May 2009

My Daughter Anna Kate loves the movie The Princess Diaries. In the film, an American teenager finds out that she is, in fact, royalty, and moves to the tiny fictional European kingdom of Genovia to assume her role in the idyllic life of the castle with her Grandmother, played by Julie Andrews. We have enjoyed this movie more times than I can count, but I have told her to remember that places such as fairy tale kingdoms only exist in books, movies, and (maybe) at Disney World. After spending three days in Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic, however, I may owe her an apology.

I woke up early and showered, quietly getting ready while all of my friends at Hostel Elf slept late after the big hostel party the night before. While having breakfast on the terrace, I got a chance to chat with Matt from New Jersey. Matt is first generation U.S., and has relatives in Poland he visits as often as he can. His Grandmother lives in Warsaw and stocks milk when he comes, because she knows Matt loves the cheese and dairy products of Eastern Europe much better than those in the United States. He says they are less processed. He agrees that hostels are the best places to meet new people while traveling due to the great energy of their residents.

I then walked to the bus stop and bought a ticket to Cesky Krumlov, three and a half hours away. While waiting for the bus I met Peter, Tina and Frank!

Peter is from South Korea, and Tina and Frank are from Shanghai. Frank currently works for Intel in Ireland. Tina worked for a Chinese law firm in Shanghai, but left to go to Ireland with Frank. They are taking the opportunity to do some traveling while in Europe. Good luck guys and have fun!

The bus was packed, and after I threw my bags underneath and climbed on, I ended up standing most of the way next to Irena, originally from Tabor, Czech Republic. She was going back to see her family there for the weekend. Irena is an architect currently living in Hamburg, Germany.

Irena's first big project as an architect was helping redesign an historical indoor swimming facility from the 1950's. The challenge, she said, is to preserve the old while still modernizing it. She looks forward to the facility being finished in the Fall of 2009 so she can go for a swim in a project she actually helped to create! Irena spent a year as an exchange student at Kansas State University, and especially enjoyed her travels while there to Chicago and to Death Valley, California. She said that she wants to return to the U.S. to visit South Dakota, due to her interest in the culture of the Native American tribes there. She enjoys dancing and music festivals, and her favorite band is the Dave Matthews band, although she is disappointed that they do not tour in Europe more often. We stood on the bus chatting together for 2 hours, and we said goodbye when she finally got off when the bus stopped at Tabor. Good luck Irena, and I hope you make it to South Dakota one day!

When I finally arrived In Cesky Krumlov the bus driver dropped me off at the wrong stop across town, so I had to walk in the pouring rain and cold wind along the road to find my lodgings for the next two nights, Hostel 99.

Hostel 99 has loads of character. It is in a very old house with huge exposed beams going through the walls and floors. Here is the staircase to the second floor.

Here is the main room where my bed was located. I slept up the second ladder in the loft under the eaves of the house!

My bed below is the one on the right. This is the last time I saw my roommate's bed unoccupied. When I came back from looking around the house he was in bed asleep, never to rise again. I spent 3 days there, and every single time I went back to the loft, be it 8 am, 2pm, or 2am, my roommate was in his bed, snoring away. At one point I wondered if he was still alive at all and started looking around for a stick to poke him with, but he then turned over and pulled the covers back up over his head. I began to wonder if the Czech Republic had been infested by a swarm of Slavic tsetse flies!

Hostel 99 was a co-ed hostel like Hostel Elf and most others in Europe, meaning that they put guys and girls wherever there is a bed available (although smaller private rooms are available for individual groups like families). I have yet to see an abuse of this arrangement in Europe. No one blinks an eye, and it works fine. The thinking is that if you give young people greater responsibility they will take greater responsibility. This is another good shot of the big room under my loft.

This hostel did surprise me in one aspect, however. The next morning when I was looking for a shower, I discovered that the bathrooms and showers are co-ed too! The showers are like the ones at the YMCA, where you have a little door to close to dress/undress before you get in the shower, so there is no nothing to worry about, but I have to admit that it was a bit intimidating at first. After toweling off and getting dressed carefully in the small room so as not to knock the door open with my otherwise exposed butt, I ended up brushing my teeth in my t-shirt and blue penguin boxers while sharing a sink with a strange lady who was laughing loudly and talking - in very animated Italian, toothbrush flying - to her female travel partner who was lathering up in the steamy shower directly to her right! I dodged her flying toothpaste, kept my head down, and just kept brushing....

The first thing I did was take a night walking tour of the city. Cesky Krumlov roughly means Czech bend in the river. It was originally settled due to its fine defensive position, with the river nearly completely surrounding it, forming a natural moat. In 1992 the town was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. This map shows you the town's layout.

