Dreaming of a White Christmas - Day 8
The Magic and the Madness
There’s a fine line between being swept up in the magic, and wondering at the madness of what you are doing, and I think I found that line tonight.One moment I was all, ‘Oh, my goodness, this is a pinch me moment. I can’t believe I’m here walking through the Prague Christmas Market, and it is snowing.’The next minute it was, ‘Oh, it’s really cold, and wet, and so crowded, do we really want to stay and watch the Astronomical Clock?’
We woke to sunshine and blue sky in Prague so after the breakfast provided in the restaurant downstairs, Wallsy and I went for a walk to explore a bit further afield and discovered Wenceslas Square and yet another Christmas Market. After this little expedition, we met up with everyone else and set off for the area known as Rudolfinum where we were to meet up with a guided walking tour which would take us to the Prague Castle, the Cathedral, Lesser Town and Charles Bridge.
The first stop was the tram to take us up the hill to the Castle. Our tour guide, assigned to us at the last minute as the original guide wasn’t feeling well, was an absolute gem. He was so engaging, a wealth of knowledge and boy did he know how to tell a story! He kept those stories coming for the full 2 ½ hour tour. He filled us with historical facts, legends and folk tales, all of which added together to give us a wonderful picture of Prague and the Czech Republic, throughout history. We were also treated to the pomp and ceremony of the changing of the guards at the Castle gates.
Unfortunately the sun had disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, and standing listening to Jeremy’s captivating stories allowed the cold from the icy ground to seep into my shoes and freeze my toes. Should have warn my long boots, rather than the short leather ones I had opted for today. It was also the first day I had gone out without wearing thermals, lulled into a false sense of security by the sun and the melting snow, which although it still decorated the roof tops and open ground, had turned into icy outcrops and slush on the city streets. I was grateful for my knitted fur-lined hat, a happy find in Richmond, Tasmania earlier in the year, and one which has contributed much to my warmth on this trip, so far. I also had my trusty scarf and inadequate, but better than nothing, polar fleece gloves, so it wasn’t all bad.
Following the tour which ended with a lengthy walk down the many steps from the castle, through Lesser Town and onto Charles Bridge, our little group of 7 opted to find a warm place for lunch just off the end of the bridge. Here, I gratefully accepted a mug of ‘hot wine’, clasping it eagerly, warming first my fingers, and then my insides, as I sipped happily. Pizza was my food of choice – I know I should be trying some traditional Czech dishes, but the popular goulash which is everywhere at this time of year tends to contain paprika, so is not for me unfortunately. The goulash soup served in cob bread, which the others in our group ordered today, looked hearty and delicious, but I did enjoy my Spinaci pizza. There are a surprising number of Italian restaurants here in Prague.
A hot bath was the order of the day when we returned to the hotel after lunch and once thawed out, we held an impromptu meeting to make dinner arrangements. The glass boat which promised beautiful views of Prague from the Vltava River while enjoying a buffet dinner and drinks, seemed like a wonderful idea until it became apparent that there were no tables available to match our budgets. We all decided to do our own thing after all, and Wallsy and I opted first, for the Vivaldi Four Seasons concert playing in the Church of St.Salvator opposite our hotel. This 1500s church with a baroque interior provided the perfect backdrop to the concert and we spent a pleasant hour being entertained by the Royal Czech Orchestra.
It was when we left the concert, that we realised it was snowing, the first snowfall we had seen in Prague, and something that hasn’t occurred for the past 5 years. We wanted to see the famous Astronomical Clock strike the hour, so, despite the snow, we walked back into the Old Town Square, a magical sight with its Christmas lights and the snow falling in front of my favourite ‘Sleeping Beauty’ castle (otherwise known as the Church of Our Lady before Tyn), but I think it looks much more like something belonging to a fairy tale. It was perfect and magical … until it wasn’t.
It was about the time the cold starting seeping in again, the crowds started pushing and I realised there was ¾ of an hour to wait before the clock performed, that the magic began to wear off. Wallsy to the rescue – he magicked a seat in a restaurant (outdoor but heated) with a direct view of the clock, ordered us food and coffee, and back came the enchantment.
We watched the medieval clock while we ate, its ‘walk of the apostles’ nowhere near as impressive as Gog and Magog in Melbourne’s Royal Arcade. What does make it impressive however, is the fact that it was installed in 1410 making it the third oldest astronomical clock in the world, and the oldest clock still in operation – mind blowing! Then we walked, through the still falling snow, back to the Charles Bridge to see the lights of the Castle, a city within a city, and the reflections on the river, before retiring to the warmth of our hotel room.
The magic was only temporarily replaced by a feeling of madness, when the crowds and the cold became too much, but I still pinch myself to think I am here walking the streets of magnificent Prague; it feels like another world and another lifetime, and I am so grateful and amazed to be here.
So beautiful,
ReplyDelete