I'm scrambling to get things done today. We had to take a trip to the VW dealership to determine what's wrong with the car, again. And I did the last of the company work and have done more packing.
Thursday 6/10/2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Day 442: More company work today
I did more company work today. I also did laundry in preparation for the trip.
Wednesday 6/9/2010
Wednesday 6/9/2010
Day 441: Company work today!
I did company work for most of the day and prepared for our big summer trip.
Tuesday 6/8/2010
Tuesday 6/8/2010
Day 440: Personal work today
I decided to work on some finances this morning along with getting some laundry done. I also blogged for a good part of the day. And I worked on hemming my husband's pants.
Monday 6/7/2010
Monday 6/7/2010
Day 439: Lichtenstein Castle (near Stuttgart)
Again we woke up a bit late. We had a shake and decided to run to the BX to get a few things we needed for our trip and a ream of paper. The BX didn't have Rolaids either! Darn it! It means we have to go to the Patch Commissary before we head out for some fun. The day, once again, is beautiful. We drive over to Patch and they don't have the Rolaids either. I had bought six or seven bottles to keep on hand but it looks like the commissary has totally discontinued them. While I have a small supply on hand (one to two bottles), I'm going to have to find them somewhere online and have them shipped.
We decided to take a drive to Lichtenstein Castle. It's not far from our home so it's a perfect thing to do on a Sunday afternoon. It's about 40 kilometers from where we live but Julie was not helpful. I had printed out a Google map because I didn't have an exact address. We knew it was west of Reutlingen. So we plugged in Reutlingen and then decided to stop when we got there and try to find it using the Points of Interest feature on the GPS. It worked. The castle was listed.
We plugged that in and went another 22 kilometers and found the castle. By this time it was 3pm and Ted was dismayed that we had taken all morning to get moving and get things done.
We parked the car and we could see the castle grounds from the parking lot. We walked up to the castle (which was a steep incline) and we saw that there were ruins in one direction and we headed up another hill in another direction towards the castle grounds.
Exterior view of the Castle - before we went into the Castle compound.
Some Castle ruins.
One of the buildings in the Castle compound.
The front of the building above. The first floor houses a cafe and a little museum.
Interior keep of the Castle. We had to walk over a draw bridge to get to the Castle.
Armor in one of the first rooms we saw in the Castle.
A room in the Castle. The detail and colors of the room are amazing not to mention the stained glass windows!
This is the walkway to the Armory from the Castle.
Although the Castle had a chapel it was for the soldiers. This chapel was built after the first Castle that was built.
A closeup of the Chapel.
We decided to have a bit to eat at the cafe. We sat outside under and umbrella. We split an order Maltauschen (sort of a rolled up ravioli with spinach - the Germans call them 'noodle bags') with egg and a salad. It started to rain as we started to eat but we thought we could wait it out and sure enough soon, the rain was just a drop here and there.
Restaurant near the Castle that where we had a bite to eat. There were tables and umbrellas set up past the right edge of this photo.
We walked back to our car and discovered a wonderful playground in the trees for kids. How fun would that be??
Another shot of the rope bridges for the kids. It looked like a LOT of fun! Wish I was 12 again! LOL!
We decided we needed to have ice cream for dessert so we stopped at our favorite Eis cafe in Bonlanden. They were incredibly busy so I didn't get a chance to talk to the owners.
We then went home where I had Ted try on some pants he bought a while back and that I need to shorten. Then we watched some TV and I chatted on the phone with my best girlfriend.
My daughters called to tell me that their cousin on their father's side had died suddenly. We are deeply saddened because this young man (he was in his early 30s) actually lived with us for a time when he was a little boy. We never know when our time on earth is up. So we have to live each day as if it were our last and love those around us....always.
Sunday 6/6/2010
We decided to take a drive to Lichtenstein Castle. It's not far from our home so it's a perfect thing to do on a Sunday afternoon. It's about 40 kilometers from where we live but Julie was not helpful. I had printed out a Google map because I didn't have an exact address. We knew it was west of Reutlingen. So we plugged in Reutlingen and then decided to stop when we got there and try to find it using the Points of Interest feature on the GPS. It worked. The castle was listed.
We plugged that in and went another 22 kilometers and found the castle. By this time it was 3pm and Ted was dismayed that we had taken all morning to get moving and get things done.
We parked the car and we could see the castle grounds from the parking lot. We walked up to the castle (which was a steep incline) and we saw that there were ruins in one direction and we headed up another hill in another direction towards the castle grounds.
Exterior view of the Castle - before we went into the Castle compound.
Some Castle ruins.
One of the buildings in the Castle compound.
The front of the building above. The first floor houses a cafe and a little museum.
Interior keep of the Castle. We had to walk over a draw bridge to get to the Castle.
Armor in one of the first rooms we saw in the Castle.
A room in the Castle. The detail and colors of the room are amazing not to mention the stained glass windows!
This is the walkway to the Armory from the Castle.
Although the Castle had a chapel it was for the soldiers. This chapel was built after the first Castle that was built.
A closeup of the Chapel.
We decided to have a bit to eat at the cafe. We sat outside under and umbrella. We split an order Maltauschen (sort of a rolled up ravioli with spinach - the Germans call them 'noodle bags') with egg and a salad. It started to rain as we started to eat but we thought we could wait it out and sure enough soon, the rain was just a drop here and there.
Restaurant near the Castle that where we had a bite to eat. There were tables and umbrellas set up past the right edge of this photo.
