Hi Gram!
Can you believe it? Another beautiful day full of memories! I woke this morning and did my usual puzzles, journaling, and breakfast. I woke a lot last night as my body got over the jet lag, but I’m pretty alert today. I headed over to join a post-WWII and communism walking tour this morning. I tried to find somewhere to get a light breakfast, but didn’t find any shops along my way (My pre-mixed breakfast that I brought with me is small, just a mix of supplements and some protein powder). I had enough energy to walk for a few hours, so it was okay. We started at a metro station and wound through the city hearing stories of how Czechoslovakia was formed, fell apart and was taken over by the nazis, rebelled, freed themselves then got taken over by the communists, were dominated by the USSR, found freedom, then split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Along the way, we saw many monuments, statues, historic buildings, and points of history. The tour was a little sad as we kept hearing about bombings, deaths, and oppression. It was also hopeful with stories of rebellion, strength of character, and resolve though. It’s good to hear about this history, lest we forget and repeat it. At our break, I found a vegan shop that had a delicious wrap and a beet salad. It was so good! Anyway, after the tour, I walked back to the apartment to lay down for a bit. The frequent stops to sit and stretch are nice, but never enough.
A sucker for torture (and wanting to learn and walk, let’s be honest), I headed back out for a second walking tour. This time, I chose the Prague Castle tour. We met at the same train station as the first tour, then took the tram up the hill to the castle. It was a nice little ride, only 2 stops. We waited for a few minutes as the king of Jordan left the palace, then headed in. I was surprised to learn that the Prague castle isn’t built like a traditional castle. There are no big imposing walls and towers, just a very large complex of buildings. The tour guide told us that gun powder was common, so instead of spending 30 years to build walls that could be blown apart in a couple of days, then focused on other security measures. The rest of the tour taught us the history of each building, the deep valley/ moat that surrounds the main castle complex that used to be filled with brown bears, a number of churches and chapels, and the architects and rulers who made it happen. We even got to stand on a spot that amplified your voice to yourself, but not to anyone else. It was a fun tour full of learning, stories, and cool buildings.
The exit was down 10 flights of stairs, so I naturally went back up and did them again. I’m trying to average 40 flights of stairs a day this year to keep my health in good shape and keep the blood clots at bay. After the castle and stairs, I headed back towards the apartment. I had a little Czech cash left, so I decided to spend it to see a concert in a cathedral. It was a nice hour of Vivaldi, Mozart, Schubert, and Verdi plus a couple of modern songs. I did the math and they’re taking in a good sum of money each night. With seating for 120 people, almost full, and 27€ each, that one hour concert grossed more than 2,700€. And they have concerts every night, full of tourists.. I still had around $7 left, so I wandered around town a little. I bought some chocolate bars for the train tomorrow, then headed home and packed my bags before bed.
