OLD TOWN PRAGUE

                                   A Beautiful Ancient City

       Crooked 11^th century roads wind around ancient Bohemian architectural relics. The town square is the oldest in Europe and the town hall dates to 1338 and today  is used only for ceremonial purposes. In front of the town hall sits the 1410 astronomical clock which attracts

large crowds on the hour when the clock chimes (9AM to 9 PM). Various characters appear representing the miser, vanity and skeleton. The clock also shows the year, month, day and hour, the rising and setting of the sun and moon and the signs of the zodiac.  We made a point of being on the square, to join the gathering crowd, later in the day. It was worth the effort!

      The Charles Bridge dominates the city. The 1700-foot bridge with 16 arches ends (or starts) at Old Town. Thirty 17^th century sculptures top each of its supports. On the other end of the bridge is Lesser Town. The first bridge was a wooden one and was destroyed by a flood. The second bridge was built of stone (then called Judith Bridge), but also was destroyed by floods.  The 3^rd and present bridge, built in 1357, is of stone and concrete. The pedestrian part of it becomes an art gallery on certain days, and is a good place to find a nice souvenir painting. Charles‘s mother was Czech and there is a larger than life statue of him on the Old Town side. The bridge has been called the Charles Bridge since 1870.    

      Surrounding Charles Square is a Jesuit complex with five different architectural styles.  The tower gate was part of an 11-meter high fortification wall of the medieval city. Above the arch of the gate are three statues: one of Charles IV, one of St Vitus and one of Prince Wenceslas. Below the statues is a lion, the symbol of Bohemia.

      The gate on the Lesser Town side was finished a century later and  has two towers.

      New To The 14^th century Cathedral of Our Lady of Tyn is also on the square. It is a very different style and once you’ve seen it you’ll always remember it.  Established in 1348 it was built around Old Town that today is the industrial and commercial center of Prague with public buildings, banks and museums. The 1630 Wallenstein Palace now houses the Senate of the Czech Republic.

      The city is full of castles, palaces, and churches. There are too many for me to try to list here, and It would be hard to see them all, but each can make his own decision on which ones to visit.

    

PRAGUE

                         Czech Republic's Prized City

     Our hotel in Prague, in a quiet residential area, was in the process of restoration. Built in 1910, it was owned by the owner’s grandmother. When the Communists took over the house they allowed the lady to live in a small two room apartment. She died in 1985. When the country was free from the communists the grandson put in for repatriation and regained the home. He was restoring the home as time and money permitted. In the beginning he had as many employees as guests and quickly learning that was not profitable, he made changes and was progressing. It was a lovely home and by now I suspect he has finished the restoration.

      Our lectures, all by college professors, were excellent and so interesting that we didn’t mind sitting generally for three hours!  The Czech Republic consists of Bohemia, Monrovia and Silesia. The rest of what once was Czechoslovakia in now Slovakia.  The Czech Republic is landlocked by Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland. In spite of heavy deforestation, one-third of the country remains forest. However, in northern Bohemia the forest is damaged from acid rain from burning low grade brown coal and presents a problem for the country.

      Prague is a huge city and so our local guide split our sightseeing into four full half days. The city is built on seven hills and on both sides of the Vltava River. It is often referred to as the City of a Hundred Spires. The city of stone and limestone dates back to 965, and is now a UNESCO site.

     The city is a living museum and an architectural treasure. Although occupied by Germans during WW II, fortunately it received no major damage. The Gothic architecture dates to the Romans and the Baroque to the Hapsburg era. Prague, the country’s largest city is the center of cultural and intellectual life as well as the main commercial and industrial center. Prague University,1348, dates to Charles IV and is the oldest in central Europe. It is also a city of castles, manors, and museums.

     The Vltava River runs through the city in the shape of a question mark separating Mala Strana—Lesser Town on the west bank—from Stare Mesto—Old Town on the east bank..  Eighteen bridges span the river, the Charles Bridge being the most famous.

     Prague is a wonderful city, loaded with history and with much to see and do.

Much more to come.

A COUPLE AUSSIE SURPRISES

                        Always Learning Something New

The Remote

      When traveling, my buddy and I agree that there is too much to see and do in a new place to turn on the TV. We figure if anything wild is going on in the world someone will let us know about it.

      We were in Melbourne, Australia in late 2000 when we the president had not been decided yet. Everywhere we went people asked, “What’s the matter with you Americans? Why can’t you elect a president?”

      One day, after tramping all around the city, we returned to our delightful little boutique hotel. Upon entering our room I asked, “Do you think we should turn on the TV and see if we have a president.”

     “I’m really getting tired of all the questions. I think maybe this might be an exception. The remote is there. Go ahead and turn the box on,” she replied.

      Picking up the remote I pushed the power button. Nothing happened, so I pushed it again. And again. Again. Exasperated I threw the remote on the bed disgustedly saying, “I know I’m technologically challenged, but you’d think I could turn on a darn TV!”

     Just about that time she grabbed her blouse and said, “It’s sure hot in here.”

     Simultaneously, we both looked at her bedside table and saw another remote. She picked it up, pushed the power button and, waala, we had TV! We started to laugh as we realized I had the heat remote and I’d been turning up the heat with every push of the button!

