July 16

We had a full day in Prague. We joined the group to go to the Prague Castle. We were here three years ago. We went into the St. Vitus Church. It was packed with tourists. We saw tour guides carrying various poles with stuffed animals, mini soccer ball, plastic flowers, etc. at the end so their groups could identify their guide. We queued up for a while before we could enter the church. It is a magnificent building. We left the group and purchased tickets for other parts of the castle and ended up staying three hours (the rest of the group only had one hour).

We toured the castle until noon. It was a very hot day. We walked down the steep hill that leads to the town square in the Mala Strana (Lesser town). It was a long walk on uneven cobblestones and crowded with tourists. We saw St. Nicholas church (there is one on the other side of the river too). Finally, we came to the infamous Charles Bridge where Tom Cruise jumps off in the movie Mission Impossible. Ewa told us that this is where the pickpockets are plentiful. Fortunately, we were not targeted. It is a pedestrian only bridge and lined with various artists selling their work.

We ended up at the Old Town Square. We were exhausted, dehydrated, and sore so we sat down at a pizzeria for a snack and drink. We found this place really took advantage of tourists. We overheard the people at the table next to us arguing about the bill with the waiter. When we received our bill, we understood why. They tagged on a cover charge, a 10% service charge and another 20% tax on top of the food and drink charged. The waiter showed me on the menu where they stated those charges. They were written in Czech with size 8 fonts. We’ve had many lunches and dinners in Prague before. It was the first time ever there were service charges, taxes and cover charges on top of the bill. What a bunch of crooks! I told Ewa about this. She told the group that Czech waiters are famous for their attitudes. In their mind, there are plenty of tourists who will come. They just don’t care. This is their Czech logic again. Later Ewa told us that after Tom Cruise filmed Mission Impossible, he promised he would never come back to Prague again. The service and hospitality industry was just not up to his expectations I guess. I suppose the scenery makes up for the inadequacy of some people in the service industry. As in most of the former Eastern Bloc countries, the younger generations seem to be more interested in embracing the market economy, learning English, and are generally more friendly and helpful.

We used the last transit pass for the subway and went back to the hotel. It was a full day of walking – wish we knew how many kilometres we clocked! Later, we went to the highlight dinner. It was not much of a highlight. The room was boiling hot with no AC. We opened up two big windows but it was still hot. The beef was so tough that it was good exercise for the jaws. Not many people ate it. On the bus, Ewa told us not to hesitate to complain about it in the evaluation form.

Finally, we went back to the hotel and packed for the next day. Despite the unpleasant experiences today, we still love this city and would come back again in a heartbeat. There’s just something about it that appeals to both of us.

Organ in St. Vitus Church

 

Lesser Town view from Castle