Prague is a lovely old city. Many of the old buildings have been (or are in the process of being) cleaned and restored. The Old Town is charming - with it's narrow, twisting streets opening into small squares, cobblestone paving. As in most European cities, parking and general traffic are horrible for cars, so the public transportation system is definitely the way to get around. A transit pass is one of the services provided by Untours, so we were able to get on and off any of the modes of transit as much as we wished. I also found out that people will immediately offer a seat to anyone with a cane. And I always travel with my cane.
The trams and buses do stay on more major roads, so we had at least a block + walk to a tram in any direction. I will say that I walked more in the three-week trip than probably in all of the preceeding year. Of course, it was good for me, but I did take a lot of acetominophen.
After our arrival day, and getting settled into the apartment, we talked about what we'd like to do, and got to bed early. On the second day, we had our Untours information meeting. We got lots more general information and suggestions. The Untours event for the week will be a chamber music concert, with a string trio playing Mozart. After the meeting, we walked a couple of blocks to the base of the funicular, heading up the bluff to a viewing tower that overlooks all of Prague, especially the Prague Castle. Midway of the track is a restaurant, so we stopped there and had some lunch. Once at the top of the funicular, the views were awesome.
We walked toward the tower (built at the end of the 19th century and based on the Eiffel Tower). After buying tickets, we found it meant climbing the stairs to the top. Well, that certainly let me out, so we started looking for an elevator. There was one, but only for the handicapped (there's that good ol' cane again - my magic wand). Then they told it was also good for anyone over 70!!! So we all squeezed into the tiny elevator and zipped up to the top. What an incredible sight to look out over all the red tile roofs of the city, seeing the Moldau cutting through the city, the layout of Prague Castle.
After we went down, we headed toward the end of the Charles Bridge - once the main bridge over the Moldau, but now a pedestrian bridge - a place where Czechs meet to walk, talk, and enjoy good weather. It was packed - vendors, craftsmen, artists drawing caricatures, musicians, etc. Lots of fun to walk across and check everything out. It was still relatively early, so we decided to take an afternoon boat ride. It was interesting to see the city from the water, but disappointing in that there was no narration to go along with the ride.
We headed home, then walked a couple of blocks to a neighborhood tavern for a great dinner. The servings are huge, so we're having to learn how to order. A very full first day!
Today's picture is from the tower, showing the rooftops of Prague.
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