Day 03 - Prague Day 02 - Kutna Hora

Today was full of amazing scenery and architecture.

We started earlier today with breakfast at 7am. We met our tour guide and boarded the bus at 8:30am from the hotel lower lobby. On our way out of the city, our tour guide, Margaret, told us about the world’s ugliest tower.

This was a tower built and used by the Soviets to interrupt TV and radio signals from the west until the collapse of the USSR in 1989. It is easy to forget that the modern day Czech Republic is only 36 years old and many Czechs still have very vivid memories of their lives under Soviet rule. Margaret was just 21 when the Soviet Union collapsed. She shared many interesting experiences she and her Czech counterparts had during and after the Soviets.

On our way out of Prague we passed the location where Reinhard Heydrich was assassinated. Here is the monument to the Czechs that participated in that operation (Operation Anthropoid) that we learned about in yesterday’s tour.

We enjoyed seeing Czech farmland and more rural areas along the drive. About two hours after leaving our hotel, we made our first stop. We walked by the Sedlec Abbey. Weirdly, a Philip Morris tobacco museum is directly attached to it, the yellow building on the left. 

We did not visit inside this church as it was not the primary reason for our stop. We were on our way to the Church of All Saints. 

We walked by the Lego shop with a skeleton made of Legos sitting on the building sign. This was a hint at what we were going to see.

A short stroll beyond the Lego shop, we reached the Sedlec Ossuary.

In 1278, Henry, the abbot of the Cistercianmonastery in Sedlec, was sent to the Holy Land by King Ottokar II of Bohemia. He returned with a small amount of earth he had removed from Golgotha and sprinkled it over the cemetery. The word of this pious act soon spread and the cemetery in Sedlec became a desirable burial site throughout Central Europe.

Around 1400, a Gothic church was built in the center of the cemetery with a vaulted upper level and a lower chapel to be used as an ossuary for the mass graves unearthed during construction, or simply slated for demolition to make room for new burials. It is estimated that between 40k - 70k people were unearthed.

In 1870, František Rint, a woodcarver, was employed by the Schwarzenberg family to put the bone heaps into order, yielding a macabre result.

No pictures were allowed inside so here is one from a google search to give you an idea of the strange decorations.

After, Michele heard a few people comment on this strange place, feeling a bit disturbed by it. Back on the bus, we had a short ride to the town of Kutna Hora. Kutna Hora’s early claim to fame in the 1200’s was silver. The mining of this metal brought significant wealth to the town. Here is a map of the town that was on the sidewalk.

The main structure in this town is St. Barbara’s Church.

Construction on the church began in 1388 and would not be completed until 1905! (That makes Rob’s progress on our bathroom very speedy in comparison!)

The church is a gothic or neo-gothic style. The inside is as spectacular as the outside, especially the vaulted ceiling and the huge pipe organ.

There was also a smaller organ half-way up the nave.

The wood carvings were very ornate.

Beautiful stained glass and the lectern and altar were amazing.

More ornate wood carvings for the side pews, each one with unique decorations and details.

We said goodbye to the church and made our way into the main area of Kutna Hora for lunch.

Our lunch spot at #1 rated Dacicky Restaurant started around 1:00pm.

Rob was deeply reflecting on something here while we waited for our food. We had a choice of a chicken dish, pork with plum sauce, or vegetarian. Our guide said the chef has a pate unique to the restaurant and asked her to tell everyone how special it is so we’d try it. We did try it, some enjoyed more than others. We all enjoyed our main meal choices and had apple strudel for dessert. 

Lunch was over by 1:45pm and we continued our walk through town.

We took the bus back to our hotel where we arrived around 4:45pm. Rob and Michele rested and got a margherita pizza in the hotel cafe for dinner. We met Roy for the Prague by Night tour at 7:45pm. Gwyn opted to rest after the long walk earlier today. Our tour guide was a different Margaret who was one of the best guides we’ve ever had. Her english was strong, she was very knowledgeable about everything in sight, and quite funny. A short bus ride into the city and up the hill, we arrived at the Strahov Monastery, founded in 1143, and enjoyed views of the city.

Next we walked nearby to a beer hall to sample local beer. Margaret all told us how to say “beer” in Czech, “Pivo”. She said you can use it as a general greeting since beer is so loved in the Czech Republic! Michele does not like the taste of beer, but in an effort to join in, she told the waiter “Pivo Mi”, which means “beer me!”. She recieved the Nectar of Happiness beer. 

A few minutes after our beers were delivered, Margaret explained to us that we would have to drink our beers like Czechs, very fast, as we had to move along in the next few minutes. Beers consumed, we got back on the bus for a short ride over to the entrance of the famous Charles Bridge and the scenic neighborhood at the end of it. The bridge has a 20-year renovation underway.

Check out this very specialized shop.

We saw Little Venice named for being the only canal in the city, and the Waterwheel.

Kabourek, a grumpy old water goblin at the edge of the pier, guards the old mill. He is popular in Czech and Slavic fairy tales. 

Next we walked to the Lennon Wall. This wall represents non-violent resistance.

