Day 27 Thursday 4 June

I awoke in the middle of the night, not from a bathroom call but with the bedside lamp turned on and beaming full on to my face. OK, I wondered if the large dolls in the corner were like the ‘possessed’ doll my mother had bought, and then tucked away as it emitted negative energy. When I became executor I sold it promptly.

I took a careful look at the dolls, turned the light off, rolled over adjusting the bedding and returned to the land of dreams. I was not particularly bothered by the occurrence in such an historic building, putting it down to mischief at worst.

The breakfast was really enjoyable this morning. Very good quality and extensive – too much really, but we are moderating ourselves and it is nice to know we can have some good variety over the next 4 days.

We caught up with family on video call and did some more estate matters before heading out to just simply wander around old town. As mentioned on our way in, there is building after building of interest. In fact old town extends a lot further than I expected. The river intersects the historic centre; old town and lesser town.

The riverside is not as large or impressive as Budapest, neither is the Vltava river, albeit it of course has its own charm and special bridges. We are still consolidating our itinerary and whether we do a night or day cruise. Of course we will try and cross the Charles bridge on foot! We saw it today from a distance and it was packed with people.

We came across the main town square that hosts amongst other things the Astronomical clock which is the oldest working one in Europe dating back to its installation in 1410. On the hour, the apostles rotate past the windows for about 45 seconds whilst the skeleton rings a bell, the show concluding with the rooster crowing.

These clocks are fascinating and not only tell European time, but also old Czech/Bohemian, Babylonian and Sidereal (Star time). They also feature zodiac signs and more. Wrapping it up in a medieval structure of lasting beauty. As for the crowds…. That is expected.

We sighed at the hoards of people filling the square with their phones poised to capture the show of the figures (apostles). By chance we arrived 5 minutes before the hour and did capture the 45 second display. It was very hard to get a decent picture of the clock itself without lots of people in it, or even the lovely buildings surrounding it in the square.

We had a Starbucks break and wandered around the square’s surrounding lanes until the next mini train tour bus went. We figured given the size of Prague we would get an overview on wheels and save our legs a bit.

This proved to be both a good idea and a not so good. Yes we got a fabulous overview, however it was seriously uncomfortable over the stone streets to the point of pain over humps and bumps. For the risk of repeating myself, the number of beautiful buildings is almost too much to take in. Often it is the special little details that catch your eye, for example a pink building that had turquoise blue reliefs on it like stone, or a wrought iron lamp featuring round bobbled glass, or intricate gold coloured phoenix…. And so it goes on.

Praha is very different to Budapest. I am unsure why, perhaps that they are both eastern cities, but in my mind I had them grouped together as similar. I feel that Budapest has its own vibe, or flavour that is somehow Hungarian, whereas Praha feels somewhat familiar European and a little Germanic.

The historic centres here emanate an almost medieval feel in respect of small lanes, streets, and building styles. It is clean, but not as clean as Budapest. There appears a denser concentration of people due to the layout, so feels a lot more crowded. Not negatives, just the differences.

We saw another historic Jewish synagogue that like Budapest has a ridiculous high entry fee of 60 nzd each. I will refrain from sharing my real thoughts, however find it offensive to be charged that amount for a house of worship and will not vist out of principle. It includes access to the cemetery and museum. I feel it does not encourage open learning and acceptance of diversity in my view. I’ll zip it now.

On the way home we came across a Georgian restaurant much to our delight, so stopped there for dinner. We finally got to try a Georgian salad with walnut dressing and it was the highlight of our meal. Other dishes were pork ribs with Adjika, Veal in walnut sauce, rice and vegetables. The decor was beautiful, service fabulous and food delicious. We didn’t make it to desert – again…