The town gate near the hostel.

An interesting manhole cover.

The fairy tale tower of Krumlov Castle, covered with fancy astrological signs. You can see the tower from all over town.

According to Rick Steves, one of the original ruling families of Cesky Krumlov, the Rozmberks, added bears to their coat of arms in the 16th century to demonstrate their (fake) blood relation to the distinguished Italian family of Orsini, which means "bear-like." To further demonstrate this alleged connection, the Rozmberks began to keep bears in a pit beneath the drawbridge, a tradition which continues to this day. Meet Mama Bear and Papa Bear Rozmberk.

The narrow cobblestone streets of the town. I kept expecting to see Julie Andrews ride by in a carriage, or at least Goofy and Donald Duck walking up the street waving to tourists!

Right then a wedding let out of the church and the wedding party began to walk down the street. Notice the bride's non-traditional short white dress.

The groom hamming it up for the camera!

The Rozmberk family ran Cesky Krumlov from 1302 to 1602, and their family symbol, the five-petaled rose, can still be seen all over town. It struck me as particularly fitting that a beautiful rose would symbolize this picture-postcard town, risen up from the particularly thorny history the Czechs have endured.

This is me at one of the town's overlooks. Castle Krumlov is on the hill in the background.

Sunset over Cesky Krumlov.

A graveyard was moved from near the church to make way for a town park many years ago. My guide told me that the deeply superstitious Czech people still avoid the park due to the "bad feelings" there. Some of the headstones were incorporated into the walls of the church and the nearby rectory.

Frescoes adorn many of the houses in town. It is quite romantic and inspiring.

Krumlov Castle tower at night reflected in the water.

The castle living quarters at night.

A walkway built to connect the castle to the Baroque theater and Castle gardens beyond.

Castle Krumlov and tower at night.

I woke up the next morning, looked out of the window and couldn't believe it. After days of cold wind and rain, it was...*gasp*...THE SUN!!! Never waste a sunny day in Eastern Europe. I showered and got out as quickly as I could, grabbing a chocolate muffin at the 99 Cafe for breakfast. This is an arch on the walk into the town square.

A beautiful green tower, visible from most parts of town.

The town from across the river.

This is probably my favorite picture of the castle, taken from the wooden Barber's Bridge.

Visit the Horor Bar and have a Czech beer with the undead!

A creepy character opening the door. Definitely not Mickey.

The baroque plague column was erected by the town to thank God for sparing (about half) of the population from the plague, which swept through Europe at that time. There is also a fountain at the base of the column.

Another view of the castle tower.

A sunny view over the city.

Knights with the five-petalled rose crest, defending the honor of Cesky Krumlov!

The church of St. Vitus, built in the 15th century. A legend about the church says that one afternoon the priest fell asleep inside. When he awoke later that night, he was shocked to see communion being given - by the ghosts from the displaced graveyard next door!

The interior of St. Vitus Church. I slipped in the back of a mass being given that morning, and afterwards enjoyed the beautiful organ fill this inspiring place. The music slowly faded away at the end, leaving behind an awed, silent reverence.

This is the Cesky Krumlov Old Town Square, lined with the baroque and renaissance homes of burghers, built on 12th century foundations. Three different times McDonald's tried to get a spot here for a restaurant, and were refused each time!

The history this square has seen is amazing. According to Rick Steves, in the 1620's Catholic Europe was threatened by the rising tide of Lutheran Protestantism. Since Cesky Krumlov was a seat of Jesuit Power and learning, intellectuals of the Catholic church burned books on the square. Later, when there was a bad harvest, residents blamed witches and burned them here too. In 1938 Hitler himself stood here in the square with giant Nazi banners to celebrate the the annexation of the Sudetenland. Finally, in 1968, Russian tanks rolled through the square to intimidate the Czechs during their uprising!

This was a cool Art Cafe I found in town.

Walking back across Barber's Bridge, I noticed our old friend St. John of Nepomuk. He was last seen on the Charles Bridge in Prague. Why is he hanging out on all of these bridges? Has he been depressed lately? Is he planning on trying out for the Olympic diving team? It turns out that one of his responsibilities is to be a protector from floods. Makes sense, but he must have been overwhelmed by the horrible August 2002 floods here which completely submerged the bridge. The bridge was saved, however, thanks to the removable handrails, which minimized the damage.

The Vltava river around the town (the same one that later flows through Prague) is a big draw for kayakers and rafters. They were even out paddling in the 48 degree F weather!

