Theaters Everywhere

Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014--Prague

There is an unbelievably large number of theaters and concert halls in this city.  Everywhere we turn we see another building that is one or the other.  And I am talking about LARGE theaters and concert halls.  They also have many small venues.

We made a giant loop exploring the city today.  We started by going through some of the older areas on our way to Wenceslas Square.  That is a long divided street that was the main shopping district in old times and still is filled with shops, hotels, etc.  It is also the area where demonstrations were held during the uprising against communism in the 1960s and during the fall of communism in the late 1980s/early 1990s.  It is no longer the elegant shopping district, but it is full or ordinary stores.

From there, we headed to the other side of the river, since our main goal today was to visit Prague Castle, the largest castle complex in the world.  I visited it 30 years ago, but I have no recollection of what I saw. 

As we arrived, a band and guards were marching into the complex.   I assumed it was for the hourly changing of the guards.  Then I thought maybe they were welcoming a foreign dignitary, since motorcycle cops accompanied a vehicle into the square.  However, it wasn't either of those.  The band performed for half an hour as motorcycle cops did precision routines.   I do not know what they were celebrating or why, but it was nice to enjoy the music.

We bought a ticket for several of the major sites within the complex.  Best was the St. Vitas Cathedral, a massive church at the center of the complex.  It has wonderful stained-glass windows and other features.   It also houses the tomb of King Wenceslas.  We also visited the Old Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica, and the Golden Lane, a row of old craftsmen's homes.  None of the latter were especially appealing.

On our way back to the apartment at the end of the afternoon, we stopped at Latenske sady, a nice, large park where people were relaxing and playing.  We watched a man walk about a 60m (60 yard) tightrope, we watched people walking by us and those playing around us, and we watched skateboarders.  Then we wandered through the old Jewish quarter of the city just before reaching our apartment.  It is now the home to all the high-end international designer shops here in Prague.

We returned home about 17:30 and stayed for the evening.  We washed a load of laundry and we ate sandwiches here for dinner.