Whipped cream and communists

There was a club called the Tom-Tom near our hostel and we went there one evening. Much to Jeff's annoyance, he received a Kahlua + Whipped Cream, after trying to order a Kahlua + Cream. He asked the waitress to correct the error and was told "that's the way we do it here" in return. We left shortly afterwards, in an effort to keep him from strangling the unhelpful staff. It was really our only unpleasant experience in Prague.


We found our way to a B.B. King favorite - the Ungelt Jazz Club, a little cellar club that had a vibrant band - and poor ventilation. The repetitive beat and lack of air circulation made us all drowsy, so we were eager to breathe the crisp Prague air after it closed at midnight.


One afternoon we stopped at a thoroughly Czech cafe and had delicious rotisserie chicken, along with interesting side dishes (everything fried and battered!). Divide the numbers by 24.5 to get prices in US dollars.


I think this is Namitzy Square. Again, it really conjured up my Disneyland memories!


Another view of the square.


The famous astronomical clock: "The oldest part of the Orloj, the mechanical clock and astronomical dial, dates back to 1410 when it was made by clockmaker Mikul of Kadan and Jan Indel, the latter a professor of mathematics and astronomy at Charles University. The Prague Orloj was the third clock of its kind, the first having been constructed in Padua in 1344."


We went to a great Communist Museum. It offered a scathing indictment of communism - and let you experience the joys of capitalism with a next-door casino where Jeff and I played blackjack afterwards (I won 2,000 krona!), but still couldn't shake the images of the 1989 student protests that led to the Velvet Revolution, and the overthrow of the communist regime.


King Wencelas Square during the daytime, looking towards the National Museum (which looks cool, but my guide book dismisses it as "only of interest to geologists and zoologists."


The Soviet-era trams zipped everywhere and appeared remarkably efficient.


A night-time view of fhe National Theatre.


A moving memorial on a hill where an enormous statue of Stalin used to stand. The human figure is broken and fragmented at the top, where ths statue used to be, and becomes progressively more whole and complete as it walks down the stairs - representing the evolutionary healing process and improvement of mankind after escaping communism. The plaque reads: "The memorial to the victims of communism is dedicated to all victims, not only those who were jailed or executed but also those whose lives were ruined by totalitarian despotism."


We made our way back to Cheb and dashed across the border to Schirding, Germany. We were reprimanded for not having train tickets - but otherwise the return was hassle-free... and happily our car was still there! We paused to catch our breath and consulted a map - "looks like we have to go through Austria" was the group consensus. Off to Venice...