Another shot of the rope bridges for the kids. It looked like a LOT of fun! Wish I was 12 again! LOL!
We decided we needed to have ice cream for dessert so we stopped at our favorite Eis cafe in Bonlanden. They were incredibly busy so I didn't get a chance to talk to the owners.
We then went home where I had Ted try on some pants he bought a while back and that I need to shorten. Then we watched some TV and I chatted on the phone with my best girlfriend.
My daughters called to tell me that their cousin on their father's side had died suddenly. We are deeply saddened because this young man (he was in his early 30s) actually lived with us for a time when he was a little boy. We never know when our time on earth is up. So we have to live each day as if it were our last and love those around us....always.
Sunday 6/6/2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Day 438: Shopping for bedding
We were going to go somewhere today but because Ted was so tired and he slept in late, we decided to wait until tomorrow. I wanted to get some more shopping done and we went to Kelly where I got everything except the Rolaids. They didn't have it. Sometimes certain commissaries have things that others do not. It's a real pain. While I was shopping he went to get the mail and to exchange dollars for euros because I wanted to go to Reutlingen to pick up the new comforters and two new sets of sheets. I bought duvet and pillow covers a month ago on sale and I want to get our bed ready for the warmer weather since we will be gone for a week.
After unloaded the groceries and putting them away, I went down to the car where Ted had fallen asleep. I forgot to get Julie and we decided to risk it and go to Reutlingen without her. After all, we have been there a number of times, how hard can it be? We took off for Reutlingen and found that we made a wrong turn and had to double back to where we thought the turn should be and sure enough we missed the turn but we found Reutlingen and the store Riegers.
We were in luck as the comforters were on sale - reduced by 50 euro so I was happy about that but upset with myself because I forgot to bring the VAT form. I need to get the VAT forms and put them in an envelope and leave them in the car so I even if I forget to bring them we have a few in the car.
We decided to go to dinner at the Chinese place in Bonlanden. We should have ordered a dinner for two because there was so much food left over we'll be having it for dinner on Monday.
When we got home, it smelled like burning rubber and we thought there were more problems with the car. We were going to check and see if Patch had movie we could go see tonight but there was nothing we wanted to see. We figured we could rent a movie from iTunes for less than what it would cost to go to the movies AND we would be in the comfort of our own home!
I was excited about the new bedding so I quickly made up the bed. Then we heard a fire truck. It sounded very close. Then it stopped right in front of the guest parking. Then another one showed up and finally a third one showed up along with the fire chief. What was going on? I saw where they went to entrance to the building opposite our building (that building is less than 10 feet away from our apartment). They looked like they were trying to get in but didn't have the key. My neighbor downstairs, who fortunately speaks English, was talking to the fireman. I asked him what was going on. He said there was smoke on the other side of the building (I could not see it from our balcony). He asked me if he should call the landlord and I said, of course you should. I would call him myself but I don't have his number nor do I speak German.
Time went by and people gathered across the street to see what was going on. We still didn't know what was going on. Then after awhile one by one, the trucks left. And nothing looked any different.
Then there was knock on the door. Our caretaker came to tell us we had left the lights on the car. Darn it! We JUST bought a new battery for "Greta". Ted quickly went down to shut the lights off and move the car to the garage. The caretaker tried to tell me what had happened in his very limited English. The only thing I could get from it was that the Dentist (I think) was sanitizing some equipment. I think the machine must have shorted and caused a fire. He said the damage was not too bad, there were burnt doors. Since all of the buildings are concrete, the only things that could burn would be any furnishings and woodwork. I asked if the tenant had insurance and he said, yes, she did.
Although I was a bit uneasy during the time they were trying to get into the building, I felt better knowing it was a small fire.
We decided to watch a Jackie Chan movie and then went to bed.
Saturday 6/5/2010
After unloaded the groceries and putting them away, I went down to the car where Ted had fallen asleep. I forgot to get Julie and we decided to risk it and go to Reutlingen without her. After all, we have been there a number of times, how hard can it be? We took off for Reutlingen and found that we made a wrong turn and had to double back to where we thought the turn should be and sure enough we missed the turn but we found Reutlingen and the store Riegers.
We were in luck as the comforters were on sale - reduced by 50 euro so I was happy about that but upset with myself because I forgot to bring the VAT form. I need to get the VAT forms and put them in an envelope and leave them in the car so I even if I forget to bring them we have a few in the car.
We decided to go to dinner at the Chinese place in Bonlanden. We should have ordered a dinner for two because there was so much food left over we'll be having it for dinner on Monday.
When we got home, it smelled like burning rubber and we thought there were more problems with the car. We were going to check and see if Patch had movie we could go see tonight but there was nothing we wanted to see. We figured we could rent a movie from iTunes for less than what it would cost to go to the movies AND we would be in the comfort of our own home!
I was excited about the new bedding so I quickly made up the bed. Then we heard a fire truck. It sounded very close. Then it stopped right in front of the guest parking. Then another one showed up and finally a third one showed up along with the fire chief. What was going on? I saw where they went to entrance to the building opposite our building (that building is less than 10 feet away from our apartment). They looked like they were trying to get in but didn't have the key. My neighbor downstairs, who fortunately speaks English, was talking to the fireman. I asked him what was going on. He said there was smoke on the other side of the building (I could not see it from our balcony). He asked me if he should call the landlord and I said, of course you should. I would call him myself but I don't have his number nor do I speak German.
