round-the-world in 2005
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Sept 13 -Sept 17, 2005
We found that this much hyped country is deserving of it praise.
13 Sep 2005 Prague, Czech Republic
Real life gallery
We woke at Prague train station after the overnight journey. After working out the metro system we got to our accommodation, and the first thing we did was find another doctor for Rob. This time we saw a neurologist, and after some manipulation he proclaimed Rob to be fixed! (we will have to see about that). Prague city is like a real life architectural exhibition. There are some beautiful buildings, with so many colours. It is wonderful just to walk around the streets. There is an amazing mix of styles from across the centuries. It was one of the few European cities which was not destroyed in the wars. The styles include Renaissance, Baroque, Roccoco, Art Nouveau, Cubism and Modern - we are becoming very good at recognising all of these.
14 Sep 2005 Prague, Czech Republic
Prague Palace
Today we went the the Prague castle, including the cathedral and the castle rooms - this took us most of the morning and we didn’t finish seeing everything. In the afternoon we ventured back to the main square to see a few more things. Municipal House, a beautiful art nouveau building, the fairytale cathedral and the modern Dancing House were highlights. This evening we went to a local bar for a few beers, we happened to see Prague in a Champions League soccer game on TV, and then went back to the main square to see the city centre lit up at night.
15 Sep 2005 Prague, Czech Republic
Praha
We finished off the sights at the castle - a museum, the golden lane and some gardens. We then walked down the hill to another area called Mala Strana, across the river from the main part of the city. It had a beautiful garden area, and a few churches.
16 Sep 2005 Cesky Budejovice, Czech Republic
Home of the real bud
We caught a train to the small town of Cesky Budejovice, in the Bohemian region in the south of Czech, arriving mid-afternoon. We found a nice homey penzion to stay in. We cruised around the small old town centre - it has a nice colourful main square, which we viewed from high in the nearby black tower. There was some sprinkling of rain, so we took that as the time to stop for a beer. This town is the home of Buvar beer, the original and the best Budweiser beer. It very cheap too. We made the most of our last days in this inexpensive country and went out for a fancy meal, which only cost us $15 all up.
17 Sep 2005 Cesky Kromlov, Czech Republic
Pet Bears
We went on a day trip by bus to the small medieval town of Cesky Kromlov. It was raining and very cold. We had to buy a jacket each to keep warm, which will come in handy for the next month in the north of Europe, as it is getting colder every day. We visited another amazing castle, and enjoyed an entertaining and informative tour. We especially liked the masquerade ballroom, and the pet bears that made their home in the moat around the castle. We had a hot lunch in a dark and smoky traditional inn, then had a leisurely and very pleasant walk around the cobbled streets and castle gardens. It was still cold but our jackets worked wonders.
next we travel back to Austria for another short visit.