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Hard to believe we are on the final leg of the journey, but Prague,
Czech Republic will be our last stop before I head home on Friday.
Much of the morning was spent in the drive from Vienna to Prague,
but we did make a very pleasant stop in a small village long noted
for the medicinal properties of its hot springs.
Back on the bus, early in the morning, saying goodbye to Vienna and
the Danube canal.
Goodbye fancy waste treatment plant.
On the road again. Austria looks just like America, doesn’t it?
So what could be more American than stopping for a bathroom break at
McDonald’s? Check out that menu.
This guy is ordering an Egg McMuffin from a kiosk. They’re trying to
make fast food faster I guess. I tried one of these kiosks in a
Memphis McDonald's a couple of weeks ago and the result was a
disaster.
I think the truth is that McDonald's shared space with a pastry
shop, but still this is the best McDonald's selection I've ever
seen.
At last, What better place than a McDonald’s parking lot to spot my
first General Motors car of the trip.
See the Christmas tree on top of the pole over there? Misha has
explained that it’s a May pole, and that every little town in this
part of the world puts one up in the spring and decorates it with
ribbons.
But that is just part of the story. Misha told us that teenage boys
compete in the game of sneaking to neighboring towns under cover of
darkness to cut down the rival town’s pole. Now any teenage boy
knows it would be a terrible dishonor to have your May pole cut
down, so they form town guard squads to protect theirs carefully, 24
hours a day.
It’s a tradition in these parts. It’s what they do.
The Road Scholars are enjoying the ride.
Christmas tree poles in every town.
Now we are in the Bohemian part of the Czech Republic that is
famously known as the Sudetenland. They really love their carp here.
We are about to go exploring in the town of Třeboň. Surrounded by
fishponds, it’s known for its spas and therapeutic treatments.
That's where they brew the town's beer.
Hundreds of years ago this was a swampy area, until some man-made
ponds were created. They don’t like to call them lakes if they are
man-made. So these are ponds. We are walking up onto the top of a
levee.
What a beautiful… pond. it has been here a very long time, And it is
full of delicious carp. That’s right, carp. Have I mentioned the
people here love to eat carp?
Josef Štěpánek Netolický (c. 1460–1539) was a Czech fishpond builder
and architect. Netolický worked as a regent of the Rožmberks' domain
and designed fishpond system in southern Bohemia, around the town
Třeboň. He is still honored as the builder of all the ponds.
He looks like a fun guy.
And he made a nice pond.
Let’s go into the town. We’ll pass through what used to be the city
wall.
And cross over what used to be the city moat.
That is a moat goat.
St. Stephen. But you knew that from the halo.
More castle.
Let's check out the city park.
Misha is telling us about the park situated next to the castle.
This place has orange rhododendrons.
And peacocks.
Třeboň boasts a beautiful town square.
With a St. Stephen statue.
And a maypole.
A maypole planted firmly in the ground.
It's a pretty place.
With striking architecture.
And for lunch we had carp soup. Truthfully and contrary to all my
expectations, it was very good.
The fried carp on top of the salad, however, was a different story.
Put a little blob of that white horseradish on it, though, and it
was enjoyable. Kinda.
There are ducks in the carp pond.
Pretty ducks. Now let’s find the bus and head for Prague.
I was merely resting my eyes for just a moment. Rachel was
disappointed because I closed my mouth just before she snapped the
picture.
Ah...Prague. Our final city on the tour.
We are staying in a very nice hotel right in the center of Prague.
That is Powder Tower, one of the original 13 city gates in Old Town,
Prague. Construction began in 1475. The tower was intended to be an
attractive entrance into the city, instead of a defensive tower. The
gate was used to store gunpowder in the 17th century, hence the name
Powder Tower or Powder Gate. It's very tall -- visible from most
places around the inner city -- and very distinctive, so I memorized
the route from it back to our hotel. That's how I always could
easily find my way home.
Lots of interesting sites are within easy walking distance.
That’s Municipal House, a civic building that houses Smetana Hall, a
celebrated concert venue. It is located on Náměstí Republiky next to
the Powder Gate in the center of the city. it’s just a short block
from our hotel.
This is a popular place. Lots of people are out enjoying themselves.
Well I know what it says it is, but the logo doesn’t look right.
That’s a nice toy store. It specializes in marionettes, which turn
out to be a treasured part of Czech culture.
I am pretty sure there will be marionettes in my future. I have
signed up to go to a marionette show tomorrow night: Mozart’s Don
Giovanni. Performed by marionettes. They say it is a very Czech
thing.
Dramatic sky.
Tourists everywhere you look.
Prague is medieval. And beautiful. And Bill's belly is
showing the effects of two weeks of three big meals a day.
Now that's an interesting looking city tour vehicle. It's for the
regular tourists, not the Road Scholars.
I think I'm going to like this place.
billanderson601@yahoo.com
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