Part III: Ending the Trip, and Our Year, in Prague

Journey back into time with me…a time when people from all over flew other places, just to see what was there. People lined the streets of cities, and tourists crowded in groups, reused headphones placed upon their ears in an attempt to hear a tour guide . The words lockdown, quarantine and social distancing weren’t in our daily lexicon.

The year was 2019. Specifically, the last two days of it. (Doesn’t it feel so long ago now?) Apologies that it has taken me months to write about this last leg of our journey, but we’ve been busy homeschooling and trying to stay sane over here; hopefully you are doing the same. And I suppose it’s also that we miss traveling and seeing new things, and it feels a bit sad and out of touch to reminisce. But for old time’s sake, here we go.

So far, our between-Christmas-and-New Year’s trip had taken us to exquisite Vienna and Semmering, Austria. We took the four-hour train trip from Vienna to Prague, arriving past 9 p.m. that Sunday evening. We’d had luck taking public transportation to that point, but our failed comprehension of the signage and the lack of options at that time was getting us nowhere. As we stood outside the train station in the dark, directionless, with tired boys and heavy luggage, we remembered that Uber existed. The driver picked us up, loaded our baggage and drove us quickly through the quiet streets of Prague.

Our hotel was near the top of Nerudova Street, a historic area that runs between the Charles Bridge and the Prague Castle. We walked into the sliding doors, relieved to be there, gave them our name and…they told us that we didn’t have a reservation. There was a moment of panic before I realized that we were at the Golden KEY Hotel; we needed to be across the street at the Golden WHEEL hotel. Finally, we crashed, ready to start our exploring the next day.

What we had heard about Prague from others was usually some version of “beautiful, but very touristy.” With that in mind, we ate breakfast at the hotel and set out as early as we could, aiming to get to the Prague Castle right at opening. We walked up the hill and for the first time in the light of day, we could see truly how beautiful Prague was.

The buildings were colorful, yet muted, ornate designs and lines, some with towers or statues/gargoyle-esque figures perched over doors or roofs. It’s a picturesque mix of Gothic, Baroque and Romanesque architecture. We took a few moments to enjoy the cityscape from the hill in front of the castle (and apparently Nate took a moment to find his Zen by meditating on the ground), but we could already see the line forming.

Most of the castle grounds are free to explore, though there are fees to tour the buildings and see certain areas. We knew the boys wouldn’t enjoy touring the grand St. Vitus Cathedral, so we peeked inside but opted to wander. I did want to see Golden Lane, a row of brightly colored small houses that are mostly shops now, but for us, it wasn’t worth the cost. There was a Christmas market that was still open, so we beelined it for the freshly-deep-fried donuts.

We roamed the grounds, looking up at the buildings for a bit, but it was already getting very crowded, with many tour groups lined up and starting to gather. We headed toward the exit, just to let the boys have some space to run and play. I can’t say for sure if it’s worth it to tour the buildings and other areas of the castle – most likely it is if you have the time, patience and interest – but we were content in our shorter stay. By the time we were leaving, the entrance line had grown exponentially.

From there, we decided to walk up through the streets and park paths to the Petrin Lookout Tower. The tower resembles the Eiffel Tower in its design and construction, though it’s a smaller version. It was built in 1891 and stands just over 200 feet, with 299 steps winding around the exterior to the top.

We arrived after a climb through the surrounding park, and let’s just say the boys were less than enthused at the prospect of further climbing. Luckily, there was a nearby playground they could explore and play at while Tim waited in line for tickets. It feels a bit silly paying money to begrudgingly climb a lot of stairs, but we thought the view would be worth it. One nice thing about this tower vs. other castles/towers we’ve climbed is that there is one direction up and another direction on the way down, so you don’t have to worry about encountering someone from the other way, whilst sucking in your stomach and breath as they perilously move around you.

The view delivered. There was an enclosed viewing room about halfway up, offering stunning panoramas of the city and its ornate buildings topped with red tiles. We looked back upon the castle, over the Charles Bridge into Old Town, then to the Great Strahov Stadium, which is one of the largest sports venues ever built.

After a bit, we worked our way down, and then decided to pay the small fee for the nearby Mirror Maze. Visions of the four-story funhouse of visual oddities we had done in Edinburgh played in my head.

This was not that. We entered the first room, a small room with a mirror maze we quickly worked our way through, on to the second room which had varied mirrors across two walls. People crowded around each other, angling for a look. We had a few good laughs and took some photos before moving on to the next room, which we discovered was the end. I actually went back through to see if I had missed anything, but I hadn’t. Ah, well. A few good laughs and a reprieve from climbing.

