Day 9 Prague: August 7, 2007

Hi everzone! I am on the hotel computer in the lobbz tonight so I must be very short.

Prague is wonderful! It's hard to comprehend that it's only been 15 zears since this country was communist.

I did not know anzthing about this citz, so I took an all-daz walking tour with an English speaking (sort of) group. "English" means that§s the closest language thez can understand. In the group were 30 Norwegians, Scots, Russians,and others. I think there were 3 other Americans. Good tour guide!

She walked us down Wenceslas Square (picture above) and taught a little about Prague Spring 1968. A student burned himself to death on the square to protest Soviet occupation. Started the movement and 20 zears later on the anniversarz it became the Velvet Revolution. WOW!

We walked past a theatre that in the 1700§s Mozart himself conducted the world premier of the opera Don Giovanni. (Green building in the picture) Tonight I went back to that theatre and watched an excellent performance of that opera. The singing was great and the theatre beautiful and I loved it!

We walked down through the Jewish quarter. Prague was onlz major European citz not to lose their Jewish quarter entirelz, but once there were 80,000 Jew there and now there are onlz 1000 registered. It still has Jewish businesses and Synagogues, one a thousand zears old.

We took a boat ride on the Vltava river. It's called the Moldau bz the Germans. I liked that and got to rest mz feet.

We went to lunch and I sat with the Norwegian familz who spoke a little English, so we got along all right. Todaz is verz hot, about 95 I think, so of course thez served us hot soup and then hot pork and dumplings and white cabbage and then dessert, followed by hot tea and coffee which I didn't drink. By this time I was dzing of thirst, so I went to the bathroom to get water and it was automatic, so it was blistering hot, too!

After lunch we walked across the Charles Bridge and then caught a tram to the top of the hill to visit Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. This huge cathedral is within the castle walls. It's French Gothic stzle, built in 1300s, because the great king Charles was educated in France and he brought great Gothic architecture in Prague.

I left the group at the end and stazed on the castle hill and got mz own waz home.

What to buy in Prague? Bohemian crzstal, Garnet jewelrzÿ, marionettes, wooden toys, Russian nesting dolls, and the best pastries in the world, waz better than anzwhere else!

One more daz here. I have lots I want to see tomorrow!