Okay, by popular request, some witty commentary. I am going to shine on the thumbnails because they are a lot of work. I am lazy. Does this surprise you? NAWWWWWWWWW...
Picture number one was taken the first day. The day started very early thanks to jetlag. Sandy is a 'breakfast' kinda guy (I'm not) so we went out insearch of something open EARLY. We both found out that Prague is a lot like me, not a 'breakfast' kinda place. NOTHING was open at 6 am, NOTHING. Finally, at 7, McDonalds opened. But they aren't like the US as far as breakfast goes. No McMuffins or anything. Just burgers. So we had a burger, at 7 am. Like I say, Prague isn't a breakfast kind of place.
Me on the Charles Bridge in Prague
We decided to take a ride on the Vltava river. For some reason, I kept singing the theme song from 'Gilligan's Island.' The trip was short, but pleasant. Met some French tourists. Ah, la vie en rose.
Sandy on our 20 minute cruise of the Vlatava river in Prague
Me, looking VERY suave, on the cruise
All of Central/Eastern Europe is CRAWLING with cathedrals. This is the big one at Prague Castle. The weather was't much good though. The place was totally packed with tourists from all over. Tour guides waving little flags were trying to keep them together. I had enough trouble keeping me and SANDY together. I guess that's why they get paid for it.
Me in front of the cathedral at Prague Castle
Sandy in front of the cathedral at Prague Castle
Sandy in front of abovementioned view
On the way down from one of the other castles, we found a nice little restaurant on the side of the hill. We took some pictures and the results follow.
Spring shot from near the Castle
Another Spring shot from near the Castle
After about 5 days in Prague, we decided to see a bit more of the country, so we headed south, to Cesky Krumlov. It's a totally beautiful, peaceful little place, full of happy natives and a lot of happy tourists. It has some really wonderful buildings, but that's not unusual in that area. But I'd recommend the trip anyway, it's a nice change from Prague.
We booked a room through the local tourist office. It was warm and sunny and the girl in the tourist office had a little sunburn. She was very nice and I asked if I could take her picture. She agreed, as you can see. By the way, cute as she is, she is just an average Czech girl.
The girl in the tourist office in Cesky Krumlov
View of the Vltava River from the Castle in Cesky Krumlov
Another view from the CK castle
As I said before, this area is OVERRUN with churches. Sandy seemed to want to see them all, too. Here he is inside one of the brighter ones in Brno, Czech Rep's #2 city.
The woman at the internet cafe in our hotel building spoke some English, and we chatted for a while. Sandy came down and took this picture. Another healthy Czech woman. I LOVE this country!
Me and the bartender from our internet cafe in Brno
High atop the old town hall, we got a nice view. I pasted two pictures together to get the big picture/panorama effect. Wonderful contrast, all the lovely old buildings and the Nuke plant. Only the commies would have put it so close to everybody. I gained a new disdain for central planning.
Brno Panorama, note the nuke reactor among the architectural jewels
Brno street, from a sidewalk restaurant
We had dinner, after meeting a waiter from the restaurant, at the biggest hotel in Brno. Supposedly, Prince Charles stayed there. Total bill for a really swank meal was about 12 USD apiece. I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!
Sandy and I at a 4 star hotel having dinner (12$ apiece for the whole shebang)
Next stop was Budapest. Not as pretty or as clean as Prague, but interesting for sure. It's layed out a bit like Prague, in that the river down the center is a main feature. But both the city and river are bigger in Budapest. This is me crossing over from Pest to Buda.
Me on the 'chain bridge' over the Danube in Budapest
We did the usual stuff. Went up to the castle (ALL these cities have castles, it seems) and so on. There is street music everywhere in Budapest, some of it good, some not so good, and some UGLY. After a trip up the side of the mountain in a tram car, we got out to be seranaded by some Gypsy musicians. They weren't too good, at least the violin players were pretty bad. After the modern art museum, we saw a girl playing solo violin, and she WAS good. So I dropped a few hundred florints in her violin case and moved on. Up the hill we go, and we see this guy with a little portable keyboard. I listen, and it's a Chopin waltz, not a note wrong! So I take another look at him... and his hands are just moving up and down, the fingers aren't changing keys. THE GUY HAD THE DEMO PROGRAM ON! And he had his hat down there, collecting 'donations.' I give him credit for balls, I tell ya!
View of the Danube from HIGH atop Buda
We saw the usual requisite number of churches and castles, so it was time for something different. After the fall of Communism, people were destroying the old statues, or they were just sitting, going to waste. In the spirit of Capitalism, somebody got the bright idea to put them all in a sort of 'themepark' outside Budapest. Commieland! Anyhow, they play it up, sell souvenirs (way overpriced, another sign of capitalism) among which was a CD I was tempted to buy even at the inflated price: COMMUNISM'S GREATEST HITS! You gotta love it.
Me hugging the coattails of a Communist Martyr in Budapest's 'Statue Park'
Sandy, standing proud for Communism
Those CRAZY Hungarian square houses!
Another dramatic statue, I am barely visible in front
After about 3 days in Budapest, we were ready for a change. We were headed to Krakow, Poland, eventually, so we took the train in that direction, ending up for the day in a nice town called Banska Bistrica. It had a wonderful town square, and the usual beautiful women everywhere.
Shot of Slovakia as seen from the train
Another Slovakia shot from the train
Town square in Banska Bistrica, Slovakia
Another shot of the town square
Shot from the hotel room window, Banska Bistrica
Students marching to raise money for a party!
On our 2nd day in Krakow, we went to see the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. We went with a German guy we met on the train. It's very moving and very interesting, though might be hard for some to take. I recommend it though. One strange thing, it was so GREEN. It wasn't that way during the war, of course, with hundreds of thousands of people turning the grass to mud. But the green made it all seem unreal somehow. It was very real, unfortunately.
The entry gate to Auschwitz has a slogan, 'Work makes Freedom.' About as cynical as you can get, I think.
Photo from the main guard tower at Auschwitz-Birkenau
The cathedral in the castle in Krakow
Krakow, just hanging out at a sidewalk cafe.
Me, in a very 'heavy' pose. Worthy of a TV anchor or politician, or classical musician
Back in Czech Republic again, this time in a town called Olomouc. We had trouble finding a room, and ended up in a Soviet-era hotel. I have never seen a rug as stained as that one. Like a lot of Eastern Europe, the town center is wonderful and the socialist apartments surround it on all sides.
High view from our Commie-era hotel in Olomouc, CZ
We met up with Russ and Brian, my pals from the UK, when we got back to Prague. This is them, acting like they can STAND each other. sure.
Russ Walton and Brian Pond. The DYNAMIC DUO
Two high ranking Communists, caught in their casual uniforms
One last Statue to leave you with a warm-fuzzy feeling about communism
Well, that's all for this installation. I have some more pictures in my camer, and I'll add them when I get them developed. Stay tuned...
