On Friday, June 4, 2004, at 3:45 a.m., we boarded a chartered bus to Dallas, Texas. We took two buses to Dallas. One bus was designated as the Red Flight. Red ribbons were attached to our luggage and we were told that we would ride the �Linz Bus� for the entire trip. Others were assigned the Blue Flight and told that they would ride the �Prague Bus� for the entire trip. At 4:00 a.m., both groups left the Lee High School parking lot, had breakfast with them, and made two stops that were not expected on the bus ride.
As the Red Flight arrived at Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport, we boarded United Airlines Flight 1266 en route to Washington, D.C. at 11:40 a.m. We arrived at Dulles International Airport at 3:57 p.m. We then transferred from United Airlines to Austrian Airlines for Flight 94 to Vienna International Airport at 6:15 p.m. At 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 5, we had arrived in Vienna and then transferred to Flight 705 on our way to Ruzyne Airport in Prague. Our flight began at 10:10 a.m. and ended less than an hour later at 11:00 a.m. The Blue Flight was about 2 hours and 25 minutes behind us on a Lufthansa German Airlines flight.
After we got our entire luggage, we boarded a chartered bus to go to the Diplomat Hotel in Prague to check in. We were told that we had enough time to go up to our rooms, drop off our luggage, get unpacked, take a shower, and meet in the lobby of the Diplomat by 3:00 p.m. When we arrived in the lobby, the Blue Flight group had arrived by bus and all of the choir members and the chaperones were checking into the hotel. The Red Flight had gathered in a group and we were told something very disappointing then. Even though the Czech Republic had joined the European Union over a month before we had arrived, the currency had still not been converted over. So in the lobby of the hotel or in other currency exchange places we had to exchange U.S. Dollars, Euros, or Travelers Checks over to Czech Crowns. Our group then boarded the Metro, what we would call the subway. We went straight to the Old Town.
To tell you a little bit about Prague, it is a city of stunning physical beauty. Many of the capitals of other eastern European nations were flattened or heavily damaged during World War II, but Prague survived intact, as our tour guides kept on repeating. Thanks to the city's role as a focal point of culture and commerce for nearly a millennium, it retains the evidence of the many nationalities that have influenced and sometimes dominated its course in history. Gothic and baroque spires, art-nouveau facades and even cubist structures reflect a crucible of German, Italian, Flemish and Bohemian artistic movements. At one time the seat of the Holy Roman Empire and at another the citadel of the Hapsburgs, Prague sustains a reputation as a vital political, cultural and economic center. Even with its fast-food restaurants and currency exchange places everywhere, Prague's old-world appeal has been steadfastly preserved. Thick river fogs, arched stone bridges, mysteriously lit alleyways and other charming scenes linger around almost every corner. For many, Prague carries on as it always has.
More coming soon!!! |