Another view of the city streets. You'd swear that if you went around the corner and over the bridge, you'd end up in Adventureland.

Two dogs, one fire hydrant. I'm just waiting for the sparks to fly.

June 1st here is celebrated as Children's Day. Since June 1 this year fell on a Monday, and everything is closed on Monday, they decided to hold it the day before, on Sunday. It was held on the grounds of the Eggenberg Brewery, which has been making beer here for something like 400 years. I heard the music from across town and decided to investigate. There were lots of games for the kids, and everybody was having fun. It looks like something just got this little girl's attention to her left.

This little boy with the blue Spider Man cap was precious.

How do you say "Moo" in Czech?

Toadstools or umbrellas? You decide.

Czech Vikings? How did I end up back in Sweden?

The goal of this game was to knock the heads off of the ghosts with a big hockey stick. "OK ghosts, you won't be serving communion in this town again anytime soon!"

One of the teen volunteers. Purple hair is very rare among native Czechs.

A policeman and his police dog, at children's day to show the kids that they have nothing to fear from the authorities. This guy practically looks like he should have his own children's T.V. show....

Look at this little girl's smile!

Oh no, the Czech witches have returned! Get the torches!

Spider Man was back, this time galloping around on one of the witches' brooms.

The kielbasa man had the grill going. When I first smelled them, I instinctively turned around looking for John Madden.

The best $1.50 I ever spent!

The music I had heard from across town that attracted me to the celebration was Johnny's Cash's Folsom Prison Blues. I listened for awhile, singing along as I walked the city streets, until I noticed something a little different. The band playing it was doing it in a country bluegrass style (very well, I might add), and they were singing it...in Czech?? Yes, Folsom Prison Blues in Czech! The band at the celebration turned out to be called Patrola (website http://www.patrola.cz). Check them out! Patrola in action!

During their break I went up and talked to Marcel and Vladimir from the band. I explained to them that I had once lived in West Virginia, and that their bluegrass playing was great! Marcel told me that American bluegrass and country music is quite popular in the Czech Republic, and that they travel all around the area playing it for crowds. The night before, in fact, they had a gig where they played from 10am until 3am!! That's a lot of work for anyone!

They then got up after talking with me during the break and played "Country Roads," dedicating it to me! I couldn't believe it! Patrola were terrific guys who very obviously loved what they did. Thanks, Patrola, and good luck with your music!!

I had to leave early for a 1pm tour of Krumlov Castle and the Baroque Theater there. On the way up to the castle, I checked in on the Bear family again. It looked like Mr. Bear had had a big night out with Patrola and was still sleeping it off....

Rick Steves writes that there were once many Baroque theatres across Europe, but due to the fact that they used candles for lighting and fireworks for special effects, all but two have burned down. One is in Stockholm and one is at Krumlov Castle in Cesky Krumlov. Photos were not allowed inside, but here is a photo of the main theater door....

and this is the huge lock on the front!

We got to go in and sit on the wooden benches while we learned about Baroque theater. We then were allowed to go under the stage to see the original stage machinery which was used to raise and lower things to and from the stage, and even produce sound effects! We saw (and heard) a thunder machine, rain machine, and wind machine! It was really quite interesting. Because the theater is so fragile, only five English language tours are allowed each day, and they are limited to 25 people each. Only one performance is given each year in the theater currently, and attendance is limited to Baroque theater enthusiasts.

The castle tour was next, and once again no cameras were allowed. The castle was where the Royal families of Cesky Krumlov lived until as recently as 1947, when it was nationalized by the government. I hope they paid the owners for it! The inside is compact and picture-perfect, from the entry through the castle chapel through to the ballroom, where concerts were occasionally given. The walkway to the theater leads from the ballroom directly to the theater, and then out to the gardens, where fireworks were sometimes set off as the ending to the evening! What would you give for just one evening like that?

Two castle windows.

A view of the town and the river from the castle.

One of the castle's many courtyards.

Shots I took of the castle gardens. No, this is not the hedge maze from The Shining....

Beautiful manicured lawns.

The garden fountain.

The garden fountain from the rear. For some reason I found this interesting.

The menu at the garden cafe!

A figure in the garden that caught my eye.

The castle walkway to the garden.

A cool sundial on the castle wall.

A diet of gas station sandwiches was beginning to catch up with me, so I decided to treat myself to a decent meal at the Tavern of Two Marys. And what a meal it was! I got the Chicken Feast - medieval Bohemian dining at its finest, right by the river, no less! The meal, garlic soup, and a beverage altogether was $11 - my largest meal expense so far, but very much worth it! The chicken came with potatoes, potato dumplings, millet, ham, and cabbage.

