06/08/08 - Our big day in Prague.

It was back on the tram into the town centre of Prague at about 9.30
for a full days sightseeing around 'the City of a Thousand Spires'.
The morning was taken up with a 'free' walking tour of the east bank
of the Vltava River where the old and 'new' towns are.

We appreciated the different eras of Prague's architectural styles:
Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Classicism, Neo-Classicism, Neo-Gothic,
Art Nouveau, Art Deco.... right up the unique Czech Cubist style. Any
architect interested in the time-line of different building styles
would definitely have field day here.

Again, like all of the other eastern bloc countries, Communism played
a huge role after World War 2. Although compared to the Baltic
countries, Russia did not take over what was then Czechoslovakia, but
through funding of the local Communist Party and later, using tanks in
1968 averting a potential uprising, they definitely played their part.
Our guide was 18 in 1989 when communism finally fell, so he was able
to share his own experiences of that time. They were certainly not
able to travel freely like we do today, only being able to obtain
visas to other eastern bloc countries. Also due to the small range of
food and goods that was available - if there ever was a queue on the
street, they didn't find out what the queue was for, they just joined
it. It was certain to be for a good that didn't often make it into the
country e.g. Tropical fruit only came 4 times a year.

By the end of the tour we were starting feel it a little in our legs,
so took a leisurely hour and a half lunch (in a Korean restaurant in
Prague?? Marea was hangin out for sushi) - then headed over the river
to the two western towns or districts. These being Hradcany where
the Prague Castle looks over the city, and Malá Strana (Little
Quarter). It wasn't until the 18th century that the four towns
amalgamated politically into the one Prague.

Prague Castle is not the type of old stone castle that you normally
picture when thinking of a castle sitting up on top of a hill, instead
it is a very grand 'modern' (i.e. approx 200 years old) series of
buildings. I guess one of the reasons for this is that this castle is
still a fully functioning, living castle - as the President of Czech
Republic currently resides in the castle.

With the legs hurting we parked ourselves on an island in the middle
of the river to rest up and watch the tourists in their paddle boats
quietly float about. Our comfort didn't last long though, as we were
told to move cause the island was about to turn into a movie theatre -
with a big sheet hanging between the trees for the screen.

Off then to find some dinner, and finally at about 11.30pm we were
'home' - 14 hours of 'doing the tourist thing', of which over 10 hours
was spent on our feet in the hot sunshine. I think its fair to say we
were completely buggered!!