Now, the smarter way up to Petrin Hill is the funicular. We weren’t on the right side of the tower to go on the way up, but we thought we could get it on the way down. However, we didn’t have any change and as far as we could see, you could only get tickets using coins from a kiosk ticket machine that was testy at best. We watched a few rounds of people get tickets and scan their way through, but didn’t see any workers to ask.  Tim ran off to get change from a machine he saw, and the boys and I sat and waited, watching person after person go through.

The funicular is basically a cable car – one car climbing up the hill as another goes down, balancing each other out on the cables. It was charming and part of the Prague experience, though not quite the rollercoaster the boys were hoping for after the wait. Our tired legs appreciated it!  Plus, we got photobombed trying to take a family picture.

We headed across the bridge to a sausage and beer hall called Lokal. We realized at this point, as it neared toward mid-afternoon, that we had explored too much and eaten too little. The beers and orange sodas hit the spot and we ordered various starters with sausage, ham, cheese, breads, dipping sauces from whipped horseradish to spicy mustards. The boys tried a few new items but mostly carb and sausage loaded. Actually, it felt a little like we were back in the European-inspired beer halls of Milwaukee. At one point, Tim took the boys to the bathroom and they all came back snickering. Turns out, there was a wallpaper in the men’s restroom featuring topless ladies. Culture!

After our meal, we started to walk a bit more – down by the Vltava River, through the shop-filled streets, over to an ice skating rink that we hoped we could go on, but it was closing. It was too far to go back to our hotel at this point because we had a reservation booked at 7 for dinner at a much-anticipated Mexican restaurant. We had eaten not too long ago, but it became clear we were losing steam. We showed up at the restaurant at 5:30 asking if they could accommodate us, and thankfully they did.

We still ate like kings, though we had eaten not that long ago. This has become a sort of theme when we travel – if there is good Mexican, we’ll seek it out. It’s a cuisine that we miss in England. We also had great conversation – playing a game where we each had to think of a person, place, or thing and the others had to guess the answer. We recounted memories of Wisconsin, our travels, trivia about famous footballers. I realized that these little people, who I used to have to worry about running around or throwing food…now were enjoying the menu and telling hilarious stories. They’re my favorite travel buddies.

That was the good part. By dessert, Bennett was starting to fade. It had been a long day with lots of walking, so I thought he was tired and deservedly so. He started to get quiet, so we headed out and grabbed a taxi back to the hotel. Once we were back, we figured out that he also had a fever. I’m not one to rush medicine (well except for Nate, with his history of febrile seizures) and stupidly, we hadn’t packed any children’s fever reducer.

He fell asleep, but a short while later, he woke up hotter, disoriented and scared. We agreed we should get some medicine for him, so Tim went down to the desk and asked for the nearest pharmacy. He went on a journey through Prague to a late night pharmacy in a taxi, which made me a little nervous…I mean what if the taxi driver thought he wanted other types of medicine, wink wink, ha. But he returned and through lots of Google translate, we figured out the proper dosage and gave some to Bennett throughout the night.

Day 2

It had been a rough end to the day, and Bennett had been restless most of the night, so as the sun rose, I decided to let everyone sleep and head out on my own. I quietly got dressed, and as Nate woke, I set him up to watch cartoons in our bed, and he was thrilled. I don’t get to explore on my own very often, and I reveled in it. My first stop was for coffee and then on to the streets. The streets were just starting to come to life. The sun was coming up over the buildings and I took an abundance of photos.

My next stop would be the Charles Bridge, a site that can get extremely crowded throughout the day. It wasn’t empty – several others had a similar idea – but it was beautiful. The Charles Bridge was built starting in 1357 and was finished in 1402. It crosses the Vltava River, and was the only bridge connecting the two parts of towns until 1841. It has bridge towers on either end, and today only lets pedestrians cross. At this time of the morning, it was mostly people exercising and tourists, but later it becomes packed with musicians, performers and artists.

There are 30 statues lining the bridge, various saints and figures, and there was a line starting to form at one. Legend has it that if you rub the plaque of Saint John Nepomuk, you’ll have good luck/return to Prague one day. I didn’t wait to rub it, so we’ll just have to hope for the best.

I walked to the other end of the bridge, took a few photos of other people who were struggling to get selfies (I love doing this, I don’t know why) and looked back at the sun coming over the city and the castle. I missed my crew, but ah…the silence! I then went to wander Old Town, my sights set on the Astronomical Clock, another spot I knew could get quite crowded as the day progressed.