While eating alone, I had an unexpected dinner companion! I looked down and he seemed hungry, so I threw him a bite of ham.

As I was leaving I looked up the bank of the river and saw that my companion was not homeless at all, but was merely bored with his owners and was working the restaurant tables! I had been had!!

I was up early the next morning and packed up my things for the trip back up to Prague and then to Olomouc, in the eastern region of the Czech Republic called Moravia. I made my way down my loft ladder for the last time and bid farewell to my roommate, who was - you guessed it - still asleep! Goodbye Sleepy, and tell Snow White I said "Hello!"

Coming next: Olomouc, Czech Republic

Right before I left home some of our friends gave me an unexpected Bon Voyage party at Ferrando's, and it was a wonderful send off! I would like to thank the Brickmans - Joey, Amy, Will, Zach, Aaron and Ethan; the Smiths - Don, Margaret and Fleming; the Cokers - Keith, Grace and Mary Beth; the Dillards - Pam, Doug, Mary Glenn, and Hannah, and of course Emily and Anna Kate! Your hospitality was wonderful! Thank you!!

I got packed and repacked for the trip over the period of several days, nervously eliminating all kinds of odds and ends. The few days before I was a nervous wreck - it is a bit scary traveling alone in Eastern Europe for a month! When I was ready to leave, I got Will, my expert chess partner, to take a picture of me packed for a month, complete with money belt pouch around my neck. Anna Kate said I looked like I was wearing some kind of bulletproof vest!

Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. It's the busiest airport in the world, and also happens to be my home airport. When I checked in at the Delta gate, the attendant made an announcement asking for volunteers to get bumped for a later flight for a flight voucher. I have been in this situation before, and have always kicked myself for not taking the deal. I am traveling alone and my plans are flexible this time so my hand shot up! Instead of flying me directly to Frankfurt they routed me 2 hours later to Amsterdam and then on to Frankfurt, arriving at 11am instead of 7am. Plus, I got a free meal voucher and a travel credit worth $600! Ka-ching! What a great way to start a trip!

I am always amazed at how people traveling together bond so quickly. On the plane I was sitting next to Sonny and Kim. None of us knew each other before the flight, but we had great fun talking.

Sonny, who lives in Kennesaw GA is a manufacturing consultant. He spends two weeks in Atlanta and then flies to Europe for two weeks. He has been keeping up this grueling schedule every two weeks since 2004! Sonny meets with companies to show them how to make their manufacturing processes more efficient (painting, software, auto panels, etc.) His father is Nigerian and he speaks five African dialects in addition to English and German! Kim is a 17 year old student just finishing up a year as an exchange student in the U.S. in the Springfield, MO area. She loved her time traveling around America between school terms, especially going to California, Las Vegas, and New York City. She is studying travel and wants to become a flight attendant. Her biggest complaint about the U.S. was that she couldn't drive a car there! She was really looking forward to going home to the Amsterdam area and her family's annual vacation to an island off the coast of France. It was great meeting you both!

I had a smile on my face as I fell asleep listening to Miles Davis' album Kind of Blue, with nothing but empty sky and adventure before me.

Switching planes in Amsterdam I met another traveler, Matthias. Matthias had been bumped like me, and while we were talking we began to wonder if our bags would make it to Frankfurt at all. Matthias, who is from Germany, has a PhD. in Chemistry and lives with his family in Atlanta. He returns to visit his relatives in the Frankfurt area 3-4 times a year.

He invited me to stick with him, and when we got to the Frankfurt airport he whisked us from terminal to the baggage office and back to the train station, speaking his perfect German, in record time! Without him I might still be looking for my luggage! He put me on the right train to Prague at the station, and waved as his train drew away in the opposite direction. Goodbye, and thanks again Matthias!

When I got on the train in Frankfurt bound for Dresden I really had to go to the bathroom. Being nervous about the trip combined with fast food on the go definitely was not agreeing with me. So I put my bags above my seat and went to the restroom. I was sitting there a few minutes later when I hear a 'bang' 'bang' 'bang' on the door. "Tickets! Tickets!" "OK! Hold on!!" I shouted back, thinking he would go away. But I far underestimated the German conductor's persistence. 'bang''bang''bang' "Tickets!! Tickets!!!" "OK, HOLD ON!!" I shouted back, but to no avail. I started to hear the rattle of keys, and before I know it, he slams the bathroom door! The German conductor stepped through the door looking like a walrus, looked on the counter at my charging phone, and then looked down at me, still sitting on the toilet. His expression never changed. He took a deep breath, thrust out his hand and bellowed "TICKETS!!!" I hurriedly fumbled in my shorts pockets for my German Rail Pass (which had been properly validated and stamped, by the way). I finally found it and held it up to him, sheepishly. "Ticket?" I asked. He took it, inspected it closely, and handed it back. "OK," he said matter-of-factly, stepped back, and closed the door. Still sitting there on the toilet with my shorts around my ankles I stared dumbly at the rail pass in my hand. Had that actually just happened, or was I currently live on German National TV's answer to Candid Camera?

