First Day in Prague
This day will seem like it lasted for two when you read about our adventures today.
Our train was right on time and, with little to no sleep, we now had the need to find a tram ticket stop. We followed signs to the i(nformation) and got a much-less-than-helpful woman with very broken English who pointed us the way out and to the machines for tickets. We found the main lobby and the machines take ONLY COINS! We have only paper. Lo and behold, another i will open in 5 minutes so we get in line. Not only was this nice woman helpful with information but she gave a free map and sold us our tram tickets. Hurray! We now have coins for the future. In Prague unlike Poland, the smallest tram ticket is for 30 minutes instead of the Polish 10 minute tram ticket. We only needed to ride the tram about 10 minutes but had to buy the 30 minute ticket for 24 krona and this can be used only once even if you know you have time left on it.
With the trams in Poland, I commented to Monika that this must be the "honor" system of paying for your ride since I never saw anyone check for tickets on the tram but all the riders automatically bought and stamped their ticket when they got on. She said we must have just been lucky because sometimes there are multiple checks as you ride the trams.
Back in Prague, we followed the masses as they headed out the station and to the right and eventually found our tram stop by checking the posts and finding Malostranska on the list so we are heading in the right direction. Thanks, Rick Steves. With her two bottles of Mead weighing down her suitcase, Melodie was struggling to get it onto the tram so I helped her and boy is it heavy! We tried shipping booze home from Montana and it ended up broken so she wants to keep it with her. My gifts aren't heavy but bulky and some need to remain in my backpack to keep from crushing.
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| See the yellow flags in the distance on the right? THAT'S our hostel. |
Following the directions from the hostel, we got off at Dlouha stop on Revolucni and crossed the street to find Benediksta then searching for their yellow sign which turned out to be two yellow flags. We're here!
The lift (elevator) is out of order so climbing one flight of stairs is required. We reached the mezzanine where registration occurred and knew that we couldn't check in until 14:00 but they would store our bags until then in a huge locker. It was just 8am and breakfast was being put out for the hostelers so we stored our bags and sat in the lounge to have coffee. Monika and Stasia had suggested a cruise on the river Vltava to see the city from the water. So we checked online and made lunch reservations (with a 10% online discount) for noon today for a 2-hour cruise. After a cupper, we headed out into the streets of Prague.
We mapped our way to Main Square and went looking for the Astronomical Clock on the square. It was nowhere to be found until we walked around the side of a very old church steeple and there it was! Of course, it chimes on the hour and there was time to spare so we walked on and went shopping. We found a handcrafted shop where we each bought Christmas ornaments for our trees and more presents. Time was running short so we rushed out to get to the docks and the noon boat.
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| The Astronomical Clock circa 1410 on the Hall Town Tower |
Reaching the Cechuv Most (bridge), we approached a lady in a kiosk where we were told we had to exchange our e-ticket for a real ticket. She pointed down the stairs to the river's edge and muttered something in her limited English about pier 5 and returned to reading a recipe in her magazine. I asked her a question and, without looking up, she thumb gestured over her shoulder in the direction of the boats. ugh!
Getting own the stairs, we found another window for tickets on the boats and were able to get our ticket and a map of the sights we would see on the cruise. We walked the river bank to kill 30 minutes until boarding.
Upon boarding the Valencia, the young man gave us an aperitif of Becherovka liquer which was quite delicious and he said it would prepare our stomachs for a wonderful meal. It was more of a "medicine" he said with a smile.
Lunch was a buffet of cheeses, meats, pasta salad, lettuce salad, chicken cooked two ways, and rice with a meal gravy. Desserts came later with cakes, fruit, and pastries. Yum! To our surprise, with this meal there was no drinks included so we had to each pay 60 kr (roughly $2.25) for a bottle of water and again for a bottle of tea.
We paid in cash not realizing what was ahead!
After eating, we headed up to the top deck to get away from two English speakers behind us with one who never stopped talking about himself and too loud for our liking. On our return trip down the river, we were joined by one of the servers who played the accordion to entertain us and everyone applauded his performance.
On each journey up and down the river, we had to pass through locks. You barely realized anything was happening until the boat was now 10' or more below the stone walls when it was above the wall upon entering the lock.
Swans graced the river and people must feed them from time to time. The sights of Prague are different from the water's view so lots of pictures were required.
The Charles bridge started under construction in 1357 under the reign of Charles IV. It is now a pedestrian bridge and the best time to see it with fewer tourists is very early in the morning or late at night.