Time went by and people gathered across the street to see what was going on. We still didn't know what was going on. Then after awhile one by one, the trucks left. And nothing looked any different.
Then there was knock on the door. Our caretaker came to tell us we had left the lights on the car. Darn it! We JUST bought a new battery for "Greta". Ted quickly went down to shut the lights off and move the car to the garage. The caretaker tried to tell me what had happened in his very limited English. The only thing I could get from it was that the Dentist (I think) was sanitizing some equipment. I think the machine must have shorted and caused a fire. He said the damage was not too bad, there were burnt doors. Since all of the buildings are concrete, the only things that could burn would be any furnishings and woodwork. I asked if the tenant had insurance and he said, yes, she did.
Although I was a bit uneasy during the time they were trying to get into the building, I felt better knowing it was a small fire.
We decided to watch a Jackie Chan movie and then went to bed.
Saturday 6/5/2010
Day 437: Company Picnic!
Ted called mid-morning about a summer picnic that one of the company's clients was sponsoring. He came to pick me up at 2:30 to go to the picnic. In the meantime, I had laundry and cleaning to do as well as get our grocery list put together for the coming week.
I called him when I was ready and he came to pick up me. We finally located a parking spot on base which is where the picnic was being held. I had the opportunity of meeting two of Ted's co-workers at the picnic. One of them was born in Spain and there was a German guy there as well. We talked about learning German and the German, Spanish and Italian languages. We also chatted about the history of computers.
Although it turned out to be a beautiful day, it was getting cold in the outdoor pavilion. We decided that we had mingled and spent enough time so we left. We went to the market where I did a bit of shopping for the week and also bought some bread at the bakery next door.
We then went home and spent the evening watching television. It was such a nice evening we had the windows open almost all evening long.
Friday 6/4/2010
I called him when I was ready and he came to pick up me. We finally located a parking spot on base which is where the picnic was being held. I had the opportunity of meeting two of Ted's co-workers at the picnic. One of them was born in Spain and there was a German guy there as well. We talked about learning German and the German, Spanish and Italian languages. We also chatted about the history of computers.
Although it turned out to be a beautiful day, it was getting cold in the outdoor pavilion. We decided that we had mingled and spent enough time so we left. We went to the market where I did a bit of shopping for the week and also bought some bread at the bakery next door.
We then went home and spent the evening watching television. It was such a nice evening we had the windows open almost all evening long.
Friday 6/4/2010
Day 436: Depressing weather!
Another cold, rainy and dreary day! I am so sick of this weather. It's so depressing. It's a German holiday so all of the stores are closed and the streets are very, very quiet. Even my husband commented on how there were very few cars on the road.
I did some laundry and spent another day on the computer.
Thursday 6/3/2010
I did some laundry and spent another day on the computer.
Thursday 6/3/2010
Day 435: Quiet Day
It's still cold, rainy and overcast. It's more like late fall than late spring. I sure wish summer were here already. We had to go pick up Greta (our car) because the mechanic has to order parts and tomorrow is a German holiday so the car will not be repaired until late next week...right before we leave on our big summer trip.
I didn't do much of anything today except make dinner and clean up a bit. I spent most of my day on the computer.
Wednesday 6/2/2010
I didn't do much of anything today except make dinner and clean up a bit. I spent most of my day on the computer.
Wednesday 6/2/2010
Day 434: Cold and rainy day!
The first of June and it still feels like April. It's cold and rainy...still. We have to go pick up the Smart car this morning so I'm up early and trying to put things away before Ted drops me off. At 7:30 he drops me off but Mauro is not yet there nor is anyone else. I stood outside for awhile. There are several placed I could sit down but everything is so wet I don't want to sit down. I decided that perhaps it would be best if I found a cafe nearby and waited until after 8:00 to get the car.
I'm about two blocks from the car shop when I see Mauro drive up. I told him I'd meet him there. I turned around and walked back to the car shop. After a brief discussion about the car, he gave me the keys to the Smart Car and I went home.
The rest of the morning was spent blogging and sending emails to the tour guide in Prague and her boss.
Tuesday 06/02/2010
I'm about two blocks from the car shop when I see Mauro drive up. I told him I'd meet him there. I turned around and walked back to the car shop. After a brief discussion about the car, he gave me the keys to the Smart Car and I went home.
The rest of the morning was spent blogging and sending emails to the tour guide in Prague and her boss.
Tuesday 06/02/2010
Day 433: Leaving Prague, Czech Republic
After getting up and getting packed, it turned out we missed breakfast at the hotel. Since checkout was at 11 and there was no way we could check out, leave our bags in our room, walk to the parking garage and get back to retrieve our bags. We decided instead, to check out and leave our bags at the desk and return to retrieve them after we picked up our car.
We walked towards Revolution street and found a bakery along the way. We stopped to have a Latte Machiatto and a croissant before heading over to the Palladium where our car was parked.
It turns out that our hotel is about four blocks from the parking area. But we didn't see any cross walks. A policeman was approaching and I stopped him to ask where the cross walks were. He didn't understand me at all so I said, never mind and thanked him. I learned several Czech phrases like Thank you, You're welcome, Good day, Good night...it's amazing how few words you need to know just to make friends in a foreign country...or at least make a good impression!