I transferred trains in Dresden and took this cool shot of the train station.

At the train station I went into Burger King (no, I am not proud of this fact) and got a "Long Chicken," Germany's answer to BK's original chicken sandwich. To make up for the travesty of eating at Burger King while in Europe I ordered my fries with extra mayonnaise. I hoped the Travel Gods would somehow be appeased.

On the train from Dresden to Prague I met Troy, who had just graduated from the engineering program at Oklahoma State University. He said he plans on staying in Oklahoma because of the low cost of living, but he thinks he may have a hard time finding a job right now with the poor economy. Troy thinks he might join the Air Force if his work plans fall through so that he can pay off his student loans.

Troy was traveling for a month on his own too, as a graduation gift from his father. Troy was going to Prague without reservations, and had had luck everywhere else on his trip just showing up at hostels. I invited him to come with me to the Hostel Elf, where I had reservations for 4 days. We talked most of the way into Prague, and stuck together once getting off the train. We found the Metro station from there, took it to the Florenc station, and got the 133 bus from there. We were at the Hostel Elf in no time!

The hostel was a really cool funky place where I seemed to fit right in. It had a great terrace where everyone gathered on warm nights...

and a cozy common room where we gathered on cold nights.

One of my favorite front desk clerks at the Hostel Elf was Boris. Everybody say hello to Boris!

Boris worked the night shift, from 8pm until 8am, and enjoyed sitting up late talking about his girlfriend problems. I'm sure Boris and his girlfriend will work it out eventually!

Youth hostels are not at all limited to youth. Most of the people at the Hostel Elf probably ranged from 18 to 25 years old, but all ages are welcome. All you need is an open attitude and an appreciation for the energy of your fellow backpackers. I paid $16.60 a night for 4 nights at the Elf, and absolutely loved it. The bathrooms/shower rooms are down the hall...

and I slept on the top bunk in a 6 person dorm room (that's my bed on the top left).

Everyone I met there was very quiet in the sleeping rooms, considerate of your things, and fun to talk to. I met more people staying there than at all of the regular hotels I stayed in last year! Plus, you can't beat the price. It even came with breakfast!

On my first morning I grabbed a cheese and pepperoni sandwich from the breakfast table (hey, I said it was free), and headed out on foot with my trusty Rick Steves' Eastern Europe travel guide to see Prague. I walked past several music posters - it was interesting to see who was still popular in the Czech Republic....

It was also interesting to see casinos in this former Communist bastion.

I walked down to the Old Town Square, photographing interesting sights along the way. A building in Wenceslas square.

These cool electric trams run all over town.

B.B. King is coming in July! I love B.B.!!

The Czech and Slovak surfing championships! In France!!

Powder Tower, the Gothic gate of the town hall, built to house gunpowder.

The Municipal House, built as a ceremonial palace "to reinforce the self-awareness of the Czech Nation." It features Prague's largest concert hall.

A cool Communist-era gas mask!

I finally reached the Old Town Square, and it was an absolute gem.

In the center of the square is the huge Jan Hus Memorial. The Memorial was erected in 1915 on the 500th anniversary of Hus' martyrdom by fire, and is a symbol of the long struggle for Czech freedom.

Hus stands between the victorious Hussite patriots and Protestants defeated by the Hapsburgs in 1620. One of the patriots holds a chalice. According to Rick Steves, in the medieval church, only the priests could drink the wine at Communion. "Since the Hussites fought for their right to take both the wine and the bread, the cup is their symbol."

Hus looks at beautiful Tyn church, which became the headquarters and leading church of his followers. "A golden chalice once filled the now-empty niche under the gold bas-relief of the Virgin Mary on the church's facade. After the Hapsburg (and, therefore, Catholic) victory over the Czechs in 1620, the Hussite chalice was melted down and made into the image of Mary that shines from that spot high over the square today."

The Astronomical Clock and Clock Tower, where hundreds gather to watch the striking of the hour.

Here I am in front of Jan Hus and the Tyn Church.

