Day 21 Friday 21 April 2017

Well, it is going to be an interesting night in the old town tonight.  It looks like Prague may be a the favoured destinaton for groups of young blokes for a boozy weekend away.  It is only Friday afternoon and already there are groups of  drunken young men wandering around the streets apparently looking for trouble.

It is an interesting city with an old centre that hasn't been significantly damaged in any of the wars to recently sweep through Europe.  The market square in the centre of the old town and various other squares all have stalls selling all sorts of barbecued meats along with beer and wine.  The meats are cooked over open wood fires and consequently the whole area smells like an Aussie barbecue.  Another favourite is a pastry type thing that is wrapped around a long rolling pin like device coated in sugar and again cooked over wood coals.  This can be eaten with Nutella or filled with ice cream.  I showed remarkable restraint and had mine plain.  What is amazing is that none of the people working in these stalls preparing or serving your food, wait for it, are wearing gloves!  I wonder if the hospitals here are full of people with food poisoning because they bought food from someone not wearing gloves.

You wanted a food photo

There is plenty of beer being sold in the same area or if you prefer you can have a cup of hot wine with your meal.  White or red they do both.

I am typing this sitting in the square in front of my hotel with a half litre of pilsner sitting in front of me.  I am just in connection with the hotel's wi fi so I hope that this all works ok.  It has been warmer today, it is currently a barmy 13 degrees.

My hotel

Couple of Prague photos

I previously mentioned that the hotel has character.  It has character in a dark mittel Europe sort of way.  The room is large with a huge wooden wardrobe across one wall and a chandelier providing light and two smaller chandeliers for reading whilst in bed.  It looks across the square in front of the hotel, has double glazing for noise and warmth.  The bed is a double bed but has two separate doonas.  Breakfast is included in the tariff.  This morning there was a range of cheeses, cold meats, pickled vegetables, pastries plus some eggs and bacon and toast.

I did a WW2 walking tour this morning.  As you all know Czechoslovakia was peacefully occupied by the Germans prior to the start of WW2 so there was no actual invasion or fighting.  A resistance movement developed through the war and in May 1945 there was an uprising against the Germans.  Prior to the start of the war Prague had a significant Jewish population which was very active in the business and cultural life of the city.  By the end of the war that population had been reduced to virtually zero and still only totals a couple of thousand.

After the walking tour I had lunch in a restaurant on the market square accompanied by a couple of beers.  Everybody drinks beer!

Talking about lads out looking for trouble and half dozen German lads have just sat themselves down at the table next to mine, going out of their way to be smart arses, whatever that translates to in German.

Just got my bill for my beer.  A half litre of draught Urquell pilsener cost me 43Kc or 1.70Euros, thats about $2.40 AUD, no wonder everybody drinks all the time.

Getting cold here, time I went inside.