Austria and Prague 2019 - These Boots Were Made For Walking

In Prague, as in the other 2 cities, in fact all the cities we visit, we walked, and walked and walked. My husband remarked that he was thankful we didn't have fitbits as they wouldn't be able to count that high and would probably have given up and conceded defeat on the 2nd or 3rd day.

Prague is a place of constant surprise and discovery. Architectural marvels appear around every corner. The sense of history is physically felt. The old town square began as a marketplace in the 10th century, the construction of the Charles bridge began in the 14th. Occasionally, very occasionally, a more modern building, most of them faceless, sits next to a venerable neighbor, which made me wonder what had originally occupied the space they now inhabit.

With a multitude of  others we awaited the striking of the hour of the towns clock. Constructed in 1410 it is the 3rd oldest astronomical clock in the world. The spectacle is both grisly and lame. A skeleton on one side of the clock begins to pull a cord causing the bells to chime, 2 small doors high up on the wall open and wooden figures of the Apostles set on, what I assume are rotating wheels, appear one by one in each of the doors. It is underwhelming, a sort of a medieval Disneyland's  "It's a Small World."  It is touted in many guide books as "not to be missed". Take it from me, you can miss it. As the crowds dispersed we appreciated the beauty of the town square filled on that sunny weekend afternoon with street performers and both tourist and locals alike.

We walked up a hill discovering the embassy district. The grand buildings with their country's flags fluttering reminded me of a similar area in Copenhagen. I noticed a more pronounced police presence in this area.

We stopped into one of the scores of small jewelry stores, their windows glittering with garnets, a stone this region is renown for. We purchased an amber ring, a stone also in abundance in the shops. We returned to the tiny antique shop we had visited the day before. My husband was hell bent on bringing home a piece of Czech glass. What we were seeing for sale was prohibitively expensive and only sold in large sets. In this small shop, in a glass case filled with vintage treasures, was a lovely art deco shot glass. As we have shot glasses from many of our travels we decided it would be a perfect compliment to our collection. Mother of pearl cuff links from the 1950's were added to the purchase.

My husband asked directions to the John Lennon Wall, a peculiar tourist attraction in the city. The younger, by several decades, of the two men manning the shop, marked it with an x on the map we had with us and gave us directions on how to get there. It was only a short distance away. We thanked them and headed out to continue our adventure.