Prague
Prague is not a place for high heels. Looking at those who dare, you see women struggling and exchanging between stone slabs and intricate streets and pavements in Prague. Prague is a walking city that delights your senses with magnificent lanes as widespread as the Champs Elysee and as narrow as a maze of labyrinths, returning you back to the time and ghettos of the twentieth century in Eastern Europe. Prague was built along the river Vitava. The beautiful city landscape has incarnated and supported a series of emperors, artists and religious communities. The buildings are decorated with statues and graffiti (originally meaning "design on buildings") that make you like going through an open-air museum. [13] Thirteen bridges cross the river with the most famous hiking bridge Charles Bridge, built more than 600 years ago. What you notice when walking across the bridge are 30 statues of religious figures separated by about 30 feet. They were evidently housed there in the 17th century to lead the masses to the cathedral on the hillside. At one end of the bridge is the Tower Bridge from the Old Town, leading you to the "Old Town". It looks like the entrance to a castle in Disneyland. It seems a miracle about where Disney actually got its original ideas. We walked across the bridge and night and day and stopped to enjoy the jazz musicians who play their incredible music. Zoé-Pascale, with her dancing soul, leaned into the music enjoying herself to see the whole world. After we gave them 3 tips, we decided to buy their CD Jazz music from the twenties. Her joy in giving money to street musicians stretches to the prospect on the street. We could not pass on any prosy without her wanting to give her money. The man in front of us kneeled his head, touching the earth as in prayer. He was wearing a hat in his hand, hoping the money would hit her as if it was Manna from the sky. After a few moments, we gave Zoé-Pascale, 20 Kronen and she jumped happily to the pros who dropped 20 Kronen in the hat. He lifted his head and nodded as if to say "Thank you". After several more prospects and Kronen, we tried to explain to Zoe-Pascale that we should choose how and who will help because there are many people who need it. Is the blind woman acting on a recorder, a beggar with a cap or an animal in shelters. Oh, be so innocent and I want to help others without any questions. However, he retrospectively wanted to know how the blind would know how much money he actually earned. Good question, we said and immediately went into another explanation. This is the joy of traveling with a small child!
On the opposite side of the river is the Pragov Castle. The fortress on the top of a hill surrounded by forest foliage is now the home of the Czech parliament and is in full use. St. The virus built between the 14th and 20th centuries (several wars between which the building was stopped) is eclectic, with a Gothic base and a renaissance, rounded cap on top. After climbing 287 stone circular steps of about 3 feet (with people climbing up and down) we reached the top of the tower with a beautiful view of the whole Prague. This climb was enough to promise us to increase aerobic exercise and get a better shape! We actually thought a few people had a heart attack before they reached the top.
As part of the Castle complex, called "Golden Strip", it was built with colorful huts where the goldsmiths lived. , Franz Kafka lived on the Golden Road and wrote his best records not published until after his death in 1924. Thinking about returning to the bookstore where we read Kafkin's work, I could now imagine the environment that fed his paranoia and fear. disturbing novels find communist years, and after that we passed a wall that cried on the front of the poster of Franz Kafke, and next to the posters was a picture of the Russian dolls Zoé-Pascale just bought that day. smaller and smaller dolls hide each other as a kind of surprise. The poster had a picture of a doll, but instead of smiling face it looked like the mouth of a sea dog ready to bite with sharp white eyes beneath the picture she said, "The Communist Museum." You heard your breath as you realized that, in a quick glance, it looked like pretty dolls in all stores, but under it there was such cruelty and hatred. Prague (such as a large part of Eastern Europe) was acquired by occasional anti-Semitic behavior and high acceptance and independence points from the 10th century. Under certain rulers there were acts, discrimination and slaughter, while at other times in the 17th and 19th centuries, autonomy and independence gave life to a flourishing life in the Jewish Quarter. The old Jewish cemetery used from 1439 to 1778 has more than 200,000 people buried. This was the only place where the Jews could be buried during that time. Today stands as a memorial to the past. The idea of a Nazi invasion of the Czech and Holocaust revives when you go through the Jewish quarter. It is hard to believe, and for two years the rich Jewish community was a ghetto in the ghetto, then sent to the gas chambers in concentration camps. We can not forget that nearly 80,000 Jews from this area died in the Holocaust. Twenty-two thousands escaped, and many of them came back to resume again. Now on the food! Our favorite meal we dare to admit was sausage in the center of the square. Choice of 6 different types of "saucisse" with selection of rolls, brown bread or baguette. Zoé-Pascal and my favorite were "saucisse" on a paper board with mustard, grilled onion and acidic acids and a piece of incredibly thick brown bread on the side. To round it up, we could get a bottle of their delicious domestic white wine. For the desert we discovered a dish called "Hot Love". A warm raspberry served on a plate of vanilla ice cream and chantilly (cream). The contrast between hot raspberries and cold vanilla ice cream melting in your mouth has caused you to grow older.
Today
Remains of the communist era can be seen in different ways, but capitalism at every expense is the motto of those who live in the city today. Everywhere people are happy to take money, but are not aware or incapable (we are not sure where) participation in talking, smiling or thanking. Sometimes it seems as if they are rude, and sometimes you wonder if their lack of English makes them ridiculous. We went to dinner at the restaurant and found it to be filled. We wondered if we could put his name down and get back in 30 minutes. The woman looked at us and said, "No, no place." We were stunned there and asked politically again. "Is it possible to put our name on the list?" She replied, "Now we are full, no list." We wanted to stop there and start talking to her about how she could increase her business in five easy steps.
The only exception we found was the young leader of the ship with a beautiful red hair that had lived in Philadelphia for years. It seemed to have taught the US that if you smiled, laughed, and engaged people, they would in return pay and it would be well rewarded. After leaving the boat I noticed that every traveler gave her advice, and she in turn smiled and said. "I'm glad you loved your jokes." I believe this mentality of service is universal and can make everywhere a great place for those who work, visit and live.
Reading local work (in English), we saw an article about how the government is trying to encourage young people to have more than one child. Like most parts of Europe, the current natality will not be able to support the aging of the population. As we read this article, we realized that we never saw children in Prague. In fact, the only children we saw were tourists or children of former dogs. We have never seen old people. For the city as vibrant and accessible to older people, there was little or nothing. Probably the war and communism spurred them. Maybe they live in the country. That makes you weird. In our Hotel Jean and I enjoyed a massage for 40 euros for two consecutive days. The one I never talk about during the massage enjoyed a great deal. Jean who asks questions, learns more about the country and what it does today. Maserka (a valid source does not think) told him how beautiful it is in the land, simpler and cheaper. It lives about 40 km and you can afford a large house, and in Prague you could not afford a small apartment. (Sounds familiar!!). He said, however, that the main difference is that people are concentrating on making money in the city. If you have money you can make money and entrepreneurship is scary. We have seen this in a great example of the God Bagel Shop waiting. An American entrepreneur after the fall of communism came to Prague and opened the first bagel trade – now there are three. It may not look like a huge step forward for capitalism, but find a bagel in Europe like a needle in a haystack. He brought them and people bought them. You never know what the next great idea might be.