This morning, Don and I opted out of the walking tour. It was a 4 km walk, but because of me (I think) our guide was so thoughtful to order a bus for part of it. It still left 3 km of cobblestones up hills and down, so we will meet them at noon in the square for lunch and to see the Bohemian crystal.
Tonight we are going on one of the optional tours for a traditional Czech dinner and musicians in traditional costumes for entertainment. I will catch up later….
Okay! We took a taxi from our hotel to the Old Town Square. We went early enough so we could look at a few places and also get our bearings. We waited until the allotted time to meet the group and began our search. There were hundreds of people, some on their own, most in different tour groups.
I thought of turning on our little handset and, lo and behold, I heard our guide for the day, George. The astronomical clock (6oo years old) started chiming at noon and then we were told where to shop for the famous Bohemian Czech crystal. He did not lie. WOW…this shop must be a block long and a block wide. Crystal like you have never seen before and probably will never see again. And of course we did……
Then we went to a little restaurant called U Dvou Sester. Lucille and I had a Caesar Salad with chicken and bacon (ham) and Don ordered the goulash. It was quite tasty. The best thing here is that they serve pepsi and also 7-up with ice. No one uses ice here so that is a treat.
Back at the hotel at about 3:30 p.m. and we go for dinner at 7:00 p.m. We get to dress up a little so that will feel good.
As an aside….the Tour Directors of Insight do not have an easy job. They are responsible for 39 people, all the luggage, hotel rooms, times of arrival, departures, meals, optional tours, counting bodies constantly so as not to leave anyone behind. Constantly on the phone in one language or another. Bob speaks 5 languages himself.
Now our driver, Franco. He is Italian and boy, of boy, it shows. He can drive through, past and around walls, cars, buses and people and not lose a coat of paint. What a thrill to see how he manages this vehicle. He never gets lost in any city, country or roadway. He is worth everything to the passengers.
Just got back from our dinner at a traditional Czech restaurant. Let me tell you, they know how to party. The food was traditional but the entertainment was exquisite. Singing ,dancing and getting everyone to participate was so much fun. “There were 7 busloads of tourists in this restaurant from all over. They played a song to welcome each and every country represented and the evening went from there. What a blast….