A strange meridian line embedded in the cobblestones of the square reminded me of something fom the Da Vinci Code!

The Twenty Seven Crosses, marking the spot where 27 Protestant nobles, merchants, and intellectuals were beheaded in 1621 after rebelling against the Catholic Hapsburgs. I am always amazed at the amount of violence attributable to religion.

I then spent time inside Tyn Church, where no cameras are allowed. It was originally very simple and plain inside, until the Catholics took it over and added the ornamentation. It was a very moving sight, and I exited with tears in my eyes.

Behind Tyn Church is Ungelt Courtyard, where merchants would store their goods and pay taxes before setting up stalls on the Old Town Square. Pictures while strolling through the square. Some waitresses chatting outside a cafe.

Pinocchio sitting outside his namesake shop!

The marionette theater.

Some cool punk rockers in front of the Hus Memorial!

A cool building facade.

The Franz Kafka bookshop. Kafka was a famous resident of Prague.

A classic Czech car for hire.

The Hard Rock Cafe - Prague. Notice the fork in the window!

The Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments! Awesome!

Approaching the Charles Bridge. This is the Klementium, the Czech Republic's huge National Library.

Inside another marionette store.

The world famous Charles Bridge. "According to medieval record, the founding stone was laid in 1357, on the 9th of July at 5:31 (it's a palindrome: 135797531)." This precise moment coincides with a favorable positioning of the Earth and Saturn. It was also discovered that the end of the bridge on the Old Town side aligns perfectly with the tomb of St. Vitus in the cathedral across the river, and the setting sun at summer solstice. Fascinating!

I climbed to the top of the Charles Bridge tower to get this shot of the Castle Quarter over the Vltava river. Note Prague Castle in the upper right.

The rooftops of Old Town, Prague.

Crossing the bridge on foot, I ran into the Bridge Band, playing Dixieland Jazz music! American jazz is very popular here. Notice the washboard player using egg beaters!

A cool statue on the Charles Bridge.

Approaching the Little Quarter gate.

A steak restaurant on Mosteka Street, the Little Quarter.

Petrin Tower, high above Prague.

The changing of the guards at Prague Castle.

Inside Prague Castle, this is a shot of the exterior of St. Vitus Cathedral. According to my travel guide, it is a Roman Catholic Cathedral symbolizing the Czech spirit, and contains the tombs and relics of the most important local saints and kings, including the first three Hapsburg Kings. It is hard to do it justice in a photograph. Simply unbelievable.

Interior of St. Vitus Cathedral, one of the finest sights in all of Europe.

The stained glass in the cathedral is simply amazing.

A close up of one of the intricate stained glass panels.

More of the cathedral interior.

The tomb of St. John of Nepomuk in the cathedral, rumored to contain more than a ton of silver. "John of Nepomuk was was a 14th-century priest to whom the queen confessed all her sins. According to a 17th-century legend, the king wanted to now his wife's secrets, but Father John dutifully refused to tell." He was tortured and eventually killed by being thrown off the Charles Bridge! St. John of Nepomuk is a saint of the Czech people.

Wenceslas Chapel in the cathedral, containing the tomb of St. Wenceslas surrounded by precious 14th century murals showing scenes of his life. This is the "Good King Wenceslas" of Christmas carol fame.

Another exterior of St. Vitus Cathedral.

14th century mosaic on the outside of the cathedral of the Last Judgment. "The Czech king and queen kneel directly below Jesus and the 6 patron saints. On coronation day, they would walk under this arch, which would remind them and their subjects that even those holding great power are not above God's judgment."

The Old Royal Palace was the seat of Bohemian princes starting in the 12th century. The Large Hall was built to be a multipurpose hall for the old nobility. It was big enough for jousts - even the staircase was designed to let a mounted soldier gallop in!

Scott on the balcony of the chapel overlooking Prague!

Rick Steves says that the Basilica and Convent of St. George is Prague's best preserved Romanesque church. St. Wenceslas's grandmother, St. Ludmilla, who had established this first Bohemian convent, was reburied here in 973!

The Basilica interior. Note its beautiful simplicity.

The gallery inside the church has double windows, and the walls are made from limestone, the stone underlying most of Prague.

Walking out of the castle and back down the hill I took the Golden Lane, a street of old buildings originally housing goldsmiths. This house, Number 22, is where Franz Kafka once lived. It is now a gift shop!

A really interesting statue at the base of the castle, but I don't think I would want one in my living room....

Na Valech Garden, at the base of the castle. I sat down on benches here for a while to rest my throbbing feet.