We finished the tour with views of the Church of the Virgin Mary under the Chain, built by the Knights of Malta in the 12th century. The name derives from the knights using chains to block boats from proceeding on the river before paying customs duties. 

A quick ride back to the hotel and we said our goodbyes for the night. Tomorrow we have a half day tour of other city sights.

Day 02 - Prague Day 01 - WWII Czech Resistance

We woke this morning at 7:30am. It felt good to have a full nights’ sleep after having stayed awake for 24 hours on our travel days to get here. We got ourselves ready and out the door at 8:15am to meet Roy and Gwyn for breakfast. The hotel has an enormous layout of food for breakfast: breakfast cakes, fruits, various cold meats and cheeses, breads, pastries, bacon, scrambled and hard boiled eggs, a made to order omelette station, roasted vegetables, yogurts and even hot pretzels.

The four of us had a nice breakfast and afterwards, stopped by the Viking desk on the lower lobby to verify our excursion times. Roy said that was the last time he would need to do that because Rob and Michele are doing the same excursions after today and so he would just ask Rob. Rob and Michele’s WWII Czech Resistance tour started time was 2:40pm— a few minutes later than originally scheduled— and Roy and Gwyn’s traditional folklore dinner started at 6:50pm—20 minutes later than originally scheduled.

We headed back to our rooms and agreed to meet for lunch at noon in front of the hotel palm tree.We watched a few ships make their way through the canal locks. It takes about 15 minutes from entering to exiting the three lock gates.

We met Roy and Gwyn for lunch at the Cafe & Bistro in the hotel. We each tried what the other had the day before. We ordered the club sandwich and they tried the fried chicken sandwich. 

After lunch, we went back to our rooms to get ready for our WWII Czech Resistance tour. After checking in at the Viking meeting area at 2:30 we were given ear pieces and a portable radio receiver. We boarded a small Viking bus with 12 other people. 

We took a short bus ride to the Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius and our guide, Eva, talked to us about the occupation of the Czech Republic by the Nazis in 1939 as well as the most famous resistance operation, Operation Anthropoid. Operation Anthropoid was a 6-month plan that culminated in the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. Reinhard Heydrich was the commander of the German Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), the acting governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and a principal architect of the Holocaust. A very evil soul with a charming exterior, as our guide described him. 

The seven resistance fighters made their last stand at the crypt of the cathedral nearly two weeks after the assassination. The extreme reaction of the Nazis after the assassination gave support for countries (starting with Britain) to consider the 1938 Munich agreement (it provided for the German annexation of part of Czechoslovakia called the Sudetenland, where more than three million people, mainly ethnic Germans, lived) null and void.

We watched a short video about the operation and walked around the crypt before getting back on the bus and returning to our hotel.

After returning to our room at 5pm we decided to do a little exploring. We walked on the pathway that followed the Vltava river, making our way up river towards the famous Charles Bridge. Rob wanted to see if we could get a get view of the Prague Castle. We crossed over the Charles Bridge, but since the setting sun was behind the castle, we did not have a good shot of it. No matter, the other views were great.

So, we continued up river another 1.25 miles to the Legion Bridge and crossed back over the Vltava river. Prague is a really photogenic city. The architecture makes for stunning views.

On the Legion bridge, we were able to get a picture of the castle protected from the glare of the sun.

We walked the 2.25 miles back to the hotel for dinner, passing more elaborate buildings on the way. 

We arrived at the hotel around 8pm and went straight to the Hop House and ordered the exact same meal we had the night before.

Tomorrow will be an earlier day for us. Our first excursion starts 30 minutes earlier than planned, at 8:30am, to visit a historic town an hour outside the city.

Day 01 - Home to Prague, Czech Republic

May 4-5. We made good progress this week preparing for the trip so that we did not have to rush around today. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 5:35pm. Rob made final preparations to the house in the morning and Michele vacuumed to burn off nervous energy. After lunch Marcia picked us up at 1:45pm and stopped at Roy and Gwyn’s house to pick them up on the way to Dulles. Rob and Michele haven’t been on a plane since our 2018 Barcelona/Mediterranean Cruise!

Departure terminal traffic at Dulles was moderate and Marcia dropped us off in front of the United curb-side baggage check in. We were the only ones at the bag check-in so it took under 5 minutes to drop off the checked bags and start heading to security, completely avoiding the inside check-in lines. 

Roy and Gwyn went to pre-TSA check security and Rob and Michele went through regular security. It was fairly busy, but the line steadily advanced and we were through in about 10-15 minutes. After a live photo and ID check, only four things are now needed at security: coats off, shoes off, pockets empty, and everything in a huge gray bin. No more toiletries bags or laptops out. Michele got randomly selected for a warm hand wand test, perhaps testing for gunpowder residue. Rob and Michele arrived at the train platform just a few minutes ahead of Roy and Gwyn. Sometimes regular security is faster than pre-check.

Our plane was scheduled to depart from gate C4 near the end of terminal C. It took about 10 minutes to walk to the gate. By this time it was 3pm and we found open seats to wait for boarding to begin at 4:30. We got money exchanged for Euros and Czech Koruna and picked up snacks for the trip. 

