Wednesday 1 June: Today Frances wanted the visit the historic (what isn’t here?) Town Square and the Prague medieval astronomical clock. The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still operating. (WIkipedia). The square was absolutely filled with tourists which was a bit of a turn-off, but the place itself has an amazing feeling, surrounded by visually stunning buildings. We are almost getting burn-out from the built environment – so many interesting and beautiful 4-5 story brick buildings with all sorts of embellishments; architectural features, statues, murals and painting, etc. Also there are so many ‘quarters’ within the city with attractions, restaurants, cafes, etc. that you could spend a very long time here and not get bored. Here is a small selection of photographs.
While we were in the Town Square there was an excellent big band playing in the centre, playing some ‘modern’ classics from groups like Chicago and Henry Mancini. There is a fair bit of tolerance of personal behaviour here, especially in the drinking and smoking department, but this guy dancing around with his shirt off drew some special attention. The sign at a kiosk shows the comparative costs of soft drinks and alcohol here.
An absolute highlight in Prague was a visit to the Museum of Communism. What it lacked in multimedia interactives, it made up for by content. It shares a building with a casino and is more similar to a regional country museum than one in a big international city. The museum has quite a few examples of communist era artifacts (manufactured goods, uniforms, weapons, farming implements, etc) jumbled together. This included a supermarket diorama with plain packaging products – no wonder the tobacco companies are against it! There were excellent informative panels tracing the impact of the Russian Revolution, the Russian take-over after WWII (with western complicity) to liberation. We spent far longer there than in any other museum or gallery because it was so engrossing. It was quite critical of the communist period, which is seen now as a small part of a much longer history. This is obvious from the extent of buildings in Prague, which has been a centre of commerce and culture for a very long period of time.
In the afternoon we went for coffee to a café that was a regular haunt of Frances’ cousin-in-law, Han, during the 70s. The Cava Slavia is a taste of luxury - a bit like the Paragon in Katoomba, but on a larger scale. It is quite famous and has been frequented by all sorts of famous people from the arts to politics. Tony hasn't been, but I think Malcolm and Kevin would like to. It was a bit uncomfortable dealing with the numerous smokers having puffs before, during and after their meals. It was only as we were leaving that we saw the non-smoking section – a dark corner a long way form the panoramic windows providing views of Prague street life. Worth a visit though.
Later we took a tram ride to the north of the city - an excellent way to get around. We ended up at the Holesorvice Exhibition Centre. It consists of a number of old and new buildings spread over a very large area. It consists of an Exhibition Centre, Sports Stadium, Aquarium and other attractions. The Exhibition Centre itself was impressive, not only for its architecture, but also for its scale – incredible for such an old building when compared to something like the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney. Another example of the importance of Prague in European commerce.
Tonight we went to the U-Fleke restaurant/brewery which is literally around the corner. It’s famous for its black beer and traditional food. It was pretty full, but we managed to get a table. even before the menu arrived, the waiter put 2 large glasses of black beer on the table – the only beer they serve. It’s quite heavy, but has blueberry sweetness in the flavour. Anyway the menu arrived and it was very Czech. Frances ordered the Roast Sausage with white cabbage and boiled potatoes. It was exactly as described and Frances loved it. The only thing that appealed to me was the Vegetarian Plate – I just wanted a light meal. Well, it was a bit oily and the vegetables were overcooked, but meal was pretty good, although it looks pretty disgusting in the photo. It had braised/baked capsicum, onion, eggplant and zucchini with potato cakes (potato with grains such as barley) and Czech versions of hash browns, accompanied by both red AND white cabbage.
The service was akin to places like Rossini at Circular Quay, perfunctory, bordering on rude. The place is designed for high turnover. Most meals seem pre-prepared and the restaurant copes easily with bus-loads of tourists. The waiters were also pushing extras like fortified wines to boost the revenue per table.
The highlight though, was our dining companions. While ordering our meal, a Japanese family joined our bench/table. We struck up a conversation and found that they have lived in Milano, Italy for over 20 years. The mother was an opera singer and the father a musician. The children were born and raised in Italy and comfortably speak Japanese, English, Italian and even the Milanese dialect. They were charming and friendly, and made the evening far more memorable than it otherwise would have been.
An absolute highlight in Prague was a visit to the Museum of Communism. What it lacked in multimedia interactives, it made up for by content. It shares a building with a casino and is more similar to a regional country museum than one in a big international city. The museum has quite a few examples of communist era artifacts (manufactured goods, uniforms, weapons, farming implements, etc) jumbled together. This included a supermarket diorama with plain packaging products – no wonder the tobacco companies are against it! There were excellent informative panels tracing the impact of the Russian Revolution, the Russian take-over after WWII (with western complicity) to liberation. We spent far longer there than in any other museum or gallery because it was so engrossing. It was quite critical of the communist period, which is seen now as a small part of a much longer history. This is obvious from the extent of buildings in Prague, which has been a centre of commerce and culture for a very long period of time.
In the afternoon we went for coffee to a café that was a regular haunt of Frances’ cousin-in-law, Han, during the 70s. The Cava Slavia is a taste of luxury - a bit like the Paragon in Katoomba, but on a larger scale. It is quite famous and has been frequented by all sorts of famous people from the arts to politics. Tony hasn't been, but I think Malcolm and Kevin would like to. It was a bit uncomfortable dealing with the numerous smokers having puffs before, during and after their meals. It was only as we were leaving that we saw the non-smoking section – a dark corner a long way form the panoramic windows providing views of Prague street life. Worth a visit though.
Later we took a tram ride to the north of the city - an excellent way to get around. We ended up at the Holesorvice Exhibition Centre. It consists of a number of old and new buildings spread over a very large area. It consists of an Exhibition Centre, Sports Stadium, Aquarium and other attractions. The Exhibition Centre itself was impressive, not only for its architecture, but also for its scale – incredible for such an old building when compared to something like the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney. Another example of the importance of Prague in European commerce.
Tonight we went to the U-Fleke restaurant/brewery which is literally around the corner. It’s famous for its black beer and traditional food. It was pretty full, but we managed to get a table. even before the menu arrived, the waiter put 2 large glasses of black beer on the table – the only beer they serve. It’s quite heavy, but has blueberry sweetness in the flavour. Anyway the menu arrived and it was very Czech. Frances ordered the Roast Sausage with white cabbage and boiled potatoes. It was exactly as described and Frances loved it. The only thing that appealed to me was the Vegetarian Plate – I just wanted a light meal. Well, it was a bit oily and the vegetables were overcooked, but meal was pretty good, although it looks pretty disgusting in the photo. It had braised/baked capsicum, onion, eggplant and zucchini with potato cakes (potato with grains such as barley) and Czech versions of hash browns, accompanied by both red AND white cabbage.
The service was akin to places like Rossini at Circular Quay, perfunctory, bordering on rude. The place is designed for high turnover. Most meals seem pre-prepared and the restaurant copes easily with bus-loads of tourists. The waiters were also pushing extras like fortified wines to boost the revenue per table.
The highlight though, was our dining companions. While ordering our meal, a Japanese family joined our bench/table. We struck up a conversation and found that they have lived in Milano, Italy for over 20 years. The mother was an opera singer and the father a musician. The children were born and raised in Italy and comfortably speak Japanese, English, Italian and even the Milanese dialect. They were charming and friendly, and made the evening far more memorable than it otherwise would have been.
