Eastern Europe Trip

Yes, today is my birthday. As anyone who knows me would tell you, I like my birthday. It’s my special day of the year. Getting older doesn’t bother me (although the outward signs of increasing wrinkles and the odd grey hair, and the inward sign of aching bones and a tendency to go “ooohh” when bending over are of concern), and each year always seems to bring new excitement, so it’s always with great pleasure that I welcome another birthday. After I’ve had so many, you would think the novelty would wear off, but far from it…

This morning dawned with the bright blue sky showing outside the circular window (no, not a Play School reference, there really is a circular window in our hotel bedroom), and Tracy’s dulcet tones wishing me “Happy Birthday”. A good start to the day… once up, showered and dressed I was passed a stack of cards that had arrived prior to our departure (one of the problems with leaving home before the big day is that the bulk of my cards sit on the mat at home until I return). As usual there was a mix of sentiments expressed in the cards, and of course one “Old Man” card (you know who you are… just wait ‘til I get home…).






After a quick breakfast we got the Internet access sorted in the room and I then spent a while bringing the blog up to date before we headed off into sunny Prague to do some sight-seeing. First there was the Astronomical Clock, complete with huge crowds, although Tracy managed to get a quick picture of me with only one Japanese tourist emerging from behind my ample physique…






Then we walked round the now-familiar streets which were heaving with tourists in large and small groups, ignorantly pushing their way through the narrow passages and standing in rows taking photos of the same scenes, then quickly scurrying on to catch the next site… we took as many of the less well-trodden paths we could and crossed the river towards the castle from a bridge further upstream from the Charles Bridge, but there was no real escape from the crowds…






We wandered round the streets near the castle, stopping for another cold beer (well, we are in Prague!) and a delicious lunch (Beef Goulash for me, and the most garlic-laden chicken for Tracy) before we came across the Franz Kafka museum with its rather interesting fountain in the grounds…






From here we walked up to the castle itself… and I mean UP… lots of steps to walk off the goulash and develop a thirst for another beer…






We arrived at the castle just in time to catch the changing of the guard ceremony. This happens every hour and draws a large crowd, as the 3 new guards march across the courtyard, out to the front of the gates, where 2 of them swap positions with the sentries. Then the 3rd guard returns with the replaced sentries, marching slowly back to the barracks. How they keep a straight face, when faced with a wall of tourists is beyond me…










All this excitement was way too much for us, so we grabbed an ice-cream and carried on wandering aimlessly, trying to avoid the ever-more-maddening crowds, diving into another bar when it got too much… then finally meandering across the Charles Bridge, watching the artists draw portraits of willing victims, and to the metro/tram and back to our hotel for a shower and freshen up…

We’ve found a Thai restaurant for dinner tonight that’s highly recommended in the Lonely Planet Guide, and as it’s my birthday and we’ve had traditional Czech food already today… it’d seem rude not to give it a try!