More Prague
Prague, Czech Republic
When we first arrived, the driver who took us from the airport to our hotel told us that Prague, in his opinion, is as beautiful as most of the capitals of Europe but is playing "catch up" after many years of Soviet Russian domination. He said things were cheaper in Prague and the tourist facilities are not quite as nice.
Well, they do seem to be catching up quickly. The city already sports a McDonalds and at least two KCF's. And, there is nothing cheap about the many crystal and jewelry shops. But, in the old town, very little modern interferes with the look of the ancient city with remnants of buildings left from a thousand years ago.
We have been attending many concerts, mostly in churches. The quality of the performers is extraordinary. And, of course, the concerts all feature the classics - Mozart, Vivaldi, Bach, etc. - which is exactly to my taste. So far, we have been to two concerts in old churches. Hard on the butt but easy on the ears.
Today we took a tour of "Prague in the early morning." Our tour guide turned out to be a former singer with the opera company of the National Theatre. Besides having sung with Pavorotti and having traveled the world, he has lived through WWII and the loss of two homes and members of his family, the German invasion, the Russian invasion and occupation and what is known as the "velvet revolution" or the bloodless revolution again Russia. We were the only two who showed up for the tour so what was advertised as a three hour tour took nearly five. And, we learned a great deal about the country. This included learning that a certain statue on the Charles River Bridget that is supposed to bring good luck when touched is being touched on the wrong spot by most tourists. It is a sculpture of a former queen confessing to a priest. The priest was later tortured and thrown off the Charles River Bridge because he refused to reveal the nature of her confession. Nearby, stands her dog. It is good luck to touch the woman but tourists have rubbed the dog shiny. Go figure.
Another concert tonight.
Love, Janet
When we first arrived, the driver who took us from the airport to our hotel told us that Prague, in his opinion, is as beautiful as most of the capitals of Europe but is playing "catch up" after many years of Soviet Russian domination. He said things were cheaper in Prague and the tourist facilities are not quite as nice.
Well, they do seem to be catching up quickly. The city already sports a McDonalds and at least two KCF's. And, there is nothing cheap about the many crystal and jewelry shops. But, in the old town, very little modern interferes with the look of the ancient city with remnants of buildings left from a thousand years ago.
We have been attending many concerts, mostly in churches. The quality of the performers is extraordinary. And, of course, the concerts all feature the classics - Mozart, Vivaldi, Bach, etc. - which is exactly to my taste. So far, we have been to two concerts in old churches. Hard on the butt but easy on the ears.
Today we took a tour of "Prague in the early morning." Our tour guide turned out to be a former singer with the opera company of the National Theatre. Besides having sung with Pavorotti and having traveled the world, he has lived through WWII and the loss of two homes and members of his family, the German invasion, the Russian invasion and occupation and what is known as the "velvet revolution" or the bloodless revolution again Russia. We were the only two who showed up for the tour so what was advertised as a three hour tour took nearly five. And, we learned a great deal about the country. This included learning that a certain statue on the Charles River Bridget that is supposed to bring good luck when touched is being touched on the wrong spot by most tourists. It is a sculpture of a former queen confessing to a priest. The priest was later tortured and thrown off the Charles River Bridge because he refused to reveal the nature of her confession. Nearby, stands her dog. It is good luck to touch the woman but tourists have rubbed the dog shiny. Go figure.
Another concert tonight.
Love, Janet
posted by Mel and Janet Muchnik | 8:13 AM
1 Comments:
"Cathcing up" includes getting a McDonald's and KFC?? I would think that it is going backward!
Attending concerts in churches is awesome. When we were in Italy we attended many; painted frescoes, beautiful music and historical buildings are awe-inspiring - but, hard on the butt!
Glad to hear you're enjoying yourselves; also, glad to read that you haven't gotten to know the medical community like you did in the South Pacific.
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