A busy day in Prague (Saturday 9th September 2017)

We had a great day in Prague today. The day started with another “socialist” breakfast at the hotel. To be honest, not even up to par with yesterday’s. After that we went for a coffee at an attractive looking cafe just a few doors away. Strike two. The service was slow and the coffee was lukewarm, at best. Things had to get better, and they did.

Heading down Na Poříčí in the general direction of the river we wound our way through the streets and lanes of the old town towards Wenceslas Sqyare. Along the way we happened upon Na Příkopě, one of the main streets in the old town. It was very busy, full of tourist, but a very attractive street just the same. The local TV station were setting up to film a local athletic event due to be staged later today or tomorrow. We had just left McDonalds having taken care of life's necessities (and I don’t mean food or drink) when Kerry managed to find Prague’s Pandora store, so in we went. It didn’t take her very long to add to her growing collection trinkets she is collecting from different parts of the world. She chose a very nice silver crown. Appropriate because Czech royalty is very prominent in the city. She chose that over a lion (also prominent in Prague signs and so on) as we hadn’t seen any prowling the lanes yet.

Of again in search of Wenceslas Square we wound up in the Old Town square – completely the opposite direction to that which I thought we were going. Oh well! Not wanting to backtrack we navigated more small lanes and streets and finished up by the river. By the way, every surface capable of carrying foot or vehicular traffic is cobblestoned. It can make it difficult to walk at times but it does lend to the city a wonderful old world charm. By now it was about lunch-time so when we spied a trolley selling strange spiral things on a long stick we decided it was time to be adventurous and try one. On closer inspection the strange delicacy was nothing more that a potato cut so that it could spiral down the stick and then be barbecued over a wood fire. As for taste and texture, just imagine if you could take a bag of potato chips and skewer them with a sharp stick and you’ve pretty much got the idea. Very tasty, anyway. We also bought a large cup of fresh fruit to share and that was lunch, all done while sitting on a park bench under a shady tree gazing at the Vltava river and the Prague Castle on the hill opposite.

Down the river we strolled towards Slav Island. There are two small islands in the middle of the river, one connected to the bank by a short bridge. Slav Island is something of a retreat for the people of Prague. Lovely green lawns, large shady trees, stone paths and garden beds greet you as you cross the bridge. Feeling adventurous we thought we go for a paddle on the river in one of those pedal-powered boats. It was a nice sunny day, not much wind and the water between the two locks on the river was flat and calm, like a big pond. It was great fun, even though my knees soon reminded me to not overdo it. We spent plenty of time just drifting and taking dozens of snaps of the city from this unique vantage point. We had the boat for an hour for just AUD 12.00.

Well, after all that strenuous exercise a beer and a mineral water had certainly been earned. The island has a magnificent 19^th century building, currently a Reception venue, with a spacious garden to one side. I ordered big Czech beer and a drink for Kerry while she went to check out the interior of the building. The drinks went down a treat. While relaxing we read about a famous cafe not far away so off to see it we went. Cafe Louvre is in Na Divadlo, another attractive, wide street dissected by the No. 22 tram route. Through a small door and up a grand staircase we went to find table by a window overlooking the street. The décor was just as one would imagine and expect to find in a grand cafe. White linen tablecloths, a small vase of flowers on each table, elegantly dressed waiters and 19^th century opulence all around. We enjoyed real tea in a tea-pot, apple strudel with whipped cream and custard and cinnamon pancakes.

Cafe Louvre was an excellent way to spend an hour before we headed back over the river and up the hill to the Castle. Fortunately, tram route No. 22 was just the one we needed. We didn’t wait long before the tram came along, Thinking we could buy a ticket on-board we just jumped on only to discover that indeed we couldn’t. Oh well, we just risked it and stayed on. It was a great ride up the hill as the tram wound its way along its cobble-stoned route to the Castle.

Why were we going back to the Castle I hear you say, especially at this late hour of the afternoon. Well, yesterday we bought tickets to a performance by the Prague Royal Orchestra in St. George’s Basilica which is a small 10^th century church within the walls of the Castle. About 150 people made up the small audience, but almost all the seats were taken. It was a very intimate setting, very reminiscent of the concert we attended in Lucca in 2013. The orchestra consisted of a violin soloist with five other strings and an organist accompanying. Over the hour-long concert we were treated to many well-known works by Pachelbel, Mozart and Vivaldi. The acoustics in the church were quite simply amazing. The soloist, Ondřej Skopový, was extremely skilled, to my untrained eye. He unquestionably put a lot of passion into his performance. A wonderful evening was had by all in the audience.

We left the church to find darkness descending upon the Castle with the lights already on. To be able to witness the Castle grounds almost empty with the Cathedral and surrounding buildings reflecting the floodlights was a special bonus and a great way to end the evening.

Back at the No. 22 tram stop by the Castle we found a ticket vending machine so we made sure we were legit for the trip back to town. When the tram got to Národní třída we alighted and waited for the No.3 tram. The tram service is excellent in Prague. With routes all over the city, trams appearing at the stop on a very regular basis and inexpensive fares it’s the best way to get around if you’re tired from walking or you have a long way to go. Before too long the No. 3 came along and ten minutes later dropped up outside the door of our hotel.