Susie and I were unusually leisurely this morning. We had no definite plan and it was about time we started thinking of getting ready to leave tomorrow. So, the Tarte did one last load of laundry while I worked on blog notes and photos.
We walked out of the apartment heading for the river in search of Frank Gehry's Dancing House. A block or so along out street we passed this wonderful sculpture in the side of an otherwise nondescript building. The date refers to the Velvet Revolution, the nonviolent transition of power from a one-party system dominated by the Communists to a parliamentary democracy. (Need more information?)
the date of the Velvet Revolution
There was serious construction along the street so the tram stops had been moved around and the signage unclear. As a result we ended walking the short distance down along the river to the Dancing House.
paddle boats in an inlet off the river
looking north up the river toward the Prague Castle (in the far distance)
facing the river
Thanks to Grand Haven friends Patti and Paul for the tip about this particular Gehry design.
Frank Gehry's Dancing House
you never know what you're going to see on the street
From there we headed back toward the center of town in search of Franz Kafka’s mechanical head. This was just one of the things we discovered by chance somewhere in our readings.
Franz Kafka's mechanical head
Designed and installed by David Černy, this incredible work of art consists of 42 rotating panels and each panel is timed to move independently of the others. Every hour on the hour it forms and reforms the head for some 15 minutes creating striking visual effects. If you don’t believe me, just check out my short video (about 5 minutes long):
Since Kafka’s head was quite close by our apartment we decided to stop at home for lunch and a short nap for me.
Back out on the street we walked in the direction of the old town square keeping our eye out for a trdlo shop; they specialize in a scrumptious sweet bread wrapped around a spit and grilled then filled with ice cream. As sheriff Andy would say, Ummmmm good!
special rolled grilled cakes with ice cream inside
After our post-lunch dessert we made our way back to the river and the tram no. 17 heading south. We got off at Vyton and wended our way up to Vysehrad (“high castle”). This castle, reportedly one of the oldest in the city, is pretty much all gone except for some rather imposing walls; much of the interior is a park. There is a lovely basilica, plenty of great views of the city and my objective Vysehrad Cemetery. Here among the wonderful sculpture you can find (and I did) the graves of composer Antonin Dvorak and art nouveau painter and illustrator Alphonse Mucha.
walking up to the grounds of one of the oldest castles in the city
Dvorak's tomb in Vysehrad cemetery
view up the river from the castle walls
Leaving the cemetery we strolled along the walls to take in the views and at one point were joined by a large group of bicyclists from the Netherlands (presumably since their bikes all said PraagBikeTours.nl).
Moving a bit further along the walls we found an open bench to sit relax and take in the views for at least a few moments.
part of a Dutch biking tour
original castle grounds, now a park
the old castle basilica
walking back down - and the hope that love does conquer all
Having rested enough we headed back down to the tram stop and home.
Our last supper in Prague was especially good. I had come across a wine bar in the Rough Guide called Monarch and since it was less than a five-minute walk from our apartment, off we went a little before 7pm (1900). They are known for two things apparently: wine and steaks. In fact they have a steak tasting for two and even one for four! (Who knew such a thing as a steak tasting existed?) We each chose the burger which came with their house-made bun and house-made fries. The food was, to say the least, incredible.
For wines we opted for Czech red wines. Since it was clear by looking around the room that wine was taken as seriously as their meat and the wine list was a small novella, I asked the waiter for a suggestion of a red Czech wine to have with the burgers. He said, quite matter-of-factly, that the Czech Republic doesn’t produce very good red wine but we took the plunge anyway and went with a Merlot from Craig Stapleton (not a Czech name but hey you take what you can get). Both the starter and main course wines were nice but the guy was right, far from stellar.
To round the evening we each had a glass of Hungarian Tokaj; and that was equally delicious.
burgers and Czech red wine at Monarch
After supper it was a quick stroll home and finish preparing for the next day.
Tomorrow it's time to leave Prague and move on to an overnight in Hamburg before our next apartment, in Copenhagen.
We have heard from folks who have been in Prague that it's an eminently walkable city and indeed best seen on foot. Taking that thought to heart, after morning coffee we headed out. Our first objective was the old town hall and square. Since our apartment lies right on the line between the old and new towns it was a short leisurely stroll until we found ourselves meandering down narrow streets and past quaint shops (OK most were selling souvenirs of one form or another but some were genuinely quaint).
view of Narodni Street from our balcony
heading into old town
one never knows what you'll see strolling in Prague
probably but not necessarily the best burgers in town
local waffle-like street sweets
From old town we made our way to the Vltava River (old town abuts the river) and the Charles Bridge.
tower leading to the bridge
Charles IV, thus the Charles Bridge
looking back toward whence we came (on the right) - note the banner
walking onto the bridge
note the cruise boat; we'll be there later
the church in the distance and the long row of cream colored buildings are the Prague Castle
We only walked halfway across the bridge before turning around and heading back into old town in search of the old town square.
old town square
monument to Jan Hus, religious reformer
From the old town square we made our way toward the old Jewish Quarter. Walking down several blocks past the stores of the rich and infamous, we found the entrance to the Jewish Cemetery (our next objective).
heading toward the old Jewish Cemetery
the old new synagogue
To get into the cemetery one needed to buy a ticket which included the synagogue as well (which we decided to skip).
milling around outside the exit of the cemetery
Anyway, the cemetery dates back to the 14th century and was closed for burials in the late 18th century. The gravestones appear to be all jammed together and indeed they are; because of the lack of space many of the graves contain up to 12 individuals thus the closeness of the stones.
The tour of the cemetery is self-guided but you're restricted in where you can walk and in fact you exit at a different location from the entrance.
there are also memorial stones embedded in part of the wall surrounding the cemetery
Leaving the cemetery we made our way to the river close to the Jewish Quarter where we found the dock for our river cruise. On the way we passed one of many Italian restaurants (a very popular cuisine in Prague), which happened to have a name near and dear to us: Al Forno!
Al Forno!
We found a bit of shade to wait for the boat. After about 20 minutes we boarded and off we went seeing Prague from the water.
in the distance we could see a large metronome in action flying the Ukrainian flag
the Charles Bridge
part of the river bank still retains its rustic appearance
the smallest of river cruise boats
serious river cruise, part of Croisieurope.com
and a not-so-serious river cruiser
a mirror image of our boat
the Soviet-era trams
Budweiser?
Leaving the boat we made our way past the shops designed for the beautiful people and found ourselves once again back in the old town square.
there was no caption on this sculpture in a tiny slice of green
Making our way form the old town square back to our apartment we passed this curious bit of sculpture in front of the Estates theatre by Anna Chromy titled Il Commendatore and inscribed: "In memory of W. A. Mozart's Don Giovanni, premiered in this theatre 29.10.1787."
Estates Theatre
Back home it was time to relax, kick back and have a glass of wine. Supper would be simple and easy to make: pasta with sauce and a salad.
Tomorrow its public transport and off to the Prague Castle!
