Ruth Paget: Czech Republic

Visiting Prague, Czech Republic with Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

“We won’t be in the Euro Zone in Prague,” I remarked to my husband as we set out from our Bavarian inn toward the Czech Republic. I had forgotten how easy it is to exchange money in countries seeking tourism.

On all the back roads we took into Prague, I marveled at GPS technology and the orderly countryside that would make a Midwestern American farmer happy. Some buildings remain to be repaired, but I felt that the towns and villages adorned with flowers were making things nice for their inhabitants as well as potential tourists. Czech restaurants with Czech-only signs appeared along the way with families out for a weekend lunch. Gas stations with gas advertised at 325 Czech Korunas per liter dotted the road

We found parking one block down from the Charles Bridge. The large avenues with trees reminded me of Boulevard Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris. The streets were clean, but I felt the buildings would be even more stunning with cleaning. The towering Baroque architecture in town was built to keep you in line with the Catholic faith and not to be tempted by deviations from it.

What is true of the architecture is also true of the statues on the Charles Bridge over the Vltava River. The Bridge is named after King Charles (1316 – 1378) with work beginning on it in 1357. Various guidebooks say that passing the religious statues on the Charles Bridge is akin to making a pilgrimage. The statues are darkened with wear by the elements and pollution. If they were cleaned, Pont Alexandre III in Paris would have some competition as the most dramatic bridge in the world.

The base of the statue of Saint John of Nepomuk (1345 – 1393) has a shiny spot on the brass where people touch it. Legend according to tour guides is that you will one day return to Prague if you do this like throwing a coin in the Trevi Fountain in Rome. Another online legend says you might have a wish granted for rubbing that statue. A Czech woman we spoke with said you would not get sick for a year if you rubbed that spot.

After a walk amidst artists, buskers, and tourists, we found a nice restaurant outside the towers on Mostecka Street called Pod Vezi. The restaurant serves lunch specials and dinner throughout the day. I had bresaola and pork loin while my husband had potato soup and spaghetti. We both had apple cheesecake for dessert. The food was excellent and so was the service; we had three waiters taking care of us.

We dodged tour buses, trams, and motorcycles and climbed winding roads on the mountains outside of downtown with a shift-gear car as we left town. The countryside is amazingly close to the sophistication of downtown Prague. The music on the radio was good even if we could not understand it. The music accompanied us back to Bavaria, where we would enjoy a Pils beer from the Czech Republic and watch World Cup Soccer on a Fourth of July Weekend.

By Ruth Paget - Author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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