Prague, Czech Rep. Day 4

Prague, Czech Rep. Day 4

Today was another search and destroy mission. We set out to conquer a few sites and cover as much ground as possible. The trip on the metro into the town is quite nice. It is quick and efficient. People riding are very nice and courteous. Our first stop was the radio tower in central Prague. This tower serves as a radio installation and an observation point. Some say that it was set up to jam radio frequencies from the West and others just think that it is an eyesore. It was built from 1984 to 1989. From all around the town you can see this tower. The observation deck is at 93 meters high and provides a 360 degree panoramic view of Prague. No, it does not fit in with the style of Prague, but I do believe it is a testament to the 80's. Don't tear it down, just remember what times were like. One interesting thing was the sculptor, David Cerney put some huge crawling babies up the masts. They were supposed to be temporary, but the public seemed to love them and wanted them to stay. His intention was to have "computer babies" crawling up the techno monstrosity. Unfortunately, you could only see one head from the observation deck, but below one the ground, you could see them all.

After the tower, we headed to the Dvorak museum. They were closed for lunch, so we headed down the busy street to find some food of our own. We stumbled across a Korean BBQ joint and the consensus was to go on inside. We were the only white people in the place, so this must be good! We were treated to some fine food that was reasonable in price and the entertainment was somethingn else. Watching the Koreans provided enough entrainment for the lunch. It was such a different thing to be in Prague and be in a restaurant with a bunch of Koreans.

With food in the tummies, we then went to the Dvorak museum. Now, Dvorak has given us some very wonderful music in his time and a museum outlining his life and achievements was sure nice to enjoy. Inside the 100 year old building are some important documents and items in his life. We went through a translated timeline in English that was easy to follow. Upstairs was a mini recital hall where 2 times a week they perform his music live for the guests. We wish that we could have been there for that!

From there, we were looking for the "Dancing House". This modern building from the 1990's is supposed to be a sight to see, and it was! But first, we came across a surprise. There were bubbles in the sky and we had to see where they were coming from. What we saw in front of us was a huge automatic bubble maker. There were children of all ages playing in the park where the apparatus stood. Even I had to run through them popping the bubbles as they came towards me. It rotated multiple arms through the soapy solution, and with the breeze, made bubbles float across the small park. Cool!
Just down the road along the river was the "Dancing House". This is a corner building that is all twisted and bending in nature. It stands out from the other 19th Century buildings for sure, but adds a tasteful accent to the road. There were quite a few people taking pictures of the building and we took many for ourselves. Some call it the "Drunk House" since nothing in it is straight. This thing could have very well come from a Tim Burton film, and it very well might be someday.

On the way back towards central Prague we were trying to find the bar that serves the X 33 beer. It has 11.5% alc. and is a big tourist attraction. We stepped inside what we thought was the place. They were brewing beer in the back and we thought all was good. Upon sitting at a table the waiter rattled off in Czech, blah blah blah blah, and we said, "we speak English." he followed with , "well, hello then." and we were asked to sit somewhere else since they were getting ready for the evening meals in that room. oK... We sat and tried to get the wonderful X 33, but we told you have to do that in the other room. Now, we moved to our 3rd location and Andrew tried to order the beast. The waitress said, "you can only get that in September, and it as seasonal.". Argghhhh! So, we settled for the regular tap brew.

Across the street was aoutdoor store, so we for sure had to step inside. It had evything an REI store would have, but the prices were super expensive. The backcountry selection for mountaineering was huge and they had a lot of ice axes and avalanche beacons, which was a surprise. The clothing department was large and had a lot of USA brands like The North Face, Marmot, and Osprey. This town of Prague must have a lot of people coming into the store from out in the country because just out of town there are no huge mountains and people must be shopping for their long distance travels to the Alps and elsewhere. Keen sandals were like 150 US dollars! Glad we did not need any gear. What we brought has been thought through and we don't have anythig extra and have not broken or have worn out anything. So far...

We then took the comfortable tram back to the Ladvi exit. This time the cars were loaded, but still had room for us. When we arrived back at our stop we made the usual grocery store run. This time we saw one of the largest women we had ever seen. She stood maybe 7 feet tall and was working in the store stocking shelves. The lines at the checkout were crazy and long and when she came through, everyone stared. I felt bad looking as well, but I could not resist. It was a sight. I guess she should get paid more since she can reach to the top shelf without a ladder. Her hands were twice as large as mine!

It was a good day. We wanted to see the Smetana museum, but that will have to wait. Tomorrow, we will try to go to the Bone Church in Kutna Hoara. It's just a short train ride in the country. I have some laundry to do in the sink, so I have to run.