I was picked up from home by Flightline at about 1:40pm for a 5:05pm flight on Lufthansa. The ride in to Logan was not bad. There was very little traffic and I was checked in and waiting by 2:30pm. I opted to walk around the terminal a bit then ended up in O'Brians for a couple beers until it was time to board. I talked with my neighbor at the bar for a bit about the Casey Anthony trial which I had paid no attention to but watched the verdict of being not guilty discussed on CNN right there. It meant little to me really but a lot of people at the bar were appalled that the jury came to that decision. Oh well.
The flight boarded a touch late but pulled from gate on time. I was fortunate in both flights because I was in an aisle sit with no direct neighbor. Just someone at the window. I had a glass of red wine. Nibbled at some of the food and then when it was obvious they weren't going to play any movies I liked - it was a 747 with only the overhead screens - I went to sleep. Unfortunately to get to that point wasted probably 2 hours and it was 2 hours more sleep I could have used. The flight was a tad bumpy but I did sleep through most of it. 3 and a half hours or so anyway, plus some catnapping during the descent.
In Frankfurt it was easy to go through passport control and get to my gate which was still in Terminal A this time. An easier transfer than last time. I had to wait a while to board because that one also boarded a bit late but pulled from the gate on time. I slept through the majority of this flight too. It was uneventful. I didn't even get the snacks or a drink.
After exiting the plane it was a fairly quick bit of work to get the luggage and basically walk straight through customs with nothing to declare. No passport control at all. It is not a very big airport in Prague and I was quickly outside and getting a taxi to the hotel. I was tired and I didn't feel like finding the buses or trains. Plus it is relatively cheap compared to other European cities. The taxi dropped me off right at the hotel and I was able to check in directly as my room was ready which was a relief because I desperately wanted to take a shower and was able to. After getting settled in I cleaned up and then dressed for the weather, which included shorts as it was probably just near 80F and sunny.
I took a quick look at a map and realized to turn left out of the hotel and then basically it is a straight line to the old square, on to the old bridge and up to the castle. I walked that path and then through the castle area for a while. Before reaching the castle I stopped and had lunch at a roadside cafe named the Golden Star. I had the Czech beef goulash with potatoes and a couple of Pilsner Urquell beers - one large and one small. The food was reasonably good if a touch on the salty side for my preference.
After lunch I hiked up the hill to the castle and around through its grounds and back down the hill. I came to the river at a different bridge and crossed there and then turned back towards familiar ground before taking a couple extra detours just to see the neighborhood. I walked around for about 4 hours before heading back into the hotel to hide from the heat which had grown stronger. Fortunately the hotel has AC and wifi. I picked well on that count. The location is quite good too. I can also book tours with the front desk and will be doing that I am sure especially for a couple that go outside of town. The bed is a small one but I've grown used to that in hotels. I have to say this city is beautiful. I really like the architecture and the really old feel it has. The streets are a tangle rather than a grid and I like that so much better. Planned cities are really boring to me.
After resting for a short time to cool off I headed out to do a bit more walking and get some dinner. I decided to walk out to the bridge across the river but not cross and instead turn right and follow the river. I did that for a while and found a lot of the river boat tours depart from that area. There was a park with a huge metronome at the top of a hill that I could see also. Along the way I saw a boat load up with a bunch of Danish kids in a marching band. I assume they were Danish because they had a Danish flag and were all wearing the Danish flag as an insignia. Further up I saw some sort of TV show being filmed and they had a local music band play something. It was sort of neat. On the walk back when I figured, with the aid of a map, that I was exiting the region of anything interesting I decided to go up to the park with the metronome. It was a lot of steps and it appears the park has been taken over by skateboarders mostly. Still it was neat to get up there. Wish I knew what the metronome was about.
After that I headed back up towards the castle after following the river to the pedestrian bridge. I should get the name down before I leave here I bet. I did a basic climb up the hill and turned right back down and over the bridge again. It had gotten to being 6pm and I was ready to eat so I found the Hotel Zlateho Stroma in the main alley leading back towards the old square (and eventually my hotel). There I decided to order a beer and got a Staropramen which I like better than Pilsner Urquell and to look at the menu. I had Staropramen in Sweden way back when. I decided to get the meat skewers which had beef, chicken, pork, bacon, peppers and onions along with a baked potato side. The meat was not individual flavor chunks but all the types except the bacon rolled into one. It was good though a touch dry. I think it probably needed one minute less cooking. Still the flavor was good and I ate it all. I opted to have a beer for dessert too as I people watched. A wicked lot of foot traffic passes that restaurant and sitting outdoors in the nice weather it was great. There was no one wearing jackets or scarves now. They must realize it is actually summer around here. I was impressed. We definitely got into the low 80sF today but that hasn't stopped Europeans from wearing jackets before. It makes me sweat thinking about it.
I was exhausted after dinner and just decided to head in to the hotel and crash for the evening. It was early by most people's standards but I only had the 4 hours of airplane sleep and the brief bit of rest on the day. I was ready to crash and start off a more full day on day 2. Still considering how early I got in on day 1 it was also a very full day besides.
The pictures from day 1 are located here.
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