Tuesday 11 May to Wednesday 12 May 2004

11 May 2004 Prague I wanted to stay in Vienna one more day, but the hotel needed my room. So I needed to get to Prague, Czech Republic. The train ride was the best yet. The Austrian sure know how to do it right. It helped that in my compartment for six that I was the only one. The folks next to my compartment were from El Paso, TX, and we had a good conversation during lunch. We crossed the Austrian border into the Czech Republic around 11:30AM. The next three and a half hours would be a good view of a sizeable chunk of this former communist ruled country. The first town we entered was really run down, but from there on things improved dramatically. In fact, I was so impressed with the farms and farmland along the way, just beautiful. I would have thought there would have been more mountains, but there were miles of relatively flat farmland for most of the way to Prague. Alright, enough farm talk for now..

When we arrived at the Prague train station I was struck by how small and dumpy it was for a major city. I disembarked with my luggage and walked to the communist style lobby (sorry, all you lefties out there). As soon as I sat down to look at my map of Prague, a woman, probably in her late 60's, approached me and asked if I needed a place to stay. I told her that I had a hotel room reserved; she asked me if I could cancel it. Well, to make a long story short, I wound up cancelling my hotel room and following this complete stranger to her house. She had shown me photos of the house and a book of notes from her former guests. As soon as I made the decision to cancel the hotel, I thought, "What in the world am I doing?" But I had made the decision and now was forced to go with it. As it turned out, the accommodations could not be better, and this woman, her name is Helena, is just a sweetheart of a lady. The cost is about a third of the hotel room. I am quite pleased with how this turned out, but I usually do not do something like this, being the cautious kind that I am. One reason for my decision is that I wanted to talk to someone who lived under communism. Helena and I have done alot of that already.

Prague is a beautiful city. It's a shame that I won't be able to stay longer. This is a city I could return to visit. Of course, it is old but it is lovely. And it's cheap. I look forward to tomorrow's exploration.

12 May 2004 Prague Good Lord, what a beautiful city! I cannot get over it. Florence and Venice are beautiful, but Prague gives them a run for their money. In fact, Florence may have the art, but I think Prague wins out on the city's beauty in so many places. Venice is attractive partly for its uniqueness. Virtually every building in Prague has architectural character. I am blown away by it. Give Prague ten years, and it will be even better. They are refurbishing everywhere, and I don't know how they pay for it, because everything is so cheap here. The one negative now is that there are a lot of petty criminals one needs to be cautious of. They need Rudy Giuliani as mayor for a couple of terms. In ten years it will also probably be much more expensive, thanks to the Czech Republic's recent admission into the European Union.

I crossed the lovely Charles Bridge after, of course, visiting the church of St. Francis Assisi. The views on both sides of the bridge are almost breath- taking. The towers, steeples, great looking buildings, river, other bridges all make it a great vantage point from which to see Prague. The city squares and plazas are already wonderful but will be even greater in a few years once the work is all completed. I also tried to visit the church of St. Agnes, a Franciscan hotspot. Getting into it today was impossible because of repairs.

One can also see in some places the remnants of communist influence. For instance, the main train station (not the one I arrived at yesteday) is an ugly monstrosity, and the park in front is a haven for druggies and thieves. The metro or subway is wonderful, though. It is clean and timely. Very nice. And they have an extensive tram system. The fares are very affordable.

Prague, for me, ranks right at the top for surprises. It also comes for close to if not first place for a charming, down-to-earth, polite, inexpensive, tourist friendly, and visually stunning city. I am so glad I came here. If I had known this, I certainly would have scheduled more time here.

But, alas, I'm off to Frankfurt in the morning. In fact, I went to that communist monstrosity to get my ticket. (Have I mentioned communism in connection with ugliness enough? My leftist friends are probably steaming. Right, John? Now try to figure out which John.) Hopefully I will be able to post a story from Frankfurt tomorrow night after an eight hour trip.

My accommodations, as I mentioned yesterday, are just wonderful. SomeOne was looking out for me yesterday