Czech Republic
06/24/98 (Wednesday)
Brno, Czech Republic
Yesterday on the train from when the conductor said we had to pay a supplement.
Apparently for being on an international train. The conductor went
to get another conductor, and together they discussed our situation.
They told us that we had to pay 550 SK each, about $12. Then they both
left without collecting anything from us. The first one later returned.
He said in halting English if we paid 550 SK for all of us, "It would be
better for us, and better for him." Sounds to me like he was going to pocket
the money. That he did not give us a receipt confirmed my suspicion.
He also said that this "supplement" was for the Slovakian portion of the
trip only.
Later we saw him and the other conductor escorting a stunning blond with
a fabulous figure toward the first class section of the train. I figured
that she was paying her supplement with a contribution to the mental health
of the conductors. A short while later she passed us again as we were
sitting in the bar car. Her expression was revealed nothing about what
she had or had not revealed moments before.
We arrived without further supplemental payments in Brno. Our room,
located via the accommodations bureau, is in a private house a few hundred
meters from the train station. To get there, we walked up the slight
incline of the main street for about 20 minutes through most of the
business section of the town. The ATM at the station produced the necessary
local currency. A mid-30's gent greeted and settled us with practiced
ease. Our room is large and connected to Kay's and Nic's room.
There are small w.c. across the hall, recent additions. We share the
bath with the washing machine and the family. Our street is busy only with
pedestrian traffic, near the center of the old town.
The buildings in the area are adorned with statues. The best are the
figures, called the Four Ninnies, who try to hold onto their loin cloths
while bearing the load of the building. There is a fountain that glorifies
Europe at the expense of ancient Persia, Greece and Babylon. The City
Hall has fabulously carved draperies decorating the front. The architect
the city hired to do the Hall became angry when he thought the city was mistreating
him and so he made the tower above the statue of Justice crooked. At
least, so legend says.
Today's tour begins with the 13th century Spilberk Castle overlooking the
town. It has served both as a fortress and a prison where torture was
carried out over the course of many centuries. The Nazis used it during
WWII. After the steep and long walk to the top for the great views,
we entered the museum.
Best collection of torture tools that I have ever seen: thumb twisters,
finger smashers, spine stretchers, and more. Most of the instruments
are medieval, while a few were from the Nazi occupation. In keeping
with tradition, the Gestapo used the facility for prisoner interrogation.
There are extensive exhibits discussing the evolution of Czech criminal procedures,
including those in effect during the Austro- Hungarian Empire. The
corridors are damp and dark, so dark that without light getting lost would
not require much effort. Prisoner cells could be heated. The accommodations
for the guards were not much better than those for the prisoners.
During the afternoon Nic and I went to the nearby reservoir via tram.
I hoped to rent a motor boat. The tram ride is 7 kilometers and takes
about 30 minutes for about $.20. Finding a boat turns out to be a challenge.
We wandered about until I decided to ask at the nearby hotel. The clerk
directed me across the lake where they had rentals. If we had a boat, it
was only 1/2 mile. We walked about two miles along the road in the
cool, sunny weather. There were no signs so I had a point and click
conversation with a woman who pointed the way.
They had no power boats. They had rickety rowboats. It was not
long before we lost interest. Along the way back to the tram we ate
cherries from trees at the side of the road. The cherries were sweet
and flavorful, the best I have eaten. In the meantime, Peg and Kay
went to Moravsky Krumlov. Here there is an extensive collection of
the work of the Czech Alfons Mucha. He was born nearby, and is famous
for his posters. His fame resulted from the posters advertising Sarah
Bernhardt's plays in Paris, in the 1920', I think. He is also famous
for his depictions of Slavic history and was a strong supporter of the Czech
Republic between the wars; he designed the postage stamps and currency.
By the time the Nazis came, he was an old man, but they arrested and questioned
him nonetheless.
06/25/98
Telc
Small roads through gorgeous countryside take us to Telc on the bus (115
koruna). The walk to town is about a mile long. The rough sidewalks
make hauling a wheeled bag very difficult. Telc is clean and quiet.
We find the huge main square after we cross the stream on a bridge.
Peg wanders about and in a shop finds someone whose friend has a B&B
very nearby. He appears quickly in his car, and drives us two minutes
to his house. A connected building houses three rooms, all in excellent
condition. 700 korunas (crowns) per night at 34.5 to the dollar, so
that's about $20, including breakfast.
The friendly man in his 50's speaks a little English. He just sold
the attached shop and is now semi-retired, just caring for his guests. Many
of them are Austrian day-trippers visiting the town. The square is
the main attraction and we were there again before long. The square
is about 150 yards long and about 75 yards wide, I figure, and is on a north-south
alignment. The walkways are gothic, while the facades above are baroque.
Many buildings are painted in a pastel green. Some perhaps all of the
peaks have facades extending well beyond the roof line.
At the north end is the castle (hrad). We are in time for the tour.
Our petite, friendly guide speaks German fluently and English haltingly in
a faint voice. The interior is richly decorated and furnished.
I did not make notes and do not have anything in writing to refer to.
It's worth another visit at a later date.
Dinner on the square is hearty, tasty, filling and inexpensive (108).
06/26/98
The friendly host delivered a mighty breakfast of cold sausages, bread, cheese
and coffee. Everyone but me is off for Prague. They miss the
bus and take the train. I spend the day sketching, resting and enjoying
this town. I particularly liked gazing at the bridge, stream and castle
from a bench behind the castle.
06/27/98
Praha
Our friendly host drove me to the station, as he did Peg et al. yesterday.
At the station there are about a dozen stands where the various buses land
to embark passengers. The friendly travelers respond affirmatively
when I say, "Praha?", so I am sure I am on the right line. The big
bus cruises through beautiful countryside. There are more teenagers
than I have seen before. The summer vacation must be beginning.
Most people sit quietly, reading or staring out the windows.
It takes us about four hours to get to Prague (Praha). My bus lands
at the Florenc metro/bus station. I am supposed to meet Peg at the
Hlavin Nadrazi. It takes me a while and some long walks inside the
station, but I finally figure out how to get to the meeting point via metro.
A young and inexperienced traveler might have had a panic attack. I
had a beer instead, focusing on it while the little gray cells did what they
love to do, when left alone long enough. Even managed to buy a day
ticket from the machine, and confirmed with the clerk that I did not need
a ticket for the damn back pack. She happily answered my gestured question.
They have big signs saying in English, German and other languages that if
your bag is bigger than 70 cm in length (and they gave the two other dimensions,
but I do not recall them), you have to pay extra. I was not sure of
the size of my pack in metric measure. Were there such signs in Brataslava
,but just not where we bought the tickets we used? Perhaps that is
why we did not know.
The next round in the battle is with the lockers at Hlavin Nadrazi. After
ten minutes trying to find them, I then spend another five minutes looking
for the instructions. When I finally find them, they are in Czech.
I ask a fellow backpacker. Following his instructional gestures and
grunts, which takes another five minutes, I lose 10 kroners. Then I
have to find more change. That takes another five minutes, not including
the time it took to eat the sausage. So back to the lockers.
Finally I figure it out. There are numbers visible from the front of
the locker and another set visible from the back. You choose your own
combination. It makes the most sense if you choose from the inside;
it is easier to hide the combination from your neighbors. But how does
the machine know what you chose if the outside set has differing numbers
from the inside set? You have to put the coins in after you close the
door, otherwise you lose your money.
There is some really neat stuff nearby and I have time, so off I go. Flying
right past the Pizza Hut, McDonalds and KFC, I make for the Staromestske
namesti, the Old Town Square. It is an enormous and beautiful plaza.
Here are Tyn Church where Tycho Brahe's tomb is, the Jan Hus monument, House
by a Stone Bell, Powder Tower, King's Way and a gigabyte of tourists.
After walking about 500 meters toward the Plaza, it dawned on me that after
closing the door to the locker, I did not move the tumbler. It might
be possible for someone to just open the door! The computer! No insurance!
A brisk ten minute walk back revealed that there was no problem.
The Staromestske namesti is an impressive sight. I have never seen
so many attractive centuries old structures gathered around a plaza of
this size. Most buildings appear to have been recently repaired, renewed
or cleaned, or all three. I could easily imagine Tycho pondering bodily
motions from this spot, as celestial and earthly bodies both would look more
magnificent with this plaza as a setting. If I knew more history and
architecture, I would love to say more about Staromestske namesti.
Some British women told me where to find an internet cafe called the Terminal
Bar. Along the way I pondered an old, thick, squatty tower not far
from the station. By time I found the cafe, a high-tech, cavey looking
joint, it was time to meet Peg. She was waiting for me at the station.
When I returned with the backpack, she was gone. It took me fifteen
minutes to find her seated on the opposite side of the kiosk, not five feet
from me.
06/28/98
Last night's accommodations had some unusual features. It wasn't that
the showers down the hall were odd in appearance or location. It's
odd that you can't get out of the hotel before 8:00 A.M. without getting
someone sleeping in a room on the other side of the locked exit door to let
you out. To arouse the gatekeeper you have to bang on the door.
They don't want you to leave in the middle of the night without paying. This
could mean that leaving in an emergency could be a problem. I guess the fire
department does not do safety inspections here, or their exit standards are
a bit low.
Their restaurant offers good dining at lunch and dinner (400k for Peg and
me including beverages), but breakfast is not served. We have to go
about a mile to get a cup of coffee, and then the only choice is McDonalds.
Nothing but burgers and the rest of the regular menu is available there.
First time I have been in an American fast food place since I left the states.
We assembled breakfast with the McD's coffee and various roles and sandwiches
from a little store in the metro station. Convenience may not be a
household word here. But who cares when you are in a city as charming
as Prague in June?
We found another B&B on this end of town but on the other bank, not far
from the river, well served by tram and bus. Nearby are various camper/tenter
B&B's. These are odd combinations of backyard campgrounds for tents
and caravans and regular rooms. Some of them serve breakfast and other
meals as well. Our rooms are in an older house. Our room overlooks
a garden and pool. The bath is across the hall, the homeowner's living
room next door. Kay and Nic are in a neat basement. The walls
are lined with hunting decor, the usual horn and stuffed body, along with
a few swords, hovering over us. Also not far away there is a boat doc
for river cruises, and a renovated mansion shining pink in the sun.
We walked and walked and never found the boat doc.
Prazsky Hrad (Prague Castle)
Today is Kay and Nic's last day in Wonderland, so it is fitting that we are
visiting Prazsky Hrad, Prague Castle, the medieval center of the city.
The Castle is actually a complex of buildings, some of which are museums,
and monuments. There are many sharp spires and steep roofs, defining
features of the City. Here you find the Royal Palace, Vladislav Hall,
St. Vitus' Cathedral, St. George's Basilica, Zlata ulicka (ulicka means 'street').
The latter is full of tiny houses built into the castle wall, and the offices
of the President of the country. The castle complex has three major
courtyards. Wandering about takes a few hours. It would transport
you back in time, except it is too clean, well cared for and not smelly enough
to be medieval.
St. Vitus' Cathedral is a fine example of Gothic architecture, even though
it was not completed until 1929. Its windows are flamboyant, very flowery
and free-form. Inside there is a room that contains a tomb of someone
famous, but I failed to write his name down. This room is the
most bizarre one I have seen to date. Peg says that the ceiling is
elaborately carved wood, the walls painted with an enamel made the room look
like it was decorated with mosaics. The enameled colors were bright
and rich.
The current structure is the third one to stand on this site. First
was a rotunda built in 929, then a basilica in 1060. The current structure
was started in 1360. There have been 30 coronation ceremonies, and
fifteen kings are buried here. We wandered about in this part of the
city, outside the castle complex using the trams. Peg likes to just
take off without really knowing where she is going, which is not my favorite
thing to do in a new city. If I know we are going to be doing this
in advance, I can more easily go along with it. But since this
was not part of the plan, we ran into our usual conflict. We resolved
it by heading back into the main part of the city. I argued that where
we were headed did not look too interesting. But I was not sure.
06/29/98
Peg goes with Kay and Nic to the airport. I go with the laundry to
the laundromat. That journey takes about 45 minutes in each direction
via metro. Laundry facilities are rare here. There are machines
a block away at the B&B/campground where we had breakfast but they were
available to their guests only. A woman helped me with the laundry, although
this is the self-service section. Apparently lots of English speakers
come here because there are many books and magazines laying about for you
to read while waiting. She came and got me when the washing machine
was done. Then you put the clothes into a heavy-duty centrifuge that
lowers drying time to fifteen minutes per load.
When Peg and I reunited, we visited Staronova Synagog, the oldest synagogue
in Europe (1270). They gave me a yarmulke to wear while in the temple.
The columns are of a bluish marble. The presence of stained glass in
the ceiling and on the walls surprised me. It made the place
look more like a church, an effect also produced by the rows of wooden pews.
It occurred to me that I have never been in an actively used synagogue.
I do not know what they look like. Maybe they all look like churches.
From about the 900's Jews have been seeking refuge in Praha from persecution
elsewhere in Europe. By the 18th century, one quarter of the population
was Jewish, living in Josefov, the ghetto. In the 19th century, much
of the ghetto was razed, including synagogues, to widen thoroughfares.
By the second war, there were only 35,000 Jews living in the ghetto.
At the war's end, 13,000 or more had died. Only 1300 returned
to live there. There are several Jewish museums here. We
did not go in any of them, although they sound worthwhile.
06/30/98 (Tuesday)
The decorative arts museum features an exhibit entitled, "Czech Art Deco:1918-38."
It is housed in a beautifully art-deco decorated building shared with the
symphony. The symphony was rehearsing for its "Best of Mozart" concert
as we climbed the marble staircase, itself used for part of the exhibition.
Hearing some sections of the Magic Flute while added to the great pleasure
this museum provided.
Inside: cabinets, chairs and other furniture, 1920's high heels, sequined
dresses, decanters, drinking cups and more. The art deco movement in
the Czech Republic started in 1918, "...and constituted the backbone of artistic
work during the early years of the Republic..." (on-site pamphlet).
Art deco fell out of favor when the communists took over in 1948. Too
rich, too decadent, too wasteful, too non-functional for their taste.
At 1:30 we boarded the river boat (40k). It disembarked upstream from
our B&B, on the opposite bank, and went downstream toward our residence.
The 90 minute cruise takes us through two locks, a great view of Charles
Bridge and its many statues, as well as of Prague in general. Some
areas we passed by contain large warehouses. Children were swimming
and kayaks maneuvering in a part of the river isolated from boat traffic
by an island. If the river did not seem dirty and was safe, a swim
would be attractive. The temperature is in the mid- 80's and there
is not a cool spot on the boat, and very little to
drink. We disembark near the zoo, not 25 yards from where we were the
other day when trying to find this boat. We see no sign anywhere advertising
the boat's presence. Here's another business opportunity wasted, one
that would not take much to fix.
Under threatening rain clouds we walk to a Portuguese Restaurant. Hot
in the dining room. Slow service. Decent food, more Italian than
Portuguese, and good wine (50k for a liter of red). Tomorrow we leave for
Poland on a 7:45 a.m. train.
Prague is definitely worth another visit.