Czech Republic – Prague

In Prague we met Rosemary and Terry Burns. The Burns have maintained an apartment in the city for many years. Terry came to teach ESL when he retired and fell in love with the city, a love he shared with us over two days.

Much of Prague, that was not demolished during the war, is very beautiful. An example is this hotel Terry took us in. From the elegant dining area,

to the stained glass partitions,

and windows

to the intricate mosaic floors,

and marble stairwells

as well as marble walls

tiled alcoves

mosaic pictures depicting old scenes, it all gave an aura of opulence and beauty. ,

Our next stop was this very unassuming church but only from the outside.

The inside was total gothic. Incredible in its detail.

Leaving the church yard

we headed to another building that had a

a paternoster.

Czech Republic – Prague

Today we went to the Prague Castle complex, a collective of palaces, churches, offices, fortifications, courtyards, and gardens covering approximately 110 acres. It is the official residence of the president of the Czech Republic. St. Vitus Cathedral, within the castle walls, was magnificent and of course the highlight.

Construction of this Gothic Cathedral began on 21 November 1344.

So over the top; really hard to take it all in.

We listened to a concert in this church also within the castle walls. The music was magnificent as was the venue; however the placement of the musicians left something to be desired.

The musicians were on the alter so sitting down below, as we were, we were unable to see them.

View of the city from the castle wall.

The National Museum at the top of Wenceslaus Square.

The splendour is almost incomprehensible.

The building was the real highlight, rather than the exhibits, which were rather overwhelmed by the edifice. .

Looking down Wenceslaus Square from the steps of the National Museum.

That evening we headed to the Rudolfinum Concert Hall to enjoy the Prague Philharmonic. Walking across the river, we could see the famous Charles Bridge in the distance.

Heading in to the concert.

Heading home. Magnificent performance and theatre.

Czech Republic – Prague

In the morning, when we came down from our flat, we saw these hay rolls on the street. They were gone when we got home in the evening so we never found out what they were for. Not an animal in sight.

Prague city sights today.

The Industrial Revolution comes to Prague!

Czech Republic – Prague

On our first full day in Prague we managed to take in a farmer’s market on the Vitava River, the Charles University Botanical garden, a free outdoor concert in the park by our flat and a clown show.

The flowers in the botanical garden were plentiful and exquisite.

Lots of beer at the concert.

The clown acts were good family fun.

We discovered these are popular in all the tourist areas in Prague. Like a hollow donut they are eaten plain, or spread inside with Nutella and other fillings.

Another new one for us was the continuous potato chip.

England – London

Two other highlights of Kew Gardens aside from Dale Chihuly’s glass work was Princess Diana’s Conservatory and the Hive.

These orchids were being hand pollinated.

Back to London.

England – London

We headed back to London for a few days before going on to Prague. While John did some research at the British Library Reading Rooms, I went by train to Kew Gardens. Dale Chihuly, famous glass artist, had a showing of his work at the time in the garden. Stunning!

About his work, Dale Chihuly says: ” I want my work to appear like it came from nature, so that if someone found one on a beach or in the forest, they might think it belonged there.”

Delightful walk where the trees are seen from above and identified.

Looking down at the green houses.

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Denmark – Copenhagen

We took a bus to Christiania, in the heart of the city. The settlement is known as Freetown Christiana and is described as an Anarchist community, which is partially autonomous. It was developed in 1971 when a group of Hippies broke down the barriers to an unused military base and began squatting there. Now, there are about 900 residents with its own rules and regulations independent of the Danish government. There is a thriving cannabis trade there and there has been some past violence, which gives Christiana some notoriety. We found it quiet, a little quaint, and filled with tourists like ourselves.

Christiania even has its own flag.

and still looks very hippyish.

In this coffee shop you could buy not only coffee but also rolled joints.

Tivoli Amusement Park.

We met Margaret, John’s sister, and her son Craig, in Copenhagen.

We had such fun interacting with this talking robot in the tourist information centre.

We traveled to Sweden from Copenhagen’s main train station.

over the Oresund Bridge.

When we were in the underground waiting for the trains a series of local scenes plays on the wall just as though you are looking out of the train window. Very clever and definitely more interesting than boring blank concrete walls.

While in Malmo, we went in search of the twisted torso building that figured in a TV series Margaret had watched.

Pretty spectacular, as was the day.

In Copenhagen we enjoyed how the check, after dinner, was delivered on these little chairs. Turns out the hotel stairs and chairs were famous so we had to investigate.

Denmark – Copenhagen

Today we are off to the Hop On Hop Off and the botanical gardens in Copenhagen. It is just a short bus trip from Hans Peter’s and Kristian’s into town.

Famous Little Mermaid, the symbol of Copenhagen.

Statue depicting the legend of how Denmark originated.

We even managed an invite into a birthday party for the EU!

Walking down the street we passed the changing of the guards at Amalienborg Palace. Certainly none of the pomp and ceremony like Buckingham Palace.

The botanical gardens were a delight.

Wisteria, gorgeous plant.

Natural bird bath.

The butterfly and cactus houses inside this amazing greenhouse were stunning.

Denmark – Dragor

We were met at the airport in Copenhagen by Hans Peter and Christian. We met five years ago in Chile on a 10 day horse trip into the Andes. They live in Dragor, a historical fishing village, preserved in its original style, just outside of Copenhagen.

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They made us the most delicious lunch and dinners, giving us their bed and biking 5 minutes to their 42 foot sail boat each evening to sleep.

Their home.

Hans Peter’s baby.

Germany – Berlin

The Charlottenberg Palace was extraordinary for sure.

The ceramic room was right over the top, as was the castle chapel.

Interesting the lengths that were taken to fabricate a line of succession when none existed but money was available to deceive people into believing there was and it succeeded.

While John visited a museum I visited the Berlin zoo. After seeing so many animals in the wild I had a different impression of a zoo. These animals have been born in captivity. They are well cared for, don’t have to worry about the elements, hunting for food or being hunted for food. They are not alone and their home areas were pretty spacious, if you compare then to the Calgary zoo, when we were children, where the tigers were in a small concrete cages and just paced back and forth. The zoo helps to preserve species that are being endangered like the rhino, the one animal we never saw in Kruger.