i heart prague

traveling to eastern europe was above and beyond my expectations. the natural beauty of its landscape and the architectural delights of its cities had fascinated me. the local food was great, too. but it wasn’t good news for somebody turning vegetarian like me. eastern europe is one of those places where, as anthony bourdain would put it, things have to die when you get hungry. it’s considered a sacrilege to be a vegetarian in this part of the world. it’s definitely beer country, too. it’s the favorite drink and costs less than bottled water, wine, or coke. it’s so popular it’s served even at breakfast.

i was part of a tour that covered several countries which used to be part of the ‘evil empire’ called the soviet union. we had logged 100 miles on foot in the sun and in the rain. we wandered around cities and towns on flat and uneven surfaces. we climbed up hills and hiked on national parks. it was an experience that i’d cherish the rest of my life.

the trip offered many highlights and lowlights few.

i enjoyed the four days that we spent in prague. it’s a city known for its beautiful buildings decorated with mysterious symbols that would delight dan brown.

the best of european architecture, spared from the bombs of world war ii, are well-represented standing next to one another. romanesque. gothic. renaissance. baroque and recoco. classicism. neo renaissance. art noveau. cubism. socialist realism. post modern. you name it. you’d find it prague.

it’s a delight to roam the streets of this wonderful city. all the known landmarks, such as the astronomical clock tower (see below), charles bridge, st. vitus cathedral, prague castle, and the jewish quarter, are within walking distance.

it’s also easy to get lost as prague seemed to have been built without a plan. i found the streets and alleys to be very confusing. it was like walking through a maze. understandingly, i always got lost on my way back to the hotel. i didn’t mind it, though, as it usually led me to discover something priceless like a communist-era cafeteria where the locals dine.

from prague, we drove into the czech town of pustevny located in the beskydy mountains. it was here that we hiked along the trail leading to the top of the radhošt mountain 3,700 feet above sea level. it was a difficult climb. while we were on our way up, it started to rain hard making the rocks slippery. on the summit, amidst thunder and lightning, we found the statue of the pagan god radegast as well as a chapel and sculptures of saints cyril and methodius. however, we didn’t see the beautiful view as we had expected because of the fog.

during dinner, folks from the nearby town came in their native costumes to entertain us with their music and dance.

after their performance, they invited us to dance with them. one of the female dancers approached me. how could i refuse? the dance seemed to last forever. fortunately, i didn’t step on her foot.

we crossed the border to poland the following day. i’ll write about this adventure in another post.