Prague Day 1
Thursday, Sept. 19. - We made it to Prague (by way of Newark) late Thursday morning. Everything went very well with the flights, all pretty much on schedule. As we were going through the passport check in the Prague airport, the customs agent, who was very friendly, nodded toward Joe and asked me if he was trying to kidnap me. I laughed and said no. He said that now was my chance, if I wanted to escape. I replied that as we had been together 40 years, there was no point trying to escape now. A very friendly (I think) welcome to the Czech Republic.
The Viking rep met us, along with about 10 or so fellow travelers, at the airport and transported us to the hotel. We eventually met up with Denise and Tom. While Tom was wiped out from travel and decided to take a nap, Denise, Joe, and I headed out to explore Prague.
We first traveled to Our Lady of Victorious church, where the famous Infant of Prague resides. There are many miracles that reportedly are associated with this shrine, so as I had promised, I brought many intentions here in prayer.
Next we traveled to the Strahov Monastery, where we viewed the beautiful historic halls and the library. The halls had many copies of centuries-old Bibles on display. The library was beautifully adorned with an impressive collection of books and incredibly intricate and beautiful paintings on the ceiling.
As we exited the monastery, we couldn't resist the alluring smell coming from the restaurant associated with the place, and since we hadn't eaten since breakfast (which basically consisted of a very small croissant that had been served on the plane) we decided to stop in and get a bite to eat. The host suggested that since we were from Pittsburgh, we try the ribs. Still not sure of his connection of Pittsburgh and ribs, but Joe did take the suggestion and said that they were excellent - a professional opinion on ribs, from a Pittsburgher!
We then went to the Franz Kafka museum, where Denise, who is not a Kafka fan, departed and returned to the hotel to meet Tom for dinner. Franz Kafka was a novelist who was born and raised in Prague. He is known for writing some pretty bizarre works, highly symbolic or highly nonsensical, depending, I suppose on your opinion of Kafka. A quote from one of his works is where he referenced "a cage in search of a bird". Okay, now that's weird; I'm beginning to side with those who are of the opinion that Kafka is nonsensical. But the display in the museum that mentioned the quote went on to further explain that Kafka described his beloved home city of Prague, where there were many Germans and Jews, as well as Czechs. He described how the resulting society was influenced by the different cultures, histories, differences, beliefs, etc. of these three groups trying to form a substantial aggregate, yet not quite figuring out how to mesh together to form an identity. A cage in search of a bird: a city in search of an identity. Okay, now I get it; perhaps he does make sense after all.
After the Kafka museum, we had planned to take a cruise on the Vltava River that runs through Prague, but as jet lag finally caught up to us, we realized we'd probably spend the cruise snoozing, so we saved that for another day if time allows. So instead of an evening on the River, we headed back to the hotel and were asleep by 6 p.m.
The Viking rep met us, along with about 10 or so fellow travelers, at the airport and transported us to the hotel. We eventually met up with Denise and Tom. While Tom was wiped out from travel and decided to take a nap, Denise, Joe, and I headed out to explore Prague.
We first traveled to Our Lady of Victorious church, where the famous Infant of Prague resides. There are many miracles that reportedly are associated with this shrine, so as I had promised, I brought many intentions here in prayer.
Next we traveled to the Strahov Monastery, where we viewed the beautiful historic halls and the library. The halls had many copies of centuries-old Bibles on display. The library was beautifully adorned with an impressive collection of books and incredibly intricate and beautiful paintings on the ceiling.
As we exited the monastery, we couldn't resist the alluring smell coming from the restaurant associated with the place, and since we hadn't eaten since breakfast (which basically consisted of a very small croissant that had been served on the plane) we decided to stop in and get a bite to eat. The host suggested that since we were from Pittsburgh, we try the ribs. Still not sure of his connection of Pittsburgh and ribs, but Joe did take the suggestion and said that they were excellent - a professional opinion on ribs, from a Pittsburgher!
We then went to the Franz Kafka museum, where Denise, who is not a Kafka fan, departed and returned to the hotel to meet Tom for dinner. Franz Kafka was a novelist who was born and raised in Prague. He is known for writing some pretty bizarre works, highly symbolic or highly nonsensical, depending, I suppose on your opinion of Kafka. A quote from one of his works is where he referenced "a cage in search of a bird". Okay, now that's weird; I'm beginning to side with those who are of the opinion that Kafka is nonsensical. But the display in the museum that mentioned the quote went on to further explain that Kafka described his beloved home city of Prague, where there were many Germans and Jews, as well as Czechs. He described how the resulting society was influenced by the different cultures, histories, differences, beliefs, etc. of these three groups trying to form a substantial aggregate, yet not quite figuring out how to mesh together to form an identity. A cage in search of a bird: a city in search of an identity. Okay, now I get it; perhaps he does make sense after all.
After the Kafka museum, we had planned to take a cruise on the Vltava River that runs through Prague, but as jet lag finally caught up to us, we realized we'd probably spend the cruise snoozing, so we saved that for another day if time allows. So instead of an evening on the River, we headed back to the hotel and were asleep by 6 p.m.
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