Pottering in Prague - 16th Oct 2001

Well the day began by crossing the border which went smoothly. We await the time that we have a 'mare at customs. When they demand that we unload all our belongings onto the road. So far we have met with nice chaps who seem to look at the bike and see it as too much hassle for them to bother us so they duly wave us on.

The day was misty and the clouds in the direction we wanted to go threatened rain. We decided to go for it - despite the ominous weather. Allah was with us, as the clouds burned off and the sun shone onto rolling countryside. Our destination, a little town in the mountains, Litomerice, which promised to be a picturesque kind of place. One noticeable feature of the journey was the sudden increase in the number of Skodas of varying ages and development of courtesy from the drivers within. No more are there kamikaze people before the wheel. No scary moments. Even the politeness of thanking us for letting people by. Now that makes a refreshing change!

On arrival the town is of course as pretty as is claimed, but we also decided to visit Terezin which for those of you who do not know is a fortress used by the Nazis to concentrate/kill Jews. On these occasions it never ceases to amaze me that a group of people can really think that they are superior to another and feel it so strongly that in their mind it is just to exterminate their opposition. Unfortunately listening to the Slovaks discussing the Roma (sic) problem, it is clear that man's hatred of man will not end.

The autumnal trees in the grounds and the giggling school parties detracted from the cold heartless activities that had been perpetrated there. A sobering moment was as we met a group of Jews, visiting the washrooms on the site that had been designed to show the good level of hygiene provided if inspectors visited - that was never used by the inmates. Now why does that not surprise me?

Our plan for Friday was to head for Prague by avoiding motorways. There is a tolling system that rather increases the expenditure, and as you know I am Mrs. Thrifty besides the other roads are far more interesting and we hoped to see a little of rural life to compare the standard of living a little, away from mega-tourism.

I, being in charge of navigation, was not looking forward to Prague. I saw a big blob on the map to try to negotiate. No A-Z to help find our Hostel of choice. The Gods still appear to be with us and we rolled calmly up to the said Hostelry without a detour, I would like to think it was my skill, but I'm afraid it was more to do with luck.

Pat, through the whole process, had been totally cool and had missed out on my own apprehension. The hostel had room, in theory, but as we discovered the previous users of the room had absconded with the key. We sat and waited as we are beginning to get good at this. After about an hour, it was clear that the absconders were not about to return and so the very nice man behind the desk offered us a five bed dorm to ourselves without the previously offered en suite but for a substantial reduction. As our bags take up a huge amount of room, this seemed an excellent alternative. We were soon in mufti and seeking culture.

It has been one of Hippie's targets on the tour to take in orchestral works at knock down prices and, seemingly, Prague is one of the likeliest venues. It did not take long to track down a suitably cheap offering for the following night and so we had time remaining to find our feet and head up to the castle. We assumed that our passage through Europe in the autumn would avoid a great deal of the hustle and bustle in the more touristy venues although we accepted that being so late in the year meant that many museums etc would have shut up for the year. Seemingly, Prague has an all year appeal and there were still large crowds on the main tourist routes. It must be hellish in high season.

Stalls bedecked with genuine Bohemian glass and other offerings of a less than inviting nature lined the steps up to the castle. My favourite possible souvenir so far has been Russian stacking dolls designed with a wide range of Pokemon characters. A gentle stroll round had us ready for bed in QuickTime. Saturday and we rose early to make the most of the hostel breakfast. Mmmmmm. Well, it wasn¥t that bad really. Next on the essential activities list was the seek and purchase of an envelope in which to send home latest pickies to our ever faithful webmaster. This is not as easy as it may seem. Although Tesco, C+A and M+S all make their presence felt in Central Europe, Mr W H has not and trying to decipher which type of shop would sell us the requisite took a fair time.

To be more positive about things, the search did take us around the greater part of downtown Prague - Wenceslas Square etc. Eventually, we got onto more touristy things and we headed up the park adjacent to Prague Castle to check out the Czech equivalent of the Eiffel Tower. Beautifully restored this year using traditional techniques (big Al would be impressed with the rivet work) the tower was nonetheless wobbly to the extent that taking pictures from the top at any slower than a two fiftieth would be unwise. Still, the views were fine. The climb to the top of the hill had been hard enough work for us and as we emerged from the tower, we were mighty impressed to meet the MS sufferer who had refused our offer of a push. Just as we met him for his second time, he was fighting a prospective pusher off by holding back his wheels in defiance. We marvelled at this man's resolve.

We tried our hardest to visit the Jewish quarter but were of course foolish to think that we would gain admittance to the museum and synagogues. (being Saturday and all) We were disappointed not to see the museum in particular because of the quirky way in which the collection had been put together. It was destined to be a museum of an extinct race care of our good friends the National Socialists and is a collection of Jewish artefacts from Bohemia and Moravia. Now, ironically, the Jews run the museum themselves and by a factor of four is the most expensive museum in Prague. Good business already!

Culture time and we found our selves in a quintet of fiddle-type players who reeled of some of our favourite tunes which of course being the low level listeners that we are, we cannot recall the names of. We are certain that the first piece was by a Mr Ludwig van Beethoven and although I cannot name the choral piece played later, I am sure that one and all know it with the alternative words of Deutschland, Deutschland Uber Alles. We enjoyed ourselves very much in the very simple chapel venue. Nice to get away from the gilded RC gaffs that seem omnipresent. Managed to squeeze in an hour in the Internet cafe before poor Hippy went down with a horrendous migraine.

We retired injured. Sunday and again an early start following another hostel breakfast. A short jaunt had us arriving in Kutna Hora in time to get the best value room available. Although this was not as cheap as we would have hoped, its setting was fantastic. A mere twenty metres from the former mint for Central European coinage and in the centre of one of the loveliest unspoilt towns so far. We had plenty of time to explore all points of interest including a short foray through the former silver mines which have been unused for so long that they are beginning to grow their own stalactites and mites. I think the locals had decided to have a little fun with the tourists. On arrival at the mine, we were bedecked with surgical white coats, helmets and torches. Very sensible you might think - but we do not enter a mine we are trailed through town in a crocodile to the mine entry. Picture if you please this sight of thirty odd tourists dressed as caving doctors walking the streets of this beautiful town. I think the joke was definitely on us!

The descent into the cave was 35m, and I for one was worrying about this trail back up the stairs. In the depths the passages got narrower and narrower and as my hips scrapped against the rocks I was wishing I had lost the weigh I had planned to before I had left the homeland. In parts, all I could see ahead was Pat's arse, which left me apprehensive in case of an incidence of flatulence. Here I was with me nose inches away from his posterior and nowhere to go........Help! Escaping ungassed the other side, we had now a full impression of how dire life must have been down below and it explains why Czechs do not eat baked beans. The second march through town was less humiliating as it took us through the backstreets to save further embarrassment.

The penzion owners were a lovely family who seemed highly interested in our travels. They humbled us with their great ability in languages, technology and geography. Late in the evening, Jan, Jan, Petr and Lubomira helped us out by composing a photo of us all that they were going to email to Will for us. Their efforts may well precede this journal entry onto our website. The following day we drifted through the mists of Czech and called in at a host of towns with great reputations for the originality of their old town centres. I think we are becoming a little blasÈ as all of the squares began to look much alike. The final staging pint was Nove Mest Morave which had little to offer but for a church with graffiti (at last the correct sort) adornment over the outer walls. We stayed in a hotel similar to the communist monstrosity we had endured in Poland, but this time it was slightly better constructed and we had a peaceful night.