We were able to get across the street which had two sets of tram tracks on it and went inside the Palladium. Ted wanted to check the prices at La Coste and Ecco. While going over to Ecco, I spotted a baby shop where I went in and got a few things for the new baby due to arrive in August. While checking out, the woman wanted to know where we were from. When we said California, she said her daughter lives in "Val-noot" We didn't understand until she wrote it out ....what she meant was Walnut! We think she may have meant Walnut Creek but we could not be sure because she didn't understand the Creek and she gave me a English - Czeck dictionary to look the word up but Creek was not in it. Instead I wrote it down for her.
I said thank you and goodbye to them in Czech....and had huge smiles on their faces. What a simple and lovely people they are!
We got down to the parking area and Ted went to check on the car while I dug out our ticket. It turned out to be about $75 to park for three days but it was well worth it, knowing the car was safe. After picking up our luggage (we had to double park), we were on our way out of the city with Julie leading the way.
After hours on the road and two stops....one for Ted to sample the KFC in the Czech Republic and one to fill the tank with diesel. The KFC smelled funny to me but Ted ate it. I only sampled some fries.
The rest of the way home was uneventful. Although the weather had been nice in Prague it was once again rainy, cool and overcast in Stuttgart. We unloaded the car and checked email for the next hour or so. After making a few calls to my children for Memorial Day, we walked over to Mamma Maria's for Pizza.
We regaled Michele with our trip to Prague...especially about meeting up with the Italians. He thought it was hilarious. He also asked us some technical questions about uploading files to Facebook. I have to do some research for him for that.
After coming home, we watched some TV and went to bed. Time to unpack and clean up tomorrow.
Monday 5/31/2010
The rest of the way home was uneventful. Although the weather had been nice in Prague it was once again rainy, cool and overcast in Stuttgart. We unloaded the car and checked email for the next hour or so. After making a few calls to my children for Memorial Day, we walked over to Mamma Maria's for Pizza.
We regaled Michele with our trip to Prague...especially about meeting up with the Italians. He thought it was hilarious. He also asked us some technical questions about uploading files to Facebook. I have to do some research for him for that.
After coming home, we watched some TV and went to bed. Time to unpack and clean up tomorrow.
Monday 5/31/2010
Day 432: Prague, Czech Republic - Day 3
I didn't think we would get up early nor did I think we would be able to walk after yesterday's marathon walking day! But we did! The day started out chilly with a bit of drizzle but worked its way to a sunny and warm afternoon.
After a really good breakfast, we decided we wanted to take a night river cruise with dinner. We were pleasantly surprised to find that we would be picked up and dropped off which was welcomed! We had our hotel clerk arrange the dinner cruise.
After breakfast, we decided to walk up to New Town to visit the Communism Museum. One of Ted's former co-worker said that we needed to see that while in Prague.
We walked up to New Town using our handy dandy map. We ran into Nina, our tour guide from yesterday, who wanted to know what happened to us yesterday. We explained the situation and told her how much we enjoyed the tour but we were hurting puppies after yesterday's marathon march. We mentioned that we were interested in going to the Communism museum and she kindly gave us and discount card for it. It wasn't much but every little bit helps!
Before going into the museum, we stopped to have a Latte Macchiato and do some people watching. We spent a few hours in the museum, absorbing what it was like to live in a Communist country. My heart went out to the people of the Czech Republic. After 40 long years of repression, they were finally free. The parallels of how their country succumbed to Communism is strikingly the same as to what is going on in the United States today. It's frightening and eerie. It feels like we learned nothing and that history is repeating itself. In fact, it's not about the people...it's about the forces of good and evil warring with one another.
Entrance to the Museum was up the stairs and to the left. On the right was a casino. How funny!
Photo of the Communist interrogation room.
Another photo of the Communism interrogation room.
My daughter, who went to school in Luxembourg for a semester, loved Prague and went back on several occasions during her stay in Luxembourg. She strongly recommended it. She went in 1995 so I believe the country had not yet been indoctrinated into western capitalism. While there, we saw Starbucks, KFC, McDonalds and Century 21. In fact, it's a bit sad to see these companies there.
Antique cars were used to do sight-seeing. KFC in the background.
I picked up a book, Legacy, in order to read more about the rise and fall of Communism in the Czech Repbulic. After soberly leaving the museum, we walked towards the Jewish Quarter but decided to stop for lunch at a Mediterranean restaurant along the way. I had a lunch of grilled eggplant and Ted had some fish.
We ran into the South African mother and daughter along the way
After lunch we went in search of the Jerusalem museum and the Crystal place we visited yesterday. We found the crystal place not to far from the place that sold the tickets for the Jerusalem museum. I purchased a pitcher (I collect them) and six glasses. It's reminiscent of the ruby glass that my grandmother had in her home. And they will deliver it to our hotel by evening...which means I don't have to carry it with me for the rest of the day!
What is interesting is that the Jerusalem museum is not a museum at all but rather a combination of the five or six Synagogues and the Jewish cemetery. Because of our time restrictions, we could only choose one Synagogue to see. We chose to visit the Pinka Synagogue because it was the one with the cemetery.
Building in the Jewish Quarter.
Another building in the Jewish Quarter.
Jewish tablet on one of the buildings.