As 9 a.m. approached, indeed a crowd gathered, looking up at the large astronomical clock on the side of the Old Town Hall. The clock was installed in 1410, and it is the oldest clock still operating. The clock has different parts – a calendar and an astronomical mechanism, which on the hour, sends Death out to ring a bell, who rings his hourglass, and the 12 apostles parade past the window above the clock, nodding to the crowd. At the end, a cock crows and the hour is rung.

It is charming to watch, and as the cock crowed, there was a chuckle from the crowd who then quickly dispersed. I chose to wander around the Town Hall square some more, as the Christmas decorations were being taken down and the shops began to open. There are a lot of shops with wooden souvenirs, marionettes, lace, and more. I stepped in and out of a few, before stopping into a toy/children’s goods shops.

As I browsed, I looked at wooden puzzles, picking up one I thought Bennett would like and then wandered into the back room browsing the beautifully detailed marionettes. In our travels, I’ve already become used to toning down the enthusiasm (you know, the “HIIII!!! How are you? So great, thank you!!”) Ha. I could sense the vibe in Prague was even more subdued, if that’s the right word. It seemed more appropriate to do a polite nod of the head, smile optional.

The next thing I knew, the shop owner was sweeping right next to me, sighing loudly. I continued to browse, but started working my way to the front. Then, she stopped me. “Are you going to buy anything?” she sternly asked. “I’m sorry?” I replied. “If you are not going to buy anything, you need to go. I need to sweep,” she asserted, pointing me to the front.

I was so flustered I held my puzzle and said “Uh, yeah, well, I was going to buy this.” “Go to the front then and buy, now,” she pointed. I checked out quickly and left the shop, confused as to what had just happened (and confused as to why I myself had just willingly purchased something at a shop I had been ordered out of, ha).

I stepped out of the street, put my souvenirs safely in my bag, and pondered Prague. It is beautiful and full of history. But it is crowded with tourists (like me). And I wasn’t used to the overall demeanor of our interactions – a bit snappier, abrupt, terse. I imagine the constant influx of tourists can be grating. It’s important to try to understand/respect varied customs, attitudes and behaviors when you travel, but I would be lying to say that a few negative experiences didn’t leave me a bit weary.

I worked my way back across the bridge, over to the Mala Strana to the Lennon Wall. It’s tucked in a relatively quiet, small square across from the French embassy. The Lennon Wall was first painted with a portrait of John Lennon after his murder in 1980, and has since then become a site for Beatles lyrics, messages and images of love and hope, but also political activism and calls for change, like the Hong Kong protests.

Finally, I came back to the hotel since it was time for us to pack (we had already asked for a late checkout). Bennett was up, showered and had eaten a little but still was not feeling his best. We left our luggage at the front desk before heading out, with no real plan for the rest of the day until our flight that night.

We strolled the nearby shops, including a store filled with Gingerbread cookies, and a souvenir shop where one of us (the smallest one) knocked over a section of votive candle holders and that’s how we ended up purchasing a few broken candle holders.

Earlier, I spotted a playground situated near the Charles Bridge, so we headed there, and the boys played and we watched the boats go by on the river.

We had a relaxed lunch and worked our way across the bridge, now packed with pedestrians, vendors, musicians and artists. The boys were entertained as we dropped our coins into the basket of a marionettist (we don’t take photos/videos of performers until we’ve tipped) and they watched the puppet dance.

As the afternoon started to wind down, Bennett was slowing down too. The day before, he mentioned it might be fun to do a boat cruise and we thought that would be the perfect activity since he could sit and rest, and we could say farewell to the city. We bought our tickets and boarded the ship. Love that he still smiles. What a trooper.

It was late afternoon on New Year’s Eve at this point, and the boat was full of revelers more interested in celebrating than sightseeing, so we bundled up in our coats, hats and gloves, and took to the top deck as the sun set on the city and the last day of 2019.

It had been a year of great adventure, and we are even more grateful for those opportunities now. We went to the airport early and arrived back home a little after 11 p.m., letting Bennett stay up to celebrate the arrival of a new year, after he promised to sleep in (he didn’t).

Reflecting now, I am so grateful we had the time to travel, see places in the world I never thought I would see, and do that with one another. It was imperfect and stressful and memorable and amazing and affirming, all of the things that traveling can be. Let’s hope 2020 brings safety and a return to adventure in the end.