Leaving the riverside, we walked again through other streets
to shop and came across a garnet shop. Garnet is my mother's birthstone and the stone mostly associated with Prague. There was nothing enticing in the window so I decided to go inside and ask for exactly what I wanted. To our surprise, the man had just the thing to add to my necklace...a garnet and silver barrel! Melodie got a smaller one and he even gold plated it for her as we waited so it would match her gold necklace. While he went off to do that, we paid for our purchases...at least I paid for mine while Melodie couldn't find her charge card!!! She searched her purse and remembered using it last at the craft shop but not putting it away as she usually did and now couldn't find it. After many frantic minutes, she paid with her debit card and we hurried back to the hostel to make a phone call and report its loss.
Some sights of the city which helped us orient ourselves and always get back to the hostel.
We get back to the hostel to check in and go to the reception desk only to be hit with yet another shocker!! We needed 6600 krona for our room! I guess I had miscalculated the amount of Czech Krona we would need for our room. I had figured 815.75 CKR and the girl at the desk wants 6600+ CKR AND NO CHARGE CARD! WHAT? We were counting on the charge card. The email had taken our charge card for the deposit and mentioned our balance in dollars but she only wants CKR or EUR money! Now what?
Melodie is still reeling from losing her card and now we have to deal with this. Between us we come up with 2100 kr to pay for most of our first two nights. The girl wasn't happy but had no choice but to accept our partial payment. I mean, we're staying for 5 nights here! We register, make the payment, get a receipt, and a note of what was still owing and head for our room. We get our bags out of the storage locker and decide to take the lift which was now working. This little space wasn't my cup of tea and didn't work immediately well so I got off and Melodie took the lift. Pressing the next button up, the doors opened to the current floor where we got on. So pressing another button higher, she ended up on the floor TWO floors up. Thinking she was on the right floor and still worrying about her charge card, she got off! The bags were just too heavy to carry on the stairs so she got back on and pressed another button. At the same time, I pressed a button on our floor outside the lift as if I needed it to go down and we were able to connect.
Getting to our room, she dumped out her purse and searched every nook and cranny but no card. She can only surmise it went missing on the boat when she pulled out her wallet to pay in cash. Calling her bank, she actually got a human and was able to confirm that no charges were made after her last purchase and put a stop on the card to reissue. Her debit will have to do for the remainder of our trip.
In fact, the remainder was in doubt since we were both ready just to go home. Unfortunately, I couldn't get our reservation to pull up to see if we could fly out sooner than Tuesday so we decided just to hang loose and see how we felt in the morning. We settled down with our computers and I fell asleep with mine on my lap.
Melodie woke me in the same position about five hours later. It was 8:30p and she was hungry so we headed out to find an ATM for more money for the hostel and a restaurant for a salad. The directions by the young man at the desk to the ATM were spot on and the money issue was history. We walked to find the restaurant that the hosteler suggested and we must have walked past it and ended up at James Dean, restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and having a dance club in the basement. Two burly guards stood outside in their all-black clothing. Very ominous. Inside was noisy and full of young people but there was one table for 2 left and we took it.
We each had a salad, enjoyed the rock and roll music, and were curious about the stream of only men who were going to the basement "dance club". Hmmm. I didn't have the guts to go down and see what it was all about but THIS could explain the bouncers outside.
Returning to our room around 10p, we showered and went to bed by 11p. What a mistake to add to our already stressful day with no sleep from the train. There must be a club around the corner because the steady stream of young people yelling and whooping it up outside our window forced us to close the windows for more quiet and less cool air. Then came the hostelers in the kitchen which is adjacent to our room. Until well after midnight, there was loud young people clanking dishes, silverware, and pots and pans. Ugh! No wonder the sign says that free earplugs are available!
THIS has been enough events that I thought we had arrived YESTERDAY instead of just this morning! Tomorrow has got to be a better day with our tour guide.
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| Perhaps a river cruise might be in our future. The rooms looked luxurious and had sliding glass doors to open with a rail. |
Upon boarding the Valencia, the young man gave us an aperitif of Becherovka liquer which was quite delicious and he said it would prepare our stomachs for a wonderful meal. It was more of a "medicine" he said with a smile.
Lunch was a buffet of cheeses, meats, pasta salad, lettuce salad, chicken cooked two ways, and rice with a meal gravy. Desserts came later with cakes, fruit, and pastries. Yum! To our surprise, with this meal there was no drinks included so we had to each pay 60 kr (roughly $2.25) for a bottle of water and again for a bottle of tea.
We paid in cash not realizing what was ahead!
After eating, we headed up to the top deck to get away from two English speakers behind us with one who never stopped talking about himself and too loud for our liking. On our return trip down the river, we were joined by one of the servers who played the accordion to entertain us and everyone applauded his performance.
