Day 7, Monday, September 17, 2018

Itinerary: Berlin to Dresden/Bastei Bridge to Prague

Time awake: 7:44 (felt good—7:36 hours of sleep)

Odometer (in kilometers/miles) at start:

Weather: Nice and a little warm

Steps: 15581

Asleep:

Map Link(s):

The day started much as it did the day before with a visit to Balzacs for a cup of latte and a croissant. Then we cleared out of our room and then out of the Radisson Blu, getting on the road at about 9:45 AM. To my surprise Sharon not only volunteered to drive but seemingly wanted the unenviable chore of dealing with Berlin traffic. And just as it was coming in, going out was no picnic. Berlin is a big city with few expressways, so our route out included countless twists and turns, traffic lights, and convergences, all in high-volume city traffic. But she handled it like a pro. And if think that’s nothing to write home about, try it yourself sometime.

Once on the highway, things were more easily managed and we made good time to Dresden. But as was the case on most of our travel days, time was of the essence—the more we were caught in traffic, or going in circles looking for a parking spot, or even just chilling, meant we’d probably miss something special, perhaps for all time, for we might never pass this way again.

Soon after reaching Dresden at about 12:40 PM., we passed by an ornate old church and stopped to have a look around. We toured the grounds and then went inside to take a few pics. No one was around but one crusty looking fellow, who sat outside and said not a word. At the time, I didn’t take note of the church’s name, denomination, or history—surely it was glorious. Europe may lack ice, but they have tons of impressive churches. While writing this log, I searched the internet and found that this one is called Garrison Church of St. Martin (Garnisonskirche St. Martin). It’s a beaut.

We continued into Dresden intent on having lunch at the Brauhaus am Waldschlosschen. Beyond that we had no other definite plans to tour this notable city. It took a little doing, but we found the Brauhaus, lucked upon a nearby parking spot, and then enjoyed a wonderful midday repast consisting of chicken curry (Sharon), braised knuckle of pork & potato dumplings (Marc), and the house helles (both). The view from our table on the open-air porch looked out over the Elbe River toward the city and the countryside beyond. It too was wonderful. Afterward, we went inside and bought a few bottles of the house brew to go and then drove out of town. Surely there was much to see and do in Dresden that we passed up, but that’s the nature of travel with limited means. And who, really, doesn’t have limited means.

The next top on the itinerary was the Bastei Bridge, which I stumbled upon while researching the trip and found that it was going to be on our way. Being on our way, it turned out, didn’t mean we couldn’t miss it. The place was not easy to find. We detoured toward the town of Niederrathen (near Kurort Rathen), parked, and started walking, only to realize that we had no clue where we were going. So we backtracked and all but gave up on seeing the bridge, when we stumbled upon it near the little town of Lohmen. And lucky for us we did because the place is a marvel of engineering and beauty. Bastei Bridge is built into the rocky crest of a mountain ridge, from which one is treated to spectacular panoramas of the Saxon countryside below and the Elbe River snaking through it. After hiking across this well-traversed natural bridge and through the woods to another outcrop at the end of the trail, where again we were struck by the impossibly scenic panorama below, we made our way back to the lodge from whence we started. If ever there was a place made for enjoying a cold one, the outdoor café here was it, but we didn’t for we had to get Prague. So we returned to car and the road, leaving behind perhaps the loveliest countryside of the entire trip.

Our route soon had us back on the highway, and in no time into the Czech Republic. Upon entering the country, I couldn’t help but think that for all of my youth and many years thereafter, this land was behind the Iron Curtain. Despite the fact that the Czech Republic has been a modern western democracy for almost 30 years, I was still struck by the foreignness of the place. The first thing we wanted to do was buy a vignette, which is used in many European countries in place of tolls. And the first thing we did was drive right by an exit for a place selling them. I had no idea when we’d find another, and without one, we risked being ticketed. I stopped at the next exit, and fortunately, there was a kiosk there selling 10-day vignettes for 20 Euros. While at the stop, I bought a cup of coffee, a Staropramen beer, and a pack of butter cookies at a convenience store that could have been in the middle of Ohio were it not for the fact that the kids all spoke a West Slavic language (and probably English too) and the currency was the koruna (although I had used Euros for the vignette and a credit card for most everything else). After affixing the vignette to the windshield, we continued to Prague with Sharon at the wheel.

We entered Prague a little before 7 PM and found a parking spot near the Hotel Casa Marcello, where we had reservations, in the part of the city called Old Town. Using our cell phone’s GPS, we succeeded in finding the hotel. While checking in, we learned that we couldn’t stay parked where we were, but that for 20 euros a day, we could park in the lone parking spot they had in front of the hotel. We took it, and I got the car and squeezed into the tiny alley that served as a parking space. We then took our luggage up to our room in this old world inn. Our room just happened to look down on the spot where our car was parked and had a nice view of a shop-lined avenue across the way. The accommodations were on the small side, rustic, and lovely. As we would soon find out, the hotel was quirky and sprawling with wings and stairs going off this way and that. The place felt just right.

We of course didn’t dawdle in our room, but set off to see Old Town Prague just as dusk fell. And all at once we were swept away by the incredible scene in Old Town Square. The place is straight out of a medieval fairy tale, what with the castles and cathedrals with their spires and bell towers, and everything was all lit up, and people were everywhere. It seemed as if a perpetual celebration was going on. There were quite a few beckoning restaurants on the square, but I’d read about a place not to be missed called U Flecka, so we wended through the streets of Old Town Prague in search of it.

And we found it. U Flecka was not only unlike any other restaurant I’ve ever seen, it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It was part indoor, part outdoor, and hard to tell the parts apart. It seemed to be a monastery or some such religious conclave converted into a beer hall. There were trees growing indoors, or was it outdoors. It was one hell of a place. A bit at a loss to figure out how things worked, we took a seat along one of the benches and were soon waited upon. We ordered the house goulash and a couple of black beers called U Fleků Flekovský Tmavý Ležák 13°. (We were also charged for a small Becherovka, but I don’t recall getting that.) The goulash was the best I ever had. The black beer was sort of strange, but then so was the joint. So they made a perfect match. After dining and drinking, we sauntered around a bit, used the facilities, and then started back to the Hotel Casa Marcello a bit over a mile away.

Our main objective on the way back was to tour the Sex Machine Museum. And that we did (admission came to 500 Kč total). This museum is no Louvre, but it is what it bills itself to be. It was kind of kinky and a little bit slutty with a dash of hokey. But we had fun, and that’s what counted. Back on the street, the Prague party was still in full swing. What a fun place. Our last stop before returning to our hotel was at the very cool Mama Lucy at Dlouhá 609/2, 110 00 Staré Město, where we each fully enjoyed a Czech Pilsner Urquell and shared an apple strudel à la mode.

And so ended our amazing night in Prague. Well we weren’t quite through, but the narrative is aside from this—while in the midst of it all, I sent this test message to Travis, Eric, and Becky, “Ahoj, from Prague. We arrived in this storybook city this evening. The old Town Square pictured here is unlike anything I've ever seen. I hope it never changes and that each of you get to see it some day.”