whenever they please. Thanks to 2 maps and street signs we found our way stopping in a pharmacy to restock on cold medicine and cough drops.

 The Jewish Quarter was interesting. It used to be walled in when Christians and Jews weren’t allowed to live together, but since then the walls have come down. We didn’t go into any of the synagogues, but did get to see the cemetery. At the time when Jews were walled in, they only had this one cemetery to be buried in. After a while they ran out of room, so they had to start burying one on top of the other. They tombstones are now crooked and overlapping because of the uneven ground. When we were heading back to Old Town square we came across a street that was blocked off for a fashion show. There was a huge runway with lights and loud music. I’m not sure who the designer was, but it was so cool to come across!

For dinner we stopped at a sidewalk café near our hotel for beef goulash. Yum! Then we went to the Charles Bridge to see the sunset. It was extremely crowded, but we found a spot against the wall of the bridge for a good view. Down below us on a boat there was an Open Arm Wrestling contest going on. Random! The bridge view was beautiful around sunset, but since it was crowded and a little cloudy we decided to wander around instead of staying in that spot.

We meandered down to the original plaza we stopped at on the first day, and found yet another happy accident! We heard live music and found that it was a pottery market with a long line of vendors set up. There were food vendors making a delicious smelling feast. Even though we had already eaten we had to try the grilled sausage and some beers. Totally worth the expanding stomach! Yes, I’ve gained a bit of weight over here. Oh well!

After dark we headed to Prague Castle, and took a walk around the grounds.  I haven't seen it in the day time, but I don't know how it could have been any more beautiful.  Pretty romantic.

Day 3

We woke up at 3:45am to catch our 5:04am train to Interlaken. We found the metro pretty easily and connected at Muzeum to get to the station. I have no idea how we ended up running late getting to the station but we made it to the platform just in time to see the train pulling out of the station. Can you believe it?! We missed another one! We had to wait in the train station for 4 hours, then were able to get on the next train.

We were waiting for our train's platform to be announced on the screen and noticed there was a large group forming around the screen. D realized that they must all be waiting on the same train announcement as us since it was so close to time to leave and it hadn’t been announced yet. So we decided to load up and get at the front of the group so we could run to the train first. Since reservations aren’t required, we skipped the extra expense it would have created to make the reservation. However, reservations could be made and that would mean that only a few un reserved seats would be left. We wanted to get good ones together. Our plan worked! As soon as the platform number popped up we scurried off ahead of the crowd. The trip ahead was 13 hours so we knew we had plenty of time to sleep.

We fell asleep immediately in a cabin with 3 seats each to lay out in. We were awakened by the lady asking for our ticket (we just show our rail pass). I sat up fast and poured my entire cup of tea on the ground! There was nothing I could do but leave it there. We fell asleep again and were awakened by 2 loud male German voices, “German police. Your passports.” It kind of freaked me out a little. D says I’m reading too much Anne Frank. After falling asleep again, we were awakened by another female voice speaking in German. I assumed she was wanting to see the ticket, but when I got it out she yelled at me to keep my feet off the seat! Yipes! Rude awakenings and the worst WC yet! Not the best train ride. We finally got off that train in Munich for our next connection to Zurich. While waiting we sat at the Coke Lounge and D brought me some lunch from Subway…nice comfort food from home. The train to Zurich was full of beautiful scenery! Next…Interlaken…