Czech Rep - PragueSep 8, 2002
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Charles Bridge
2 weeks after the 2002 floods
Riviera Area & the Dancing House
| Day 39 Sunday 8 September "Prague Castle" Austria - Vienna / Wien 6.30 my last day in Prague. I was going to go out and take arty photos with noone around but was too tired 9.00 went for the usual crap breakfast then put my bag in and checked out. Powder Tower. I headed into town - passed Hotel Cental - very Art Nouveux, then climbed my Prague reference point the Powder Tower, nice view, churches chiming too, then back down and I filmed Glass cos bohemian glass is popular. Charles Bridge I got here at 12 and it was packed, I paid to go up the tower at the end, it said how important the bridge was, with royal processions and battles happening on it. It collapsed in 1890! Flood Area from here I walked around Prague Venice - the area that was badly affected by the floods. Im amazed at how quickly a place becomes a tourist attraction. The line is clearly visible just above the first floor window. All the windows are open to get rid of damp, there is a skip outside most houses, one even had a sign in different languages "Please dont enter this building while we are trying to clear up. Off to MacDonalds - bought 2 new video tapes - a bargain at £5 each - then St Georges Church no video allowed but v Baroque inside. Castle then with just 2 hours till my train to Vienna leaves I walked up to the castle. It was pretty expensive and the ticket gets you into 5 sites. 1. Cathedral - 1a. Tower spire 2. Royal Palace 3. Chapel 4. Powder Tower 5. Golden Lane So I thought I'll get the 6pm train and not the 3pm train. I could now relax. I had another look at my favourite stained glass window bu Mucha then climbed the 280 steps to the top of the spire - very knackering but excellent view for miles, much higher than the other towers I went up today. Royal Palace was just OK - I liked the basement where the oldest part was. Then into the Chapel - luckily just before it closed. The Poweder Tower had an exhibition of Alchemy, you could go out onto the top of it. Finally Golden Lane - now I hate paying to walk down a street - even if Kafka lived there. You could see an armoury museum within the wall ramparts there - and a prison cell. Dancing House now I had to speed up again to get my train. Walked back across Charles Bridge and down Pragues Parisian Riviera with even more Art Nouveux buildings. Along here police were restricting traffic. I saw my first gay couple touching eachother - here of all places! then to the dancing house. Some Jap stood in the way of my photos. It was 5 and my train was 5.58 so a quick walk back to hotel to get my bag. Passed Wenceslas Square - not very impressive. Train to Vienna. It was a very empty train. I had a compartment to myself. The sun set so I couldnt see much of a view. Within minutes of starting the ticket woman came on and demanded some money. Inter-rail you need a supplement on this train. 80 czech wotsits - phew just over £1.50 - I thought it was £16 and spent the journey pissed off. Easy Hotel - Got to Vienna at 11 - earlier in the day I'd put my hands on the statue on Charles Bridge and wished for good accommodation tonight, and it worked , after a hassle with ATM's I finally got just enough 50euros to stay in a place just across from station, and it has a shower and TV hurrah. I washed some clothes as soon as I got in & the man got me a coke too. |
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