The Synagogue happened to be the one where all of the names of the Czech Jews who were murdered during World War II are listed. There are over 77,000 names listed with last name and first initial in red, then their birth date and death date (interesting that the day and year are listed by regular numbers but the month is listed in roman numerals) followed by where they lived. When you see names upon names upon names, wall after wall, after wall...it breaks your heart to think that these people lost their lives because of their beliefs. On the upper level of the Synagogue, there were children's paintings from the Czech concentration camp. Of the 10,000 children there, only 242 survived. It was painful to see their drawings until finally I could no longer look at them. After coming down the stairs we were directed through a courtyard to the cemetery. The graveyard had stones dating back to the early 14th century. Many of the inscriptions were worn off. Many of the stones had been broken or were angled. There was even one that been moved to a 45 degree angle by the root of a tree and the root had grown around it. On the one hand, I found it disheartening that the cemetery wasn't well kept in that it was over grown with tall grasses and some weeds but on the other hand, it was a stark reminder of time marching on. Unfortunately, we could not take any photos in the Synagogue or in the cemetery.
We left the cemetery to go back to the hotel for a short rest. But my husband insisted (once again) to go his own way (without looking at the map). I followed but grumbled because I knew we were going in the wrong direction because I had the foresight to look at the map. After disagreeing about it, he finally relented and looked at the map. That's all I wanted in the first place...for him to decide where to go and then confirm it by looking at the map. He finally concurred that we were going in the wrong direction and we doubled back to where we were when we took a wrong turn.
We came to the backside of the Astronomical clock square where we found a small place that made the city's delicacy - and I don't know what the name of it was! It is a sweet bread wrapped around wooden dowels (it looks like cork screws) and covered in sugar, cinnamon and nuts and then roasted over an open fire. We decided to have a snack and some water and then head back to the hotel.
We sat in a treed area with benches just behind the Astronomical clock. There were the antique car tours and the horse and buggy tours...both of which we would have loved to take but did not do. I wish we could have had a few more days to do those two types of tours but alas, it was not meant to be.
Again, we went in the wrong direction and of course, my husband was hard-headed again. But we finally found our hotel and rested for about 45 minutes until our driver for the dinner cruise came to pick us up. What was really neat was that we did not know that we were going to get an hour mini-bus tour before we got on the boat.
Our tour guide while good, was not Nina. She did not have Nina's wonderful personality! However, she filled in the holes of the places we did not get to see yesterday.
We ran into a couple from Texas on the tour but did not sit with them. Instead we sat with two school teachers from England who were on our walking tour yesterday. We also ran into Nina again who was bringing another tour to the boat we were on. I got to ask Nina a few questions I wanted to know about and she explained them to me.
We spent three hours on the boat going through the locks in the river and having a wonderful time with our new British friends. We exchanged emails and the one school teacher offered to "put us up" if we ever got to England.
During the time on the boat, we had live music entertainment. He had a wonderful repetoire of music. After the dinner cruise was over, we hugged each of our new friends because we were getting a taxi and they were getting a mini-van. It ended up that we went into the mini-van with them. Soon we were whisked to our hotel. I still had trouble sleeping but we didn't have to move quickly tomorrow it doesn't matter.
Sunday 5/30/2010
Sunday 5/30/2010
After a really good breakfast, we decided we wanted to take a night river cruise with dinner. We were pleasantly surprised to find that we would be picked up and dropped off which was welcomed! We had our hotel clerk arrange the dinner cruise.
After breakfast, we decided to walk up to New Town to visit the Communism Museum. One of Ted's former co-worker said that we needed to see that while in Prague.
We walked up to New Town using our handy dandy map. We ran into Nina, our tour guide from yesterday, who wanted to know what happened to us yesterday. We explained the situation and told her how much we enjoyed the tour but we were hurting puppies after yesterday's marathon march. We mentioned that we were interested in going to the Communism museum and she kindly gave us and discount card for it. It wasn't much but every little bit helps!
Before going into the museum, we stopped to have a Latte Macchiato and do some people watching. We spent a few hours in the museum, absorbing what it was like to live in a Communist country. My heart went out to the people of the Czech Republic. After 40 long years of repression, they were finally free. The parallels of how their country succumbed to Communism is strikingly the same as to what is going on in the United States today. It's frightening and eerie. It feels like we learned nothing and that history is repeating itself. In fact, it's not about the people...it's about the forces of good and evil warring with one another.
Entrance to the Museum was up the stairs and to the left. On the right was a casino. How funny!
Photo of the Communist interrogation room.
Another photo of the Communism interrogation room.
My daughter, who went to school in Luxembourg for a semester, loved Prague and went back on several occasions during her stay in Luxembourg. She strongly recommended it. She went in 1995 so I believe the country had not yet been indoctrinated into western capitalism. While there, we saw Starbucks, KFC, McDonalds and Century 21. In fact, it's a bit sad to see these companies there.
Antique cars were used to do sight-seeing. KFC in the background.
I picked up a book, Legacy, in order to read more about the rise and fall of Communism in the Czech Repbulic. After soberly leaving the museum, we walked towards the Jewish Quarter but decided to stop for lunch at a Mediterranean restaurant along the way. I had a lunch of grilled eggplant and Ted had some fish.
We ran into the South African mother and daughter along the way
After lunch we went in search of the Jerusalem museum and the Crystal place we visited yesterday. We found the crystal place not to far from the place that sold the tickets for the Jerusalem museum. I purchased a pitcher (I collect them) and six glasses. It's reminiscent of the ruby glass that my grandmother had in her home. And they will deliver it to our hotel by evening...which means I don't have to carry it with me for the rest of the day!