The Prague Metro is extremely easy and dirt cheap. After being in the city for literally 24 hours I was switching trains and transferring buses with ease. No trip that I made, including transfers, cost me more than 18 Crowns, or 1 dollar! Another feature of the Metro stations was that they were extremely deep underground. I noticed this in Moscow too. They must be designed as bomb shelters. The escalators were the fastest I have ever ridden on. Step on one and hold on for your life!

Watching television in the Prague subway.

The next stop was Prague's Museum of Communism. The cool thing about it was that it was located right next to a casino and a McDonald's! I can hear Lenin spinning in his grave!

There were several fascinating exhibits in the Museum of Communism. One was a reconstructed interrogation room, and another had a piece of the Berlin Wall on display.

Also featured were huge statues of all of the Communist All-Stars. Here is Comrade Lenin.

Back in the Old Town Square I saw these horses. I guess their grandmothers didn't want their ears to get cold....

Looking for something to eat for dinner I found the Franz Kafka statue. I love it!!

Mission accomplished. I finally found dinner at a convenience store. $4 for two sandwiches! These are chicken. I think.

After enjoying my dinner on a park bench with the pigeons I went to see a performance of the Image Black Light Theater. Black Light Theaters, popular in Prague, are kind of like Cirque du Soleil with black lights. It featured pantomime and dancing with glowing objects seemingly flying on their own all over the stage. It was fun and interesting to try and figure out.

Walking back to the Metro after the Black Light Theater, I took this picture of the Jan Hus Memorial with Tyn Church in the background at night. This one is my favorite.

Back at the hostel I met Dori and Jessi from the Denver area. They are going to be traveling together for 5 weeks, and had just arrived in Prague from a week in London. Dori graduated this year, and she and Jessi, who have known each other since they were 4 years old, made a pact in the 3rd grade to backpack the Czech Republic together! Jessi was a journalism major, but is worried about her future in the print media. They are now planning on doing Eastern Europe together, but the cold weather may force them south to Croatia. Good luck guys, and have fun!

This is a photo of me taken by Dori, who said that she was a yearbook editor in high school!

The next morning eating breakfast on the terrace. I love all of the cool signs left at the hostel by travelers.

The goal for the day was the Jewish Quarter, thought by Rick Steves to be the most interesting collection of Jewish sights in Europe. Seven different sights make up the Jewish Museum, and I visited them all. First was Pinkas Synagogue, a site of Jewish worship for 400 years. The walls are covered with the hand-painted names of 77,297 Czech Jews who were sent from Prague to the Nazi death camps. While reading the names you can see that many families perished together. There is also a recording of a reading of the names playing, with a cantor singing the Psalms in between. When the Communists moved into the area they erased all of the names, but when the Czech Republic regained its freedom in 1989, all of the names were rewritten.

On the top floor of the Pinkas Synagogue was the Terezin Children's Art Exhibit. I left this room literally in tears. It featured various artworks done by Jewish children imprisoned at the Terezin Concentration Camp during WWII. Many later died. Works included "The Train" by Lea Lenka Pollakova (d. 5/18/44), "A Terezin Shower" by Ruth Klaubaufova (d. 10/19/44), "A Children's Playground With Notice 'Entrance Forbidden'" by Hana Turnovska, and my personal favorite, "Deserted Table," showing a table surrounded by empty chairs and one small, lone figure sitting alone. It was drawn by Blanka Metzlova (d. 5/18/44).

Outside the synagogue was the Old Jewish Cemetery, one of the most unique places I have ever seen. From 1439 until 1787 this was the only burial ground allowed the Jews of Prague. Because of the Jewish belief that the body should not be moved once buried, and because of the limited space available, the bodies were literally piled on top of one another in several layers. The crowded tombstones are askew from the settling, providing an eerie, powerful landscape. I will never forget it.

Many of the stones had handwritten prayers placed on them.

The next stop was the Ceremonial Hall, which described Jewish Death, burial traditions, and medicine.

I also visited the Klaus Synagogue, the Old-New Synagogue (the oldest synagogue in Eastern Europe, built in 1270), and the Maisel Synagogue (which served as a warehouse for the stolen treasures of the Jewish community that Hitler planned to exhibit in his "Museum of the extinct Jewish Race." I also saw the beautiful Spanish Synagogue. The Jewish Quarter is one of the most moving and well-done exhibitions I have ever seen, and I very highly recommend it for everyone.

I next set out for the Museum of Medieval Art, and I took these two pictures along the way. Two boys playing.

A Peruvian Restaurant - in Prague!!

