Prague…….a number of “firsts” for the Bigenhos!

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What famous Christmas carol uses the name of a former King of the Czech Republic?

We took a short, hour airplane ride early Sunday morning and arrived in Prague around 9:30. By the way, flights are CHEAP in Europe, usually cheaper than the train, unless you go over the luggage weight limit. That’s when they nail you and make up for the thrifty air fares. Our plan is to redistribute weight between all three of our suitcases and carry-on luggage evenly, so we won’t be charged any extra for baggage. In fact, Jerry and I packed so lightly, that our carry-on luggage was almost empty when we left, just in case we needed more room to reallocate items between us as we traveled.
Prague can be summed up in one word – GORGEOUS! I have never been in a more beautiful city. The architecture is a collection of Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance, and modern. You can’t turn a corner without viewing another spectacular structure and they are all so different. The highlight was Prague Castle. It sits high atop a hill, overlooking Prague and the River Vltava that bisects the city. We were able to explore it, along with the St. Vitus Cathedral located within the castle walls. There are numerous bridges crossing the river, the most beautiful being the 600 year old Charles Bridge.
We planned for three days here in Prague, so our second day we decided to leave the city and took a bus ride to the Terezin Concentration Camp, located about 25 miles north of the city. Jerry and I laughed when we heard what the bus driver was listening to – classic American rock-n-roll. It just goes to show that you are never really THAT far from home! The camp was initially built as a Hungarian imperial fortress in the 1700’s, but was turned into a Jewish ghetto and then a concentration camp in 1941. Although it was only used as a transit camp, more than half of the 140,000 men, women, and children who passed through its gates ended up transferring to Auschwitz or Treblinka in Poland, the majority of them losing their lives to the gas chambers. Most of the rest of the Terezin population died as well, due to diseases, starvation, or cruel treatment. It was a sobering trip, and after viewing the inhumane conditions in which the prisoners lived, I vowed to never again complain about my home, hunger pangs, or being too cold or too hot.
Our third day we took another trip out to the countryside to explore the second most popular destination in the Czech Republic – Karlstejn Castle. Charles the IV built this medieval castle from 1348 to 1357 to safe-guard the crown jewels and provide a “summer shack” for his family. It is a spectacular Disney-like castle, perched on a hill, surrounded by lush forests and vineyards. It’s hard to describe how beautiful it is…….think Cinderella’s castle from the 14th century! Our trip home should have been uneventful, but we found some unexpected entertainment from using the restroom. (Now give me a minute to explain here……) Picture our train: it was rickety, old, and graffiti-laden, looking like it had transported passengers since World War II. We hadn’t had a chance to use the restroom at the station before our train arrived, so Jerry checked out the bathroom on the train. He came back and announced that it was the first bathroom he’d ever used with a view. Thinking he meant that there was a nice window or something to look outside the train, I found that the “view” he was talking about was a totally different one. The interesting thing about the bathroom on our train was that you didn’t need to flush it……..gravity took care of it completely all on its own. Upon looking down into the toilet, we could view the train tracks passing underneath us. Definitely a first for the Bigenhos!! Next stop, Budapest and Hungarian goulash!

ANSWER: King Wenceslas