Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Prague, Czech Republic - 16-18 September 2007


Above left: St. James Church

It practically took me half a day to drive from Warszawa to Prague. The drive was mostly smooth-going, save for a brief period of getting lost in the morning trying to find the freeway. I did not know I had it in me but I managed to find the energy and stamina to drive close to 12 hours that day. We were all very happy to arrive in Prague safely, if a bit late. The drive in the city was unbelievably stressful as I could not find my way to the Emma hostel (where I had booked our stay). After 3 stops of asking for directions and getting lost in translations, I prayed to God to lead us safely to the hostel. Almost immediately, I felt an inner confidence that I was being directed to the hostel. I could not explain how or why I made the turns I made (with nothing but sheer trust) but we did eventually find the hostel! :) It was AMAZING! God was there with us! Praise to the Lord! :) We had a late Chinese dinner at 9:30 PM and after a warm shower, we turned in and called it a night.



The next day, we followed a city walking tour that was led by two volunteer tour guides (while the tour was free, we tipped the guides for their time and effort). The city was truly beautiful and romantic. I loved the colorful and ornate buildings in Baroque, Romanesque, and Gothic architectures.

A word of caution to tourists - some restaurant and retail shop owners/workers were extremely rude and unfriendly. Take it with a grain of salt. Also, always check your change before you leave and be firm and shameless when bargaining.




Above right: Astronomical Clock








Above: Views from the Charles Bridge
















Above right: Another stab at Chinese (on our second night there)

No comments: