THE CZECH REPUBLIC - UNCHARTED TERRITORY

The lines at Starbucks were long at a popular food fair in downtown Vancouver that morning back in the early 1990s.  Those patiently waiting seemed to be heavily weighted with fit looking, well-dressed young men.  One man stood out in particular for his height and physique.  It was the captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mario Lemieux. 

Another young man sat by himself.  It was a young Czech, Jaromir Jagr, practising his English by reading the newspaper aloud.  Number 68 - Jagr‘s player number selected by him to commemorate the 1968 Prague Spring - went on to become the most productive European player ever to play in the National Hockey League and one of the greatest hockey players of all time.

Our knowledge of the Czech Republic was sadly lacking and we were looking forward to rectifying that.  In the meantime we dined out on Doug’s earlier encounter with Jaromir Jagr as he recounted the story many times during our stay in Prague, to the delight of those we were with.  Jagr is a home town hero and the Czechs love him and their hockey.

Sampling the St. Thomas brew in the church courtyard

Seriously jet lagged we met up with Alzbeta, our guide for the next few days.  Today’s walking tour included the Little Quarter of Prague concentrated around Prague Castle.  Our first stop, the palatial Wallenstein Gardens. Then to a rarely visited church, St. Thomas.

St. Thomas has taken “outreach” to a whole new level producing its own brew of beer for purchase from the Custodian and, if desired, a seat in a pleasant courtyard to consume it.  

The church dates back to the 11^th century and is run by the Augustine Order who have turned over part of the complex for another commercial enterprise - a high end hotel.  These ventures have kept the church building in excellent repair as we appreciated the newly installed stained glass windows.

Ornate interior of St. Nicolas

We continued on to the church of St. Nicolas with its vast interior composed of marble-like fascia in a spectrum of red hues.  A giant organ dominates one end of the nave.  The church’s interior is best viewed from the upper arcade but one is cautioned not to crane one’s neck too far over the low railing as it’s a long way down to the floor below.

Alzbeta told us that the exterior of St Nicolas was featured in a Chinese movie where the heroine was married.  The movie was so popular in Asia that it attracts some brides to travel to Prague to replicate wedding photographs on the same church steps.  Advertising companies also capitalize on the venue’s popularity. The day we visited we realized the bride on the steps was actually part of an advertising shoot, her yoga pants visible beneath an exquisite jeweled bridal gown.

Trdelnik warm off the grill

As we awaited the tram that would take us up to the walls of Prague Castle we sampled Trdelnik, a warm bread hollow spiral coated in sugar and cinnamon.  This popular “fast food” is available from vendors all over the city and a tasty snack.

Arriving at Prague Castle we admired the palace gardens visiting the interior of the 16^th century Belvedere Palace that had been built for the coronation ceremony of Ferdinand 1.  Now an exhibition space the former Palace overlooks a garden where tulips were first introduced to Europe from Turkey. 

We continued our walk through the expansive Castle grounds visiting the impressive St. Vitus Cathedral. This massive Gothic structure with its flying buttresses has been undergoing construction of one kind or another for almost a thousand years. 

   

Back door access between
Hotel and Castle grounds

Tiredness had overtaken us for the day.  As luck would have it our hotel has unique access from the Castle grounds for part of the day and we took full advantage of the shortcut to our comfortable bed.  The building in which the Golden Well Hotel is now situated had once been part of the Castle complex.   

Dark, creamy and delicious 

That evening we ventured down into the Little Quarter for supper in the old town hall building at the Malostranska Beseda bar and restaurant.  

The goulash and potato pancakes were tasty and the dark, frothy beer served in oversized containers excellent.  Sitting outside under the building’s decorative archways, the clanging bells of the tram cars rumbling across the ancient cobbles provided great atmosphere, the domes of St Nicolas illuminating slowly in the background as darkness fell.