We are suffering in Vienna with no a/c but at long last we have reliable and consistent internet access. This is very appreciated. We arrived yesterday evening but have mainly been at the hotel so Maylene could try to get some work done after a series of access issues and tool revisions that has made her pretty far behind. We’re heading out this afternoon to see more of the city proper. In the meantime, I thought I’d post about Prague (Praha as the locals call it).
This city had absolutely stunning architecture – highlighted best in late afternoon/just around sunset when the light bounced off of the gold trim of the buildings in amazing ways.
Never bombed in the world wars, it retained the Gothic and Medeival architecture throughout most of the city center. In fact, the hotel we stayed in initially (had to change because of internet problems) was originally built in the 1200s. On a side note, there was a Hard Rock Cafe downstairs (lol – just across the street from the fountain built in 1560). Too funny – oh yeah and better still was the bar/club Coyotes next door that tried really hard to imitate Coyote Ugly infamy. Good times.
We made it to our first European castle in Praha. It is said to be the largest in Europe sprawling for a really large distance on a hill overlooking the city – great aerial views.
The Charles Bridge was amazing too – started in the 1300s, it was the only bridge connecting the castle to the city for a very long time.
As mentioned earlier, we did have to move hotels due to spotty internet access and found ourselves near Wenceslas Square (below). Named after “good king Wenceslas” of Christmas carole lore, this area was definitely less touristy and you could begin to see how the locals lived – at least a little.
Unknowingly, we found ourselves in a bit of an after-dark seedy neighborhood filled with peep shows and go-go clubs. Check out the “limo” below that will kindly pick you up and bring you home from the club.
Off to do some sight-seeing in Vienna. Gotta love the public transit systems in these towns. They are so easy to use and so very convenient. No taxis have been taken yet and it’s not even a goal of this trip, so you know the transit systems must be easy – yes – even in Czech.