Our Boeing 777 flight was completely full. In fact, when we checked in the day before, the airline was offering incentives for anyone willing to give up their seat. As we got in line to board the plane, the gate agents were strongly encouraging folks to check any of their roll-on luggage. Those who were boarding the plane in the last two groups would likely not have any overhead space left and have to gate check anyway. We did not have such concerns since we were flying in United’s Premium Plus cabin. 

We boarded just after business class, which is basically first class in single pod configurations, and had plenty of storage space. The cabin configuration in premium plus is 2-4-2 versus 3-5-3 in the economy cabin. Rob and Michele were in the last row of the Premium Plus cabin on the left side of the plane. There were just 24 seats in this section, vs. 80 in Business Class. Roy and Gwyn were in the row in front of us.

We were in our seats and ready to go by 5pm. The plane pushed back from the gate a few minutes later than the 5:35pm scheduled time, but not enough to affect our arrival time in Brussels. In Premium Plus we got fancy blankets from Saks Fifth Avenue and a pillow for the flight only, not to keep. 

Shortly after we were in the air we were served dinner. Michele got the last of the chicken meals leaving Rob with the vegetarian noodle meal. Neither were tasty, but the small salads were okay, so hopefully the return flight is better. 

After dinner we settled in for the remaining portion of the 7 hour flight. Rob finished watching the Cobra Kia series he downloaded from Netflix and tried to sleep unsuccessfully. Michele watched Young Sheldon episodes, Ocean’s Eleven, and Back to the Future. She also tried to sleep unsuccessfully. Had the seats reclined further we think we might have slept. 

Our route took us up through New York, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland for the first two hours. 

We had shorts periods of chop as we passed over the rainstorms from yesterday. The rest of the flight was fairly smooth with few seatbelt on periods. 

About two hours before we landed, the flight crew served breakfast. Rob chose banana bread pudding versus the egg white bites that Michele chose and enjoyed with yogurt. 

The flight landed in Brussels at 7:30am local time on Monday, May 5 (1:30am EDT). Our arrival gate was near the very end of the terminal (again). We made our way to the A terminal where our connection would take us to Prague. Since we were connecting to an EU country, we had to go through customs on our way to the A terminal. Customs took 5 minutes and was so easy it didn’t seem as if we went through Customs. The agent only asked us one question: Where are you going?

It took us about 20 minutes to walk to the A terminal, and along the way it looked more like a fancy mall than an airport. Unfortunately, Brussels Air doesn’t identify the departure gate until 45 minutes before your flight. Our flight was scheduled to depart at 9:30am. We walked along the terminal until we found some open seats where we waited until they posted our departure gate at 8:45am. 

Our departure gate wound up being A34 which required us to back track down Terminal A and drop down a level. We would enter this plane from the airport tarmac, and stood outside for 20 minutes in the chilly 50F shade before they opened the plane doors to allow us to board. At least it wasn't raining or snowing. 

Our tightly packed Brussels Air flight left at about 9:30 for the short 1.5 hour flight to Prague. No Premium Plus on this flight. We landed in Prague and were off the plane at about 11am local time (GMT +2) or 5am EDT. Whew, we made it to the Czech Republic, a new country for both Rob and Michele. After a 10 minute walk to baggage claim we found the carousel for our flight and only waited 10 more minutes for our bags. All four of our bags were among the first 15 bags out. Premium Plus also has the benefit of priority checked bags so they come out first, nice! It’s always a relief to see the bags after connecting overseas flights. 

We placed our Viking tour baggage tags on our luggage, slapped our “I am with Viking Cruises” sticker on our clothes, and walked around the corner to the arrivals greeting area where we were spotted by a Viking Cruises representative. He guided us and one other couple from Florida to the taxi pickup area and helped us load into a pre-arranged taxi van for the 40 minute ride to our hotel.

A few first images of Czech Republic.

Gwyn liked this flowering shrub that we saw blooming all over the city.

We arrived at the Hilton Prague hotel a little past 12pm local time (6am EDT). Viking Cruises reps greeted us outside. Very efficiently they loaded our luggage, guided us to a special Viking check in and tour area, and let us know that our rooms were ready and waiting for us even at our early arrival. We filled out a quick document and were given our room keys without having to visit the regular hotel check in. Our bags arrived at our room 5 minutes after us. Michele and Rob freshened up and then went to the Cafe & Bistro, one of the many on-site restaurants at the hotel, for lunch that is in the bright atrium area. We shared a fried chicken and coleslaw sandwich with fries on a black brioche bun.

We were back in our room just before 2pm (8am EDT). Feeling like walking zombies, we closed the curtains and took a 3 hour nap. We woke up at 5pm and by 7pm we decided on dinner at the on-site hotel restaurant, Hop House. We ordered a burger and salad and watched the last set of the Madrid Open tennis match on a wall sized TV display. The pub has a nice vibe and we relaxed there awhile. We were back in our hotel room around 8:30pm. We have plans to eat breakfast with Roy and Gwyn tomorrow morning and then we have our first Viking tour excursion at 2pm tomorrow.