      For years after that, every time we walked into a new hotel room, we’d look at the TV and one of us would say, “Remember Melbourne?” and have a good chuckle.

Early Wakeup Call

      In the Australian Outback the wake-up call came at 3:15 AM. It was only a short ride to the field where our balloon waited, deflated on the ground. We all pitched in to arrange the balloon so it could receive air and inflate. At daybreak we quietly floated over browsing cattle and wild horses running on the plain below. Mobs of kangaroos were hopping everywhere. The animals were way too numerous to count. The unbelievable quiet tempered our comments even though we were all excited.

       I tried to capture the spectacular sunrise on film but wasn’t very successful. As the day lightened we spotted several other balloons in the air. This was my third balloon ride and I’m always amazed at the incredible peaceful quietness.

       All too soon, it was time to descend. After a safe landing everyone pitched in to fold up the balloon and pack it away in its compact holding case.

       On the way back to town we stopped at a tavern that opened just for us early in the morning, We all enjoyed the traditional champagne breakfast and the silence was no more. No restraint on our excitement and noisy comments. Eating on the patio that lovely warm morning enjoying good food, sipping champagne and enjoying good camaraderie was a wonderful fun way to start a day!

YAROSLAVL, RUSSIA

                                 A City with a View!
      When we visited Yaroslavl, the oldest city on the Volga, the day dawned bright and sunny. The lovely water-front town is graced with attractive parks and wide tree lined boulevards and is one of Russia’s most beautiful and best-known towns.  Over ten centuries old and one of the Golden Ring cities, it stretches for miles along the confluence of the Volga and Kotorosi Rivers. Always a major trading center, the prosperous mercantile center boasts a plethora of dazzling churches built by merchants and containing more medieval wall paintings and frescos than any other Russian town.

      In the 8-10^th centuries Finno-Ugric tribes called their outpost Bear Corner. The pagan tribes worshiped bears. Occasionally those tribes exploited their privileged riverfront position by ambushing merchant ships.

       Legend says that Prince Yaroslavl went ashore to talk local inhabitants out of their pagan ways and they responded by turning a ferocious bear on him. In an impressive wrestling match the Prince subdued and killed the bear. He ordered the building of a church and thus the city was born in 1010.

      In 1218 Yaroslavl became the capitol of its own principality. In 1238 Mongol-Tartars sacked the city, but it remained an independent principality and an important port for the next 225 years. Ivan the Great annexed the principality to Muscovy in 1463. When Moscow was occupied in 1598, the Russian capitol was transferred to Yaroslavl until 1613. The years 1613-1703 became a golden age as the city became the most prominent mercantile center in the upper Volga region. Trade routes from both the mid East and Europe converged on Yaroslavl.

      A short road connects Red and Theater Squares. We passed the old gate to the city on our way to the 13^th century Transfiguration Monastery, one of the Volga’s oldest and a regional favorite. The first structure was wood, but was replaced with stone in the 15-16^th centuries.  The bell tower started in the 16^th century was finished in the 19^th century. After 1929 there were no bells in Russia. In 1991 when bells could again be rung these were the first to ring. There are 120 steps up to the top. The 10-meter high monastery wall withstood all attacks. At one time 150 monks prayed, ate, worked and slept here.

     In the monastery garden there was a lone fellow performing a bell concert. We stood amazed at his talent

as he was ringing numerous bells via string pulls to create the most amazing music. At the time we were the only people standing around listening to him. What a wonderful surprise!

      We walked along the lovely tree lined promenade. Landscaped in the 19^th century the long promenade is bordered by a picturesque green belt referred to as linden alley. Yaroslavl’s embankment is considered one of the most pleasant found among Volga towns. The colonnaded gazebo, perched atop the bank, offered wonderful Volga panoramas.  While enjoying the great views a local docent informed us, “Fifty percent of the income for the city is from chemicals. Eight state universities cater to 20,000 students. One-half of all Russians were in WW II and 20% of them never returned. Half of the churches have been destroyed. And by the way, the river freezes in winter.”

      Elijah the Prophet Church, 1647-50, features an asymmetrical exterior created by five unevenly arranged green cupolas on the main building, covered galleries, a belfry, portico, and a bulky spire of an adjoining chapel. Frescos, painted in 1680, blanket the interior. The 1696 lace-like iconostasis is regarded as a Russian baroque masterpiece. The 1660 carved wooden czar thrones are superb examples of ancient craftsmanship. The frescos in this church were done by 15 artists in only three months and they were lovely!

      Many Russian churches combine both summer and winter churches. The winter church is smaller and as is typical has no seats or pews. In the small winter church we listened to the most fantastic quintet.  The men were exceptionally good and had wonderful voices, and I still wish I had bought one of their CDs..

      Toward the end of the city tour the docent walked us through the greenbelt to a statue saying, “This is the only religious statue in the country”

       The first professional theater was established in the city in 1750, and late afternoon we attended a very good folkloric show in one of the theaters.

       I found Yaroslavl a delightful town. We were getting a pretty good handle on Russian churches, and I was both amazed and impressed at the many well preserved and wonderful frescoes we saw.