What is interesting is that the Jerusalem museum is not a museum at all but rather a combination of the five or six Synagogues and the Jewish cemetery. Because of our time restrictions, we could only choose one Synagogue to see. We chose to visit the Pinka Synagogue because it was the one with the cemetery.
Building in the Jewish Quarter.
Another building in the Jewish Quarter.
Jewish tablet on one of the buildings.
The Synagogue happened to be the one where all of the names of the Czech Jews who were murdered during World War II are listed. There are over 77,000 names listed with last name and first initial in red, then their birth date and death date (interesting that the day and year are listed by regular numbers but the month is listed in roman numerals) followed by where they lived. When you see names upon names upon names, wall after wall, after wall...it breaks your heart to think that these people lost their lives because of their beliefs. On the upper level of the Synagogue, there were children's paintings from the Czech concentration camp. Of the 10,000 children there, only 242 survived. It was painful to see their drawings until finally I could no longer look at them. After coming down the stairs we were directed through a courtyard to the cemetery. The graveyard had stones dating back to the early 14th century. Many of the inscriptions were worn off. Many of the stones had been broken or were angled. There was even one that been moved to a 45 degree angle by the root of a tree and the root had grown around it. On the one hand, I found it disheartening that the cemetery wasn't well kept in that it was over grown with tall grasses and some weeds but on the other hand, it was a stark reminder of time marching on. Unfortunately, we could not take any photos in the Synagogue or in the cemetery.
We left the cemetery to go back to the hotel for a short rest. But my husband insisted (once again) to go his own way (without looking at the map). I followed but grumbled because I knew we were going in the wrong direction because I had the foresight to look at the map. After disagreeing about it, he finally relented and looked at the map. That's all I wanted in the first place...for him to decide where to go and then confirm it by looking at the map. He finally concurred that we were going in the wrong direction and we doubled back to where we were when we took a wrong turn.
We came to the backside of the Astronomical clock square where we found a small place that made the city's delicacy - and I don't know what the name of it was! It is a sweet bread wrapped around wooden dowels (it looks like cork screws) and covered in sugar, cinnamon and nuts and then roasted over an open fire. We decided to have a snack and some water and then head back to the hotel.
We sat in a treed area with benches just behind the Astronomical clock. There were the antique car tours and the horse and buggy tours...both of which we would have loved to take but did not do. I wish we could have had a few more days to do those two types of tours but alas, it was not meant to be.
Again, we went in the wrong direction and of course, my husband was hard-headed again. But we finally found our hotel and rested for about 45 minutes until our driver for the dinner cruise came to pick us up. What was really neat was that we did not know that we were going to get an hour mini-bus tour before we got on the boat.
Our tour guide while good, was not Nina. She did not have Nina's wonderful personality! However, she filled in the holes of the places we did not get to see yesterday.
We ran into a couple from Texas on the tour but did not sit with them. Instead we sat with two school teachers from England who were on our walking tour yesterday. We also ran into Nina again who was bringing another tour to the boat we were on. I got to ask Nina a few questions I wanted to know about and she explained them to me.
We spent three hours on the boat going through the locks in the river and having a wonderful time with our new British friends. We exchanged emails and the one school teacher offered to "put us up" if we ever got to England.
During the time on the boat, we had live music entertainment. He had a wonderful repetoire of music. After the dinner cruise was over, we hugged each of our new friends because we were getting a taxi and they were getting a mini-van. It ended up that we went into the mini-van with them. Soon we were whisked to our hotel. I still had trouble sleeping but we didn't have to move quickly tomorrow it doesn't matter.
Sunday 5/30/2010
Sunday 5/30/2010
Day 431: Prague, Czech Republic - Day 2
Breakfast was in the hotel dining room and was a buffet. I didn't care for the eggs because they were quite runny. But Ted liked them. At least it was breakfast!
Wencelas Square is in New Town which is not really square or new at all. It dates back to the 13th or 14th Century. It is the location where all politcal rallies are held.
It is also the place where Russian tanks came through to take over the country in 1948. The square oozes history. The museum at the top of the square, seemed to have areas of light colored tiles across some of the columns. In reality, those light colored tiles are rather knicks made into the stone from Russian artillery. The Czech people wish to keep those knicks to remind them of that era of repression.
(View of King Wencelas Square from the other direction)
Grand Hotel in King Wencelas Square.
In February 1969, a student burned himself to death in protest of Communism. Another student followed in his footsteps in March 1969. They are commemorated on a tombstone in the square.
A very little known statue of King Wencelaus but we had to walk through a maze of hallways and passageways to see it. We would have never known to look for this particular site had it not been for our amazing tour guide, Nina. As we walked in and through various passageways, I was reminded of how those passageways most likely represented people's homes in years gone by.
At the bottom of the square is the line separating Old Town from New Town. I find it interesting that in the same passageway along the bottom of the square is the Communist Museum and McDonalds. Ted with one foot in Old Town and one foot in New Town!
Next we walked through Old town and got the story of the Astronomical clock. It is the only clock of its kind in the world. It is incredible and the story behind it is also incredible. The Czech people wanted a clock that no one else had. The clock dates back to 1410 when it was made by clockmaker Mikuláš of Kadaň and Jan Šindel, the latter a professor of mathematics and astronomy at Charles University. The story goes that after the clock was made, the council members of Prague had the clock maker's eyes gouged out so that he could never again make another clock like it. His last wish was to feel the clock in his hands one more time before he died. The council members granted the wish and while he was feeling the clock he did something to it so that it didn't work any longer. It would be another 100 years before the clock would again work.
