Saturday in Prague with more photos

 

Where was I?  Oh yes, we set off early Saturday morning after a very hearty breakfast ( the Czechs certainly know how to look after their guests!( We asked directions from the hotel receptionist and we headed off to see the sights. We made our way to Wenceslas Square where all the tourist guides waited for their charges to arrive. Jim and I always prefer to find our way around on our own, we find following a tour guide can be very restrictive and after all, we had all day. We wandered around the square  and noticed that they had many of the same shops as here in the UK, Marks&Spencer, H&M, Debenhams and believe it or not...Tesco, though that was outside the main city.

After walking for some 30 mins we stopped for a cappuchino and some hot apple strudel served with ice cream and whipped fresh cream...it was divine and they make the nicest coffee I`ve ever tasted. While we sat under the awning surrounded by patio heaters and covered with blankets we watched the world go by. We heard so many languages being spoken, English with Australian, American, Canadian and British accents, Czech of course, German and lots of it, French, Italian, Russian and some other eastern European languages that I didn`t recognise. It seemed everyone wanted to visit this beautiful city that is reputed to be the most haunted in Europe.

Eventually we reached the famous Charles bridge with its many statues of it`s saints. There were artists selling sketches and oil paintings of the sights of the city and there was a beggar unlike any we had ever seen before. This man was kneeling down and bending over with his cupped hands stretched out in front of him. His head was bent forwards so you couldn`t see his face and he was completely still....just like the statues. He was still there hours later when we crossed back to the new town. Even though it was frezzing cold the poor man wore a thin jacket and an old hat. Normally I have no time for beggars but this time was very different, I couldn`t help feeling that the man was demeaning himself and must have been in dire need.

On the other side of the bridge was old Prague with it`s windy roads that climbed steeply up the hillside. I must admit that we had to stop to catch our breath more than once and my hip joints felt decidedly creaky...lol!  Eventually we reached the castle but decided against going in because we were so tired...wrong move, we had no idea then what we were missing and had to come all the way back the next day!

Anyway, I`ll tell you all about that tomorrow. For now I`ll say goodbye and leave you with this thought. What would you do if you got lost in the back streets of Prague? It happened to us...and it was dark!

To be continued.

 

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