Praha: Day 3

We've been amazed at the empty streets of Prague over the first couple of days of our trip. We expected it to be low season, but low is an understatement of epic proportions. We actually started seeing the same people all over town. How is that possible? I guess there are only 50 tourists in the city and we all seem to be going to the same places. Well that changed today! The streets are packed. The bridges are packed. The shops are busy. I am so glad we didn't decide to come in the summer. I can't even imagine how miserable that would be. We also got a few snow flurries today! Not enough to stick, but enough to make it a little romantic.

We took in many of the more touristy parts of Prague today. We took a daytime trip across the Charles Bridge, along with all 500 new tourists. Then we headed down to the Old Town Square. Prague is unique in that both sides (Axis/Allies)decided not to bomb Prague during WWII. All of the architecture is actually original. Jan Haus, a national hero and Hussite church leader (he wanted everyone to be able to take wine at communion) presides over the square.

The Tyn (pronounced teen) church was where he preached, until the Catholics took it over after they chopped his head off. It looks like a monster church about to eat the square.

The other main feature of the square is the astromonomical clock.

Every hour throngs of visitors (and pickpockets) gather to watch the show. The clock was built in the 1700's and tells time in about 17 different ways: Bohemian time, roman time, the zodaic, and regular time. It must've been REALLY fancy in it's day. The show was about ten seconds long. While I'm happy I saw it, I'm ok not to do it again =) We realized quickly that you can climb the clock tower so guess what we did?! When we got inside we realized you can actually take an elevator (a first for climbing experiences), but we climbed anayway! The views were actually MUCH better than from the castle.

Attached to the clock tower is the old town hall. There is not much of it left as the Germans bulldozed it with their tanks as they left the city near the end of the war. Interesting to note that this was one thing that actually ignited cheers from the local Czech people towards the Nazis. Apparently, the building was ugly and was despised by many. You can see the jagged edges of the remains of the building on the backside of the clock tower.

After a quick Starbucks break, we wandered down to the "new town" and on the way stopped at Halveca Market. Let's just say we got a little sidetracked here. I got some new art for the house and some gifts. Everything is more fun when it's at a street market. One day we are hoping to find some original art at a street market that actually increases in value...still buying, waiting and hoping...

We headed to St. Wenceslas sqaure. We've been wondering where the "Real Prague" was with real stores, etc. and we found it.

There is a controversial artisist here in Prague named David Cherny. He likes to make really stragne controversial art. For example, this is King Wenceslas, nation hero, riding an upside down horse, hanging from the ceiling in a shopping mall. Evidently the prank is to steal the toungue.

And here a gigantic scary faced babies crawling around one of the national building. When CR had the EU presidency, he built a giantic work of art that was offensive to every country in the EU and hung it across the street from the EU building. VERY WEIRD!

Of course after all the walking I got thirsty and needed a beer. Kristen and I found a place called U Medvidku that had traditional Czech beers as well as several they brewed themselves.

If you are a fan of Anthony Bourdain, he went to this place and had a drink and beer cheese. Well, in Anthony's honor, I did the same. Kristen stayed away from the cheese and opted for onion soup. The Czech Budweiser (Budvar) is a dark lager, full of flavor, that complimented the cheese rather nicely. Kristen laughed and snapped a shot of the beer next to her coke. Can you figure out which is which? I know, me neither.

With fried bread, beer and beer cheese in my belly, we walked through the crowds and back across the river for some quiet time at the hotel before our next adventure, the opera. Kristen has talked about going since we arrived, so after a short nap we got ready and crossed the river to the Narodniho Divadla (National Theater) for "L'elsisir d'amore" (The Elixir of Love).

The story follows a sad sack of a man as he mopes about the beautiful woman in his town not loving him. Later, a "doctor" arrives in the town and begins selling elixirs to cure all ailments and talks this broken man into buying a love potion. Of course, it does not work and the woman decides to marry a Sergeant in the armed forces. So, in order to get more money for additional elxir, the sad man sells himself into the service. He buys more elixir, drinks it, and all of a sudden all ladies start loving him. Not because of the elixir, but because his uncle died and left him an inheritance that makes him the wealthiest man around. In the end, the love of his life decides to dump the Sarge and buy his contract out of the armed forces and they live happily ever after. Which leads me to the point of the opera, women love money, even if that money comes from a sad, overweight man that had been disregarded his whole life. Its all about the Benjamins...OUCH! Stop hitting me Kristen! By the way, the inside of the theatre was beautiful!

But seriously, the opera was enjoyable, more enjoyable than I believed it would be and it was cheap. Again, low season. Tickets in the first gallery, less than $20/each. World class entertainment at rock bottom prices. Not much better than that.

A late dinner at an Italian joint near our hotel (thanks for taking credit cards) after and we have decided to call it a night. We both need some sleep after the first three days of this vacation.

Sadly, tomorrow will be our last day in Prague. We have plans to meet with a personal guide to tour the Jewish Ghetto in the city. Much history to be discovered and understood. After the morning, who knows...beer...pork...its all a possibility! Until then...