Community Building in Old Town Square.
Buildings in Old Town Square!
A Street in Old Town.
Cathedral in Old Town Square.
Another church in Old Town Square. Note that the towers are different widths!
Another view of the above church from a different street.
On the square at the side of the Astronomical clock, there are 27 crosses which are there to commemorate the 27 Noble men who were executed after the battle of White Mountain in June of 1621. It is said to be bad luck to walk upon them.
Statue of Charles at the entrance to the Charles Bridge, which is a pedestrian bridge and it was under re-construction. There was a massive number of people on the bridge despite the re-construction.
Band on the Charles River.
One of the statues on the Charles Bridge. What I found interesting was the Jewish writing on the Crucifix. I would have never imagined anyone would have created a crucifix such as this!
After the boat trip we went back through the Jewish quarter and stopped at a local crystal shop to look around. Our tour guide gave us discount tickets to buy something. We did not want to buy right now but planned to return tomorrow. We then walked on the restaurant where we ate a three-course lunch. We dined in Old Town (another long walk) and sat with an Australian couple. We enjoyed their company very much. After lunch, Nina handed me a DVD along with her email address and that of her boss.
We also spoke to two girls who were American students in Vienna. They were from the Northeast.
The tram we took up to the Castle where the President and his family actually lives. The tram reminded me of the trams that once went around my hometown city of Youngstown, Ohio. I remember them as a little girl. Sadly, there are very few of them left in the U.S.
By the time we got to the Castle we just wanted to sit down! But we trekked onward. We passed through the guard area and then went past the Cathedral.
Cathedral in the Castle compound.
Building in the Castle compound.
Another building in the Castle compound.
Fountain in the Castle compound.
Palace in the Castle compound that's still being used by the President and his family.
I have no idea what this metal cubicle was but I thought it was cool along with the round building behind it!
This mosaic window on the Cathedral was amazing as was the architecture of this Cathedral.
Gargoyles on the Cathedral.
While we were walked down the hill, we stopped now and again and lost sight of the "yellow umbrella". Since it was the end of the tour, we decided to chuck it and sit for awhile and rest our feet. We were outside the Castle gate and managed to see the changing of the guards.
View of Prague from the Castle.
View of the Vineyards outside the Castle.
View of the river and of Prague.
We tried calling for a taxi but the company could not understand where we were. We ended up taking the tram back to the Lesser Square and then hailing a taxi from there. We decided to go straight to the restaurant we wanted to go to last night. It turns out we were less than a block away from where we were the day before. I had invested in a REALLY good map of the city and it totally came in handy!
We decided to take a six and a half hour tour of Prague. Part of it was a walking tour, part of it was by tram and part of it was on a boat with lunch included. Because we knew we would be walking a lot, we decided to take a cab to the starting point of the tour. We were fortunate that it was a terrific day. Sunny but not too warm!
We had to find out where this tour started and how to buy the tickets. The pamphlet said to look for the person with the yellow umbrella in Wencelaus Square. The tour was an overview of the city and would serve us well so that we could decide where we wanted to spend our second day in a little more depth. We found the person with the umbrella and she directed us to a place across the boulevard to buy the tickets. We had time since the tour didn't start until 10:30 and it was only a little after 10. After buying our tickets we walked back across the street to the center of the boulevard. While waiting we talked with a mother and daughter who were visiting Prague. They were from Columbia but the daughter was studying English in London. I could speak a little bit of Spanish to them which was good.
Our tour guide, Nina, was fantastic. She not only spoke excellent English, she had a terrific sense of humor and was very knowledgeable about her city. She told us the story of King Wencelas who is the Patron Saint of the Czech people. We know King Wencelas from our beloved Christmas Carol, 'Good King Wencelaus'.
What is interesting is that the Czech people had never heard of the Christmas Carol! The words to the carol "Good King Wenceslas" were written by John Mason Neale and published in 1853, the music originates in Finland 300 years earlier. This Christmas carol is unusual as there is no reference in the lyrics to the nativity. Good King Wenceslas was the king of Bohemia in the 10th century. Good King Wenceslas was a devout Catholic and was martyred following his assassination by his brother Boleslaw, and his supporters. Wenceslas was raised as a Christian by his paternal grandmother while Boleslaw was raised as a pagan by his mother. Wencelas' Saint's Day is September 28th. St. Stephen's feast day was celebrated on 26th December which is why this song is sung as a Christmas carol.
It is also the place where Russian tanks came through to take over the country in 1948. The square oozes history. The museum at the top of the square, seemed to have areas of light colored tiles across some of the columns. In reality, those light colored tiles are rather knicks made into the stone from Russian artillery. The Czech people wish to keep those knicks to remind them of that era of repression.
(View of King Wencelas Square from the other direction)
Grand Hotel in King Wencelas Square.
From 1948 to 1989, the Czech people suffered 40 long years of oppression by Communist Russia.
Next we walked through Old town and got the story of the Astronomical clock. It is the only clock of its kind in the world. It is incredible and the story behind it is also incredible. The Czech people wanted a clock that no one else had. The clock dates back to 1410 when it was made by clockmaker Mikuláš of Kadaň and Jan Šindel, the latter a professor of mathematics and astronomy at Charles University. The story goes that after the clock was made, the council members of Prague had the clock maker's eyes gouged out so that he could never again make another clock like it. His last wish was to feel the clock in his hands one more time before he died. The council members granted the wish and while he was feeling the clock he did something to it so that it didn't work any longer. It would be another 100 years before the clock would again work.
