Saturday, 5/28

Rebecca and I were up and out pretty early. We walked to the old square, and then through the old square, enjoying the difference between last night's merriment and this morning's focus. Last night there were tables, waiters, and musicians. This morning there were brooms, dumpsters, and deliveries.  We walked south near the river, looking for breakfast with a view.  It took a while, but as soon as we gave up the part about the view, we had success. 

After breakfast, we went down by the river.  If you've ever been to Victoria, and hung out on the lower causeway, you have the idea. Except it goes along the river for a good long while. Anyway, this morning, there was a huge kids festival! Any company that made products for kids had a booth, and was demonstrating and selling.  Anyone who had an activity for kids, similarly was demonstrating, and offering kids an opportunity to try. And any locals with kids brought them down. It was packed. 

We saw gymnastics and martial arts, of course.  But we also watched bicycle soccer.  The kids balance on special brakeless, direct drive bikes, and the "kick" the ball with a wheel. If they have to put a foot down, the other team gets control of the ball. It's a cross between soccer and trial biking.

Another fun activity was street dancing. Here's a picture.  But, when we get home, ask me to show you the video. These kids were really amazing, and it doesn't come across in a still photo.

Then we climbed way up high above the river, to a park, cemetery, church, and fortress, all in one. We started at the church, but it was closed for a wedding.

No problem - Rebecca just watched from the door.

Then we toured the cemetery, where a number of national heroes were interred. Here's Smetana,

And Dvorak.

Then we sat for a bit, in a charming and comfortable park.

Next we visited the oldest building in Prague, a lookout tower built in the eleventh century!

Then we walked along the walls of the fortress, and admired the commanding view of the river, 

and beyond.

We walked back along the water, stopping at a farmers market. Rebecca took some nice pictures of me, but they're on her phone. Just imagine me at a farmers market where everyone's speaking Czech, and you'll have it!

Then we walked some more, until we came to a nice restaurant that sat right next to a lock for smallish boats. The lock for the big boats was across the river. This was the view to my right.

And to my left. See the lock in the lower left?

We saw Blos, Lauren, Sam, and his roommate Sean, paddle boating!

Then we walked back toward our apartment. 

All week, we've been using the Tyn Church (pronounced "teen") as our landmark to get ourselves home. It's a huge old church, built in the fourteenth century. It started out Catholic, but in the fifteenth century, Hussites took over. They were a group that rebelled against Rome, and they did so well before Martin Luther. The difference is that the Hussites were not rebelling against doctrine: rather, they rebelled against corruption.  

Anyway, two centuries later, after a bloody battle, and some gross public mass-executions, it was re-taken by the Catholics, and changed back into a Catholic Church. When that happened, the Catholics took the golden chalice, a symbol of the Hussites, and melted it down to make a halo for the Virgin Mary.

Here's a view from the old square. Note the golden halo.

Here's the view of it from our apartment.

And here's the same view at night. 

So, Rebecca pointed out that we'd been using it to get our bearings, but hadn't seen the inside. So we popped in.

And...

Then we went out to see Sam's place. He lives in this Soviet-era building.

Then we took Blossom, Lauren, Sam, and Sean, out to a nice restaurant. 

It was nice to see Sam happy and settled - at least for the time being - in the beautiful city of Prague. And it was great to see, experience, and learn so much ourselves! Tomorrow, Blossom and Lauren leave for Texas, and we take a train to Vienna.