On each journey up and down the river, we had to pass through locks. You barely realized anything was happening until the boat was now 10' or more below the stone walls when it was above the wall upon entering the lock.
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| An Italian exhibition of the Cracking Art Group on Kampa Island |
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| The Dancing Building which is also dubbed Fred and Ginger. The top hat is Fred and the leaning side to the left with 8 legs is Ginger. |
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| Can you see the lovers against the white building at the top of the hill? |
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| Here. Let me help you. |
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| Charles' Bridge with Old Town Tower on the left. |
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| Crucifix on the bridge. |
Leaving the riverside, we walked again through other streets
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| Piano chained to a building and protected from the elements. Anyone can stop and play. |
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| A beautiful plant stand to display flowers. |
to shop and came across a garnet shop. Garnet is my mother's birthstone and the stone mostly associated with Prague. There was nothing enticing in the window so I decided to go inside and ask for exactly what I wanted. To our surprise, the man had just the thing to add to my necklace...a garnet and silver barrel! Melodie got a smaller one and he even gold plated it for her as we waited so it would match her gold necklace. While he went off to do that, we paid for our purchases...at least I paid for mine while Melodie couldn't find her charge card!!! She searched her purse and remembered using it last at the craft shop but not putting it away as she usually did and now couldn't find it. After many frantic minutes, she paid with her debit card and we hurried back to the hostel to make a phone call and report its loss.
Some sights of the city which helped us orient ourselves and always get back to the hostel.
We get back to the hostel to check in and go to the reception desk only to be hit with yet another shocker!! We needed 6600 krona for our room! I guess I had miscalculated the amount of Czech Krona we would need for our room. I had figured 815.75 CKR and the girl at the desk wants 6600+ CKR AND NO CHARGE CARD! WHAT? We were counting on the charge card. The email had taken our charge card for the deposit and mentioned our balance in dollars but she only wants CKR or EUR money! Now what?
Melodie is still reeling from losing her card and now we have to deal with this. Between us we come up with 2100 kr to pay for most of our first two nights. The girl wasn't happy but had no choice but to accept our partial payment. I mean, we're staying for 5 nights here! We register, make the payment, get a receipt, and a note of what was still owing and head for our room. We get our bags out of the storage locker and decide to take the lift which was now working. This little space wasn't my cup of tea and didn't work immediately well so I got off and Melodie took the lift. Pressing the next button up, the doors opened to the current floor where we got on. So pressing another button higher, she ended up on the floor TWO floors up. Thinking she was on the right floor and still worrying about her charge card, she got off! The bags were just too heavy to carry on the stairs so she got back on and pressed another button. At the same time, I pressed a button on our floor outside the lift as if I needed it to go down and we were able to connect.
Getting to our room, she dumped out her purse and searched every nook and cranny but no card. She can only surmise it went missing on the boat when she pulled out her wallet to pay in cash. Calling her bank, she actually got a human and was able to confirm that no charges were made after her last purchase and put a stop on the card to reissue. Her debit will have to do for the remainder of our trip.
In fact, the remainder was in doubt since we were both ready just to go home. Unfortunately, I couldn't get our reservation to pull up to see if we could fly out sooner than Tuesday so we decided just to hang loose and see how we felt in the morning. We settled down with our computers and I fell asleep with mine on my lap.
Melodie woke me in the same position about five hours later. It was 8:30p and she was hungry so we headed out to find an ATM for more money for the hostel and a restaurant for a salad. The directions by the young man at the desk to the ATM were spot on and the money issue was history. We walked to find the restaurant that the hosteler suggested and we must have walked past it and ended up at James Dean, restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and having a dance club in the basement. Two burly guards stood outside in their all-black clothing. Very ominous. Inside was noisy and full of young people but there was one table for 2 left and we took it.
We each had a salad, enjoyed the rock and roll music, and were curious about the stream of only men who were going to the basement "dance club". Hmmm. I didn't have the guts to go down and see what it was all about but THIS could explain the bouncers outside.
Returning to our room around 10p, we showered and went to bed by 11p. What a mistake to add to our already stressful day with no sleep from the train. There must be a club around the corner because the steady stream of young people yelling and whooping it up outside our window forced us to close the windows for more quiet and less cool air. Then came the hostelers in the kitchen which is adjacent to our room. Until well after midnight, there was loud young people clanking dishes, silverware, and pots and pans. Ugh! No wonder the sign says that free earplugs are available!
THIS has been enough events that I thought we had arrived YESTERDAY instead of just this morning! Tomorrow has got to be a better day with our tour guide.
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