Astronomical Clock in Old Town Square. Our hotel was about two blocks from this square.
Community Building in Old Town Square.
Buildings in Old Town Square!
A Street in Old Town.
Cathedral in Old Town Square.
Another church in Old Town Square. Note that the towers are different widths!
On the square at the side of the Astronomical clock, there are 27 crosses which are there to commemorate the 27 Noble men who were executed after the battle of White Mountain in June of 1621. It is said to be bad luck to walk upon them.
Then we walked through the Jewish quarter to the boat. We got to the boat and got a complimentary drink. We sat with another mother and daughter traveling. They were from South Africa. We had a wonderful hour long ride talking to them and resting our aching feet! The boat tour took us under the Charles Bridge which is the most famous bridge.
Statue of Charles at the entrance to the Charles Bridge, which is a pedestrian bridge and it was under re-construction. There was a massive number of people on the bridge despite the re-construction.
After the boat trip we went back through the Jewish quarter and stopped at a local crystal shop to look around. Our tour guide gave us discount tickets to buy something. We did not want to buy right now but planned to return tomorrow. We then walked on the restaurant where we ate a three-course lunch. We dined in Old Town (another long walk) and sat with an Australian couple. We enjoyed their company very much. After lunch, Nina handed me a DVD along with her email address and that of her boss.
We also spoke to two girls who were American students in Vienna. They were from the Northeast.
After lunch we walked over the Charles bridge to Lesser Town Square where we got on the tram to go up to the Castle. Another younger couple from Belgium seemed to be looking out for us and made sure we kept with the group. That was really nice of them.
Building in Lesser Town Square. Everywhere you look there's something to see and it's all different! A veritable melting pot of architecture from end of the city to the other.
The tram we took up to the Castle where the President and his family actually lives. The tram reminded me of the trams that once went around my hometown city of Youngstown, Ohio. I remember them as a little girl. Sadly, there are very few of them left in the U.S.
By the time we got to the Castle we just wanted to sit down! But we trekked onward. We passed through the guard area and then went past the Cathedral.
Cathedral in the Castle compound.
Building in the Castle compound.
Fountain in the Castle compound.
Palace in the Castle compound that's still being used by the President and his family.
I have no idea what this metal cubicle was but I thought it was cool along with the round building behind it!
This mosaic window on the Cathedral was amazing as was the architecture of this Cathedral.
Gargoyles on the Cathedral.
While we were walked down the hill, we stopped now and again and lost sight of the "yellow umbrella". Since it was the end of the tour, we decided to chuck it and sit for awhile and rest our feet. We were outside the Castle gate and managed to see the changing of the guards.
Guards were stationed at both entrances. And while they never moved, their eyes followed the crowds to ensure there were no issues.
Now all we wanted to do was get to our hotel! As we walked down the slopes of the vineyards, we wondered if we would ever reach the street so we could get a taxi back. Had we thought about it better, we would have arranged transportation ahead of time or we would have chosen a tour that had that option!
Now all we wanted to do was get to our hotel! As we walked down the slopes of the vineyards, we wondered if we would ever reach the street so we could get a taxi back. Had we thought about it better, we would have arranged transportation ahead of time or we would have chosen a tour that had that option!
We got to a certain point and I heard someone say in Italian, "would you take a photo". I answered that I would. The young man, said no, he wanted the young lady to do it but another young man, ran over and said...please, please come sit with us. They were sitting on grass on a very steep slope near the vineyard. They helped me up the slope and I feared I would not be able to get down. They wanted me to sit and get a photo with them. They took several photos. Then Ted came up the slope to help me up but I was afraid of falling so I told the young man that I would slide down the slope on my bum. He laughed and sat down and told everyone to play along and we all slid down the slope. It turns out that these young men and some of the young women were from near Naples, Italy. Once again, no matter where I go in Europe, I find Italians! Spending these few minutes with these young people, made us forget about our sore feet and legs. It turns out that one was an architect, another was a naval architect, and a few were doctors. One of the women was Spanish and I was able to speak to her in Spanish. Not as easily of course as with the Neapolitans, though!
View of Prague from the Castle.
View of the Vineyards outside the Castle.
We tried calling for a taxi but the company could not understand where we were. We ended up taking the tram back to the Lesser Square and then hailing a taxi from there. We decided to go straight to the restaurant we wanted to go to last night. It turns out we were less than a block away from where we were the day before. I had invested in a REALLY good map of the city and it totally came in handy!
Dinner was lovely! With all the walking and the amount of water we drank at the castle, we were not that hungry. Ted had French onion soup and a salad and I had a salad. We split an orange crepe and half liter of Rosee wine. When it was time to go back to the hotel, my husband insisted on going a certain direction...which later turned out to be the WRONG direction. I wanted to go one way, he wanted to go the opposite. After walking around in circles for awhile, we ended up back at the restaurant and he agreed to go the way I wanted to go in the first place. Of course now my feet were REALLY killing me and I was mad at him for not listening in the first place. We finally made it to the hotel only to find that we couldn't get the air conditioner to work. After all the walking through the city, we both needed showers. I finally was able to get the air conditioner to work. And after a few advils, I was able to fall asleep.
Saturday 5/29/2010
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