Prague, Czech Republic

We stayed in Prague as guests of the Maršáks, friends of the Dvoraks' who now live in their (the Dvorak's) former apartment. Through the miracle of Soviet engineering, their apartment was a mirror image of the Vyšña's apartment in Poprad. We got a Prague orientation talk from Zdena Maršák, most of which boiled down to "look out for Gypsies," then dinner was served and we headed for bed.

Zdena escorted us the next morning to Hradcany and gave us more warnings about those nefarious Gypsies. Hradcany is the neighborhood around the Prague Castle, and it's crowded with both sights and tourists. The throng was thick, especially within the walls of the castle, and sometimes we were held immobile by the crush of the tour groups. At one point, I began holding our umbrella high overhead just to see if any bedazzled tourists would start following us. I wasn't sure what I'd do with them if they did, but maybe I could collect some tips.

We visited the Loreta church, chock full of precious ornamental art, including one piece with 6500 (so they say - we didn't count) diamonds. The Royal Gardens were, unfortunately for us, not yet in bloom, so we proceeded on to the Zlatá Ulicka (Golden Lane), a row of houses built into the wall of the castle. The houses are now occupied by vendors preying on tourists, but within the wall there is a passageway lined with displays of armor and weaponry of the middle ages, as well as a crossbow shooting range (5 bolts for 50 Kc). Lastly, we saw St. Vitus' Cathedral, a massive gothic church that took over 600 years to build.

For lunch, we stopped at the beer hall U Cerného Vola, apparently one of the few remaining places in Prague not trying to cater to western tourists. We sat at a long table with other patrons, and Hannah placed our orders after translating the menu for me. [We found out later from friends who visited on our recommendation that English menus are available.] Sausages and beer, in authentic surroundings, for a mere pittance. Yum.

After lunch, more walking around town took us across the Karluv Most (Charles Bridge). The bridge is lined with artists and performers, and we did a little souvenir shopping. Our last sight to see that day was the Václavský námestí, or Wenceslaus Square, famous for its role in the "Velvet Revolution." Aside from its historical significance, it is not as interesting as other parts of Prague, so we hopped a subway "home."

Once back at the Maršáks', we had a delicious home-cooked meal and watched some of the local television, including an American cop show broadcast in the original English, but narrated (not subtitled) in Polish. As far as we could tell, the narrator, in a golf-commentator whisper, was describing the dialogue for the non-English speaking audience. It was very entertaining.