The Museum of Medieval Art is at the St. Agnes Convent and has been called one of the best in the world, and I believe it. The first photo is the herma used to serve as a casket for the skull of St. Ludmila, again the grandmother of St. Wenceslas, the Czech parton saint. It was wrought of silver and guiled in fire. It is dated 1360.

A series of paintings depicting the 12 Disciples plus Jesus and the Mary.

An exquisite silver piece.

AQs I walked back across town the cold rain came and driving wind began to blow. It was cold! I just kept marching, though. I happened to be right there at the very moment this lady's umbrella blew inside out!

Once again I had forgotten to eat, so I grabbed another sandwich. As I was walking down the street in the cold, driving rain, I caught a view of myself in a shop window. I was soaking wet, eating a sandwich while walking down the middle of the street, with a huge smile on my face! I thought it was so funny that I got the sales clerk at a shoe store I was passing to take my picture right then! She shook her head sadly. Crazy American!

My last morning in Prague I went to Wenceslas Square to see some very important things before I left. First off was the square itself, the gathering spot for 300,000 Czechs and Slovaks in 1989 who were protesting for their freedom. This was also the spot where the Soviets put down the 1968 Prague rebellion. The creation of the Czechoslovak state was also celebrated here in 1918.

These are the pillars of the National Museum. The light spots are from the plaster intentionally mismatched by Czech repairmen patching the bullet holes left over from Soviet troops putting down the 1968 Prague Spring Rebellions. The masons didn't want people to forget what happened. They haven't.

This Communist-era building now houses Radio Free Europe, rented out to the for 1 Crown per year. It now broadcasts deep into Islamic countries.

A memorial commemorating the victims of Communism, such as Jan Palach, who set himself on fire on the National Museum steps in 1969 for the cause of Czech independence. He died a few days later.

The National Museum and the St. Wenceslas statue at the top of the square. Wenceslas was credited with "Christianizing the nation and lifting up the culture."

Just off the main square is this statue, Wenceslas Riding and Upside-Down Horse, by David Cerny.

The beautiful rose bushes in the Franciscan Garden just off the square.

Vendors at a hot dog stand on the square!

I then walked back to the Little Quarter (again in the cold, driving rain). This is a nice view of the city across the river.

The Monument to Victims of Communism Who Survived is a compelling statue showing people who are gradually atrophied by the totalitarian regime.

I then took the funicular railway to the top of the hill in the Little Quarter to climb the 400 steps of Petrin Hill to get one last view of this amazingly beautiful city, full of the power of youth planting the seeds of a new future.

Email me at sfoshee@yahoo.com
Twitter username: Sfoshee1
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Hello to everyone, and welcome to the blog of my adventures in Eastern Europe during the Summer of 2009! If you followed my adventures in Iceland and Scandinavia during the Summer of 2008, welcome back! I welcome all of my new readers this year as well!

Also, a very special hello to all of the great friends I met in Europe last year! Please let me hear from you!

If you would like to read about my adventures last year in Iceland and Scandinavia, click here:
http://sfoshee.travellerspoint.com/

I have also posted my favorite photos from my 2007 African Safari. View them by clicking here:
http://scottafrica2007.travellerspoint.com/

The plan for this year is to fly from Atlanta, Georgia, USA to Frankfurt Germany and to go on to Prague from there. I plan to visit Prague, Warsaw, Krakow, Budapest, Vienna and Saltzburg. Depending on the time and money available at that point, I may spend some time in Munich and Bavaria before heading back to Frankfurt and the flight home a month later. If you have any favorites in these cities, or know of any other places I might enjoy visiting, please let me know!

I am travelling solo again this year, which is a wonderful testament to my family, which is helping make this all possible. Thanks guys!

I am on a tight budget this year, so I am attempting to do the trip on $75 a day or less, including accomodation. I did buy a Germany rail pass and an Eastern Europe rail pass before I left, so most of the train segments should be paid for. I plan to eat mostly from supermarkets and convenience stores along the way. I chose Eastern Europe this year because it is supposed to be inexpensive. I guess we'll see!

I will post updates from the road right here in this year's blog. I have also put my Twitter feed on this page, so you can see my last three posts from the road to keep up with the trip between blog postings. I hope to put pictures on the Twitter feed as well as GPS postings coordinated with Google Maps showing exactly where I am during the day. You can follow my last three Twitter posts here, or you can sign up for free on Twitter, follow me here http://twitter.com/sfoshee1, and get all of my posts. If you send me your email, I will put you on my list to email you when I have updated the blog.

Thank you very much for reading and following my adventures in Eastern Europe this year! I really hope to hear from you!