Bora Bora

No, we didn't go from Prague to Bora Bora. If you've seen the movie xXx, you would know it was filmed in Prague and at one point, the protagonist requests a holiday in Bora Bora. And yes, it was one reason we visited this wonderful city. However, our first priority on Monday morning was to see Wenceslas Square.

After sleeping in and enjoying a great breakfast, we set out. Prague is a walking city and we planned to cover most of it. We hadn't gone two blocks when my Canon Rebel camera died.

I had not taken my own advice and had forgotten to charge the battery the previous night. Keeping all four of our electronic devices charged was difficult as we only had one conversion plug. We'd bought our universal plug converter at The Shoe Company, of all places, but next time, we'll have to bring more than one unit.

It was good I had my little Olympus camera as a back-up. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the square, the lighting was all wrong so my photos of good King Wenceslas (sometimes spelled Wenceslaus) were not great. To boot, the square was not a square but a very long rectangle and next to it was a McDonalds and a Starbucks so not the Czech experience I had envisioned. However, Glen was thrilled to see the saint of Christmas carol fame. Surrounding his statue are other Bohemian saints -- St. Adalbert, St. Prokop, St. Agnes, and St. Ludmilla. The last being Wenceslas' grandmother so saintliness must run in the family. Not sure how they defined sainthood in those times, though, as Wenceslas caused the drowning death of another Bohemian saint so was obviously not lily-white.

Our next stop was the Old Town Clock. Little did we know this was such a tourist draw. As we wandered the streets moving toward our destination, the crowds grew. We were amazed at the number of tourists from all over the world in Prague on a sunny day in September. The universal language of these multitudes? English. All my fears of being unable to communicate should we experience problems dissolved with this realization.

We reached the astronomical clock (orloj) built in 1410 just before noon and found several tour groups milling about. We waited to see why. As the clock started to chime, the upper doors opened and the twelve apostles passed before the openings (representing each hour in the day). Meanwhile, four figures bracketing the astonomical dial depicting what was most hated at the time (these were added in the 17th century) began to move. One man admired himself in a mirror (vanity), a man lifted a bag of money (greed), a skeleton rang a bell (death) and the last man wore a turban (Turkish infidels).

After it had finished tolling, a man dressed in a bright orange medieval costume appeared in the clock tower and blew a tune on his trumpet. Everyone clapped their approval.

The clock has stopped working many times over the centuries but suffered heavy damage during The Prague Uprising in 1945 when the Czech resistance tried to liberate Prague from German occupation during World War II. On this day, the astronomical dial of the 24 hour clock was incorrect so it was due for more repairs.

Our next stop was the famous Charles Bridge. Glen was positive this was where Xander Cage (xXx) uttered the 'Bora Bora' line in the movie. He was right. But how different from the movie it was when we walked the bridge's cobblestones. Masses of tourists crowded it and venders lined its walls selling everything from trinkets to art. Above us loomed blackened Christian-themed statues (erected in the 1700s), some of which were being restored. Construction of the Stone Bridge began under Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, in 1357 and was complete in the 15th century. It was the second bridge (the first was destroyed in a flood) across the Vitava River between Prague's Old Town and Lesser Town. In 1870, it became known as the Charles Bridge.

Prague Castle stands on a hill overlooking Lesser Town. It is more than just as castle since not only did it house the Kings of Bohemia's and the Holy Roman Emperor's palaces but its walls also protected four churches and five halls. The president of the Czech Republic now has his offices there. Actually, a church (built in 870) stood on the site before a castle appeared in the 12th century. Charles IV had this building rebuilt in the Gothic style then began on a cathedral which would take 6 centuries to complete. In 1541, much of the palace was destroyed by fire so the Hapsburgs erected new Renaissance-styled buildings. They suffered during the Thirty Year's War (1618-1648) and were in decline when the president took up residence in 1918. The buildings were occupied by the Germans during World War II and afterwards, the communist Czechoslovak government.

Using our map, we plotted the quickest way up the hill. The street we followed ended at a huge flight of stairs. I told Glen they had also appeared in the movie and have since learned I was right. When we reached the castle grounds, we discovered a road that may have been easier to ascend. We wandered around and entered the St. Vitus Cathedral, named for the saint whose arm bone Wenceslas had acquired. It was a breathtaking sight to stand beneath the vaulted ceiling lit by immense stainglass windows.

At this point, we realized we'd been walking for almost 3 hours and needed lunch. Glen wanted to eat by the clock so we descended another stairway, past the Saint Wenceslas Vineyards, and over the Manesuv Bridge back into the Old Town. We collapsed into the wicker chairs of the U Orloje café at 2:00. Thirsty, we indulged in 1 liter steins of Pilsner Urquell. Glen then had a ham and cheese panni while I ate a Prague ham and cheese baguette. It was the fanciest ham and cheese sandwich I've ever eaten.

Exhausted, we headed back to the hotel to check on email and enjoy the hospitality of the Executive Lounge. We discovered most of the guests had done much the same tour as we had although some took the tram (#22, costing about $1 one way) to the castle and others lingered over a glass of wine in the vineyard. We curbed our appetite when the lounge staff served hors d'oeuvres so as to enjoy an authentic Prague meal that evening.

This we did at another restaurant near the clock, Restaurant Café U Tyna. We enjoyed a different Czech beer, Krusovice, at this establishment. Each restaurant seems to have its brand loyalty and serves that exclusively. We ate Prague goulash with two types of dumplings. I had always made dumplings using a basic biscuit dough but these were yeasty and instead of small balls, came as large slices. One was made with white bread while the other had chopped onions mixed in. They were very tasty as was the thick goulash. Melissa's cousin, Kelly, had recommended we try plum dumplings for dessert. U Tyna didn't have those but did have fruit dumplings which Glen enjoyed.

In Prague, most dining is done outside so during supper I had to keep my eye on two huge spiders as they made their webs across the archways that separated the outdoor area from the inside. It was a distraction. As we left the restaurant, the clock began to chime. We were at the back side of the tower when the trumpeter appeared. We clapped enthusiastically after he'd finished playing. We were the only ones to do so.