Thu 19.Oct.2017
Prague, Czechia
Imagery date August 2017
Getting home from Slovakia.
We just saw pictures from the journey homeward from Rhodes last February.
Today, we do the journey home from Slovakia, just this past August.
Bratislava has an airport, but it is poorly connected to intercontinentl destinations, including
San Francisco.
Nearby Vienna airport is much better connected, but tends to have pricey fares.
What then? Prague is well-connected, and more budget-friendly.
Plus, you get to spend a few days in Prague - I'll take it!
In Europe, Non stop means "open 24/7". Which raises the question, why is there a market for a 24-hr
flower shop?
Dusk falls near I. P. Pavlov Square.
Take me to the river.
No matter where I actually stay in Prague, I wouldn't miss a visit to the touristy areas on the Vltava
(aka Moldau) on a sunny day. Visitors flock here for good reason!
After a day on trains, and a nap for recovery, I was loooking for a nice hot sit-down dinner, a bit late
in the evening for such things. Fortunately, you can count on Wenceslas Square, as long as
your budget can handle it. Mine couldn't handle it as a habit, but after a day on the train, what
the hey, I can rationalize a splurge. Hot duck, and Czech potato soup, which is much better than it sounds
in Engish!
This particular place gave great attention to presentation, even when nobody would have noticed if
they hadn't.
Fun with signs
Shakespeare And Sons
Books in English. Boatloads of them! That is what they claim. I didn't check the inside -
just appreciated the colorful storefront.
Gardener Supplies.
I think so anyway. All the right word-pieces are there.
A New Neighborhood
A leafy residential street, a friendly non-chain cafe nearby ...
you could do worse than to base yourself in the neighborhood of Vinohrady!
South of the main tourist circuit, popular with ex-pats. I chose a (non-chain) hotel in
Vinohrady this time, and was happy with the result. Hope I get to do it again!
Havlíčkovy sady (Havlíček Gardens)
This hillside park on the southern edge of Vinohrady feels like a world apart.
Is there a type of yoga called "Antigravity"?
If not, there is yet another outbreak of pseudoscience under way.
Heart of the Neighborhood.
I wouldn't call St Ludmila's Church the heart of Vinohrady, but Peace Square
(Náměstí Míru) could
bear that title, and the old gothic structure is the square's major landmark. Peace Square is a
hub for trams and a metro line, close to abundant food and lodging and a wonderful quirky laundromat(!).
Also a fine place to sit back and watch the world go by.
Miraculously, my open-source editing tools handle the Czech name correctly now. (Thank you, folks at
GNU!) I was afraid I was going to have to name the square in English only.
(Unix/Linux folks: Is this is a result of switching from vi to vim?
If it is, big thanks to Valeria in Bratislava for suggesting I do it!)
A Ringer
Nothing to do with Prague, or even with the journey home from Slovakia.
This is just a neat picture of the Gare de Lyon in Paris from sometime last May.
I don't have enough other Paris images to make a page, so I'll slip it in here.