2022 World Tour – Prague, Czech Republic
Hello from Prague, my 33rd stop on the trip and my 62nd country.
Below is the standard summary:
– Cool Ranch Doritos: No
– Thai ATM Card Works: Didn’t try
– Thai Debit Card Works: Yes
– Thai Internet Purchase Works: Yes
– USA Credit Card Works: Didn’t try
– Worldwide Telephone/Data/SMS eSIM Works: Yes
– Spanish SIM Card Works: Didn’t try
– Magic Jack Works: Didn’t try
– VPN Works: Didn’t try
– COVID Compliance Chronicles: No Requirements
– Internet Works: Yes
– Drone Flights: Didn’t check
– Cost of Living: $$$
– Currency: Koruna KÄ 24.58 = USD $1.00
– Language Issues: None
Your Short History Lesson:
Welcome to the Czech Republic, also known as Czechia. Back in 1002 The Dutchy of Bohemia was recognized by the Holy Roman Empire. By the 14th century it was drawn into the Hapsburg monarchy. A Protestant revolt led to the Thirty Years War, followed by absorption into the Austrian Empire by 1806. After World War I, the region became the independent First Czechoslovak Republic until a takeover by the Nazis in 1938. After World War II, Czechoslovakia became a Soviet bloc state. The Velvet Revolution in 1989 ended Communist rule and in 1993 the region was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The city of Prague itself has been a political, cultural, and economic hub of central Europe and home of the Charles University, the oldest in central Europe, dating from 1349. Prague was listed as the 13th most livable city in the world and pre-COVID was the 5th most visited tourist destination. It’s starting to recover from COVID and I found it easy to see everything and not be overwhelmed by hordes of tourists.
I rolled from my hotel to the bus stop in Bratislava, not the one I arrived at however. This one is in the basement of a nearby shopping mall and it’s amazing, maybe the best bus station I’ve ever been in, with the shops upstairs obviously, plus a comfy waiting area and huge monitors showing the bus schedules. Needed to pay to use the toilet, but at least I could tap my debit card and not hunt for coins.
It’s another fabulous Flixbus which are generally great, but we were about 15 minutes late leaving. I took Flixbus’ offer to reserve the seat next to me for half price, but then had to show my ticket to several people who wanted to sit there. We all have reserved seats, why are you trying to sit somewhere other than what your own ticket shows? Ugh. The 4.5 hour ride was fast and smooth. Breezed through the border between Slovakia and Czechia. Got the message on my phone that the SIM card knew I went across, and there was a sign welcoming us as we went over a river.
I rolled from the bus station to my hotel which is located right on a major road with a tram stop directly in front, and its conveniently located just a few blocks from the old town. The only downside is no air conditioning, again… After trying to rest in the August heat I went down and asked if they had any fans to borrow. The guy working the desk said “Oh you don’t have a fan, let me get one.” Really? So the rooms are supposed to have fans, did someone take mine as they checked out this morning, or are we just expected to ask? Ugh.
I changed and walked into the old town, to the stone Powder Gate built in 1475 and named after its use as a gunpowder storehouse. Next to it is the Municipal theater where concerts and plays are held. I walked and walked to the side of the Vltava river and found the classic bridges you see in all of the pictures including the Charles Bridge which started construction in 1357 and took nearly 70 years to complete. An intense rain shower came through for about 10 minutes, I huddled under a tree and then a doorframe near the Dancing House, originally named ‘Fred and Ginger’ for the way that the two towers intertwine to look like a dancing couple. I continued around the riverbank then through town towards the hotel. Got groceries across the street and then went to a green grocer with spectacular fruit & veg, a peach and a box of strawberries. Whew, that’s at 16K step day.
The next morning I was woken by a jackhammer starting up at 8am. Not a good way to start the day! Looking at the big red bus tours, I can get one right at the nearby Hilton and both of its routes stop there and the ticket includes a boat ride on the river. Due to the restricted road sizes, one route is a big bus and one route through the old town is a shuttle van. While waiting for the bus, I talked with a retired American couple from Amarillo Texas who are on a river cruise. He saw my Tesla shirt and came up with every standard anti-EV talking point which I shot down one by one. I looped the city on the red and green line, making plans for all of the spectacular locations I wanted to visit later, then got off at the boat cruise stop. I got talking with another American couple from Alaska who were very positive about EVs and SpaceX, so I guess there’s some balance in the universe. In the evening I walked to the famous Wenceslaus Square, wandered around, had dinner and an equally famous local Pilsner Urquell beer at an outdoor café.
I managed to sleep until 10:30am even with the jackhammer at work again. Startled by a loud-as-fuck air-raid sired that went off from 12:00 to 12:02. Wow. I did a quick search and found this: “Under normal circumstances, tests take place on the first Wednesday of every month at 12 noon. This procedure is followed throughout the country except in the Olomouc region.” I walked across the river and up the massive steep hill to the Technology Museum, with exhibits on cars, planes, motorcycles, photography, printing, and of all things home appliances. Took the tram back down to the hotel, easy peasy.
I just finished watching ‘The Gray Man’. It’s a good bad-guys-in-the-CIA flick, with a lot of gun porn. I read that some big scenes were filmed here in Prague and I recognized several of the locations from my walks. I also read that the “castle in Croatia” doesn’t exist there, it’s actually north of Paris. In the evening I went back out, jumped on the tram and walked down the ritzy high-end shopping street in the Jewish Quarter to the town square, through the Powder Tower, had dinner and caught a tram back home.
The next day I took the tram across the river and all the way to the top of the hill to a statue commemorating Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler, two giants of astronomy who did a lot of their work here back in the day. Back down into town to check out the famous Astronomical Clock built in 1410 and still in operation. It tracks the Sun, Moon and Zodiac and has animated figures that move every hour along with a skeleton representing Death striking the time, then all of the figures shake their heads “No.” Weird. Nearby I walked across the brass meridian marker set in the stone of the square which determined the local time of high noon from 1652 to 1918. I had always thought that time was just always there, synchronized and agreed to across the world, but that is a actually a recent achievement. In the US, time standardization was actually driven by the expansion of railways and the need for all trains and stations to be in sync. Tycho Brahe’s tomb is located in a church on the square so I went to look for it. I did a loop through but couldn’t find it. I asked a grumpy old man at the door and he vaguely waved his hand and said “first floor”. Great. I finally found it *behind a potted plant*. Brahe’s name is carved in the stone and a relief on the wall next to it. Couldn’t take a picture though due to the rules. I plotted my lunch at a theme restaurant called “James Dean” and went past an Irish bar on the square with about 50 Irish guys all wearing the same green shirt, drinking and shouting. 10 large policemen were conspicuously standing about 5 meters away. I walked another 10 meters and came upon a full SWAT team, also looking at the Irish bar, wow these guys are prepared! They say it’s only a stereotype that the Irish like to drink and fight. Hmmm.
Is it worth the visit: Absolutely! It’s a jewel of central Europe with the old buildings, the river and bridges, museums, the history and food and drink. A great public transport system gets you anywhere you want to go. You can go through the attached pictures to get an idea, but trust me if you’re nearby it’s unmissable. Just don’t come in August without an air conditioned hotel, and be sure to ask for a fan.
Next Stop: Poland
