This morning we woke up and Desmond proclaimed "like little pillow." Most of the cribs have had a flat pillow of some sort as part of the bedding, but apparently this one gets the Desmond stamp of approval.
We got downstairs before breakfast opened and waited outside the doors checking our watches
. We spoke to a fellow traveler while we waited. She was from California and had just come from Prague. She was heading where we had just been so we swapped impressions and recommendations. As soon as they let us in we ate a quick breakfast. I had wanted to take some soft pretzels to go, but alas, they were from the day before and were too crunchy to be worth bringing with us.
We checked out of the hotel and there was absolutely nothing to pay. We expected a charge for the third person in the room or at the very least some city taxes, but we were pleasantly surprised. Bethie has decided that she has taken mooching to a whole new level. :) We reminded her that coming to visit and providing lodging and some food is our way of contributing to the mission work she has been doing here. I've never had this much fun supporting a missionary! ;)
We were at the train platform before our train arrived. It was important to catch this particular train because it shaved about two hours off of our travel time for the day
. And that is a good thing. Especially with a wiggly toddler being part of our traveling party!
This was the first train we've ridden this trip that we got to ride in a compartment. Desmond called the train compartment a "little hotel room." We had to make our fastest connection of our trip yet today. It was a 3 minute connection. The train left the station late, so when the attendant came by to check our tickets we asked if we would be in time to make our connection. She didn't know. We asked if she knew what platform we would need to go to. She didn't know. So we thanked her anyway and she quickly moved on to the next compartment. Later she came back to let us know that they had called ahead for our connecting train to wait. We thought that was very kind of her! As we had to make a number of unexpected stops (not at stations) we grew less and less optimistic about making our connection, call or no call.
But a few minutes before we pulled into the station, we got all ready to run to the next train, just in case
. I actually wore Desmond in front and my backpack in the back because I didn't want to carry him and have him struggle to get down, and the stroller wouldn't be very efficient either. Sure enough, the train was waiting on the platform. We hustled straight across the platform and onto the train. Bethie said "Jesus loves us." Bryan said, "Clean livin'. That's what Orlo would say." And off we went.
It was the same song, second verse for our next connection. We were certain it would have left by the time we arrived late to the station. It should have, according to the schedule. But it was still there. We ran up and got on to it. "Jesus loves us." Bethie said. "Clean livin'" Bryan agreed.
Now here's the part where I felt that all my family and friends who tell me longingly that they wish they could come along with us, or that they wish Bryan would plan their travels, should really have a clear picture of. When we got off the train to go see the bone church, it was hot
. Walking in the sun with our bags on was uncomfortable to put it mildly. It was just lots of work. I stated that I was hot, hungry and tired and asked if the thing we were going to was worth this. "This bone church is going to be really cool, right? Totally worth the effort?" "Yep. Should be." "Okay."
As we trudged along in the heat we talked about how we were really "doing the thing" now. We're in a new country where none of us have ever been and we don't know the language. We have none of the correct currency, and only a vague idea of where we are going. Now we were really traveling!
We hadn't found a bankomat by the time we made it to the Sedlec Ossuary. Fortunately, they accepted Euros, and after doing a bit of math we decided that was an okay deal (worth a bit extra not to go trudging around looking for an ATM).
Before visiting this site I did not know what to expect. I had seen the stacked bones in their decorative designs in photos and was not at all sure how I would feel in the presence of that many dead people. I imagined it would most likely be pretty creepy. Only when we got there, I found it was not creepy. It was definitely unique. As I learned that this is the final resting place of 40,000 people, I was reflective. It did obviously bring to mind the mortality of mankind. Our earthly limitations. But as I stared into the empty places where the eyes of these men and women would have been, trying to imagine them as people with dreams and loves and lives, it was so clear that nothing was there
. Dust to dust. The souls of these people had departed long ago and what remained was no more than potsherds. Decoratively arranged potsherds, but no more. They held no fear or discomfort for me. I looked on with curiosity, and respect for people long gone before I was here.
The only disappointing thing about the Sedlec Ossuary was that they were working on it so the chandelier was not on display. This was an iconic thing that Bethie and I had expected to see. So that was a bummer, but not much we could do about that. We decided not to hang around town but to try and hoof it back to the train station to catch a train leaving in fifteen minutes.
We really hustled in the heat back though town. Bethie made a comment to me about Bryan having really long legs. Yeah. So that was a lot of work too. But we made it and didn't have to wait another 45 minutes for the next train, so that was a win. "Jesus loves us!" Bethie said as we boarded the train just before it pulled away
. "Clean livin'" Bryan answered.
We were all hot, sweaty, hungry and thirsty. We pulled out our depleted snack bag and ate and drank some. The compartment on the train was not air conditioned and the window seemed to let little air in. But at least we were out of the direct sun at this point and could sit down with our bags off.
It took us a while once we'd reached Prague to figure out the subway system and find the Hilton. We withdrew purple money from the bankomat and I decided that warranted a photo. In that photo you can tell why the lady at the front desk of the Hilton asked if we had come all the way from the USA. We looked pretty disheveled!
While we were checking in and they were explaining all of our upgrades and benefits the Guest Relations Manager came over and introduced himself. He let us know that even though the forecast for the weather might be cloudy, the forecast for the hotel service is sunny. If ever we encountered any "clouds" we were to contact him and he would make it right. Bryan was teasing me, on our way up the elevator to the top floor, that I'm "kinda a big deal."
Desmond as always was excited about our "Ho-tel room!" But as I swung the door inward and only saw one bed my heart sank. We had spent longer than usual standing there checking in and I was ready to relax
. Now it seemed they had made a mistake. Only they hadn't, it turned out. I only saw one bed because they had upgraded us to a suite and Bethie's bed was in a separate room.
After looking around our room some, we headed to the lounge for our free snacks and cold drinks. It was afternoon tea time and they had a number of little sandwiches to choose from. All of them were made with butter. When I asked a staff member about it they contacted the kitchen and brought me a (dairy-free) salad. I felt like this was just above and beyond. Plus the salad was very tasty.
The heat had given me a headache. I decided to take a bath. Our bathroom has both a shower and a bath so it was perfect for a relaxing soak. Then I had Desmond take a little bath. I changed into my travel dress for dinner.
When we were feeling a bit more rested we took a walk along the river that our hotel is up against. We found ourselves a delicious dinner in Old Town. I was amused that the restaurant was called Lippert. The food was so good. Chicken, meat, roasted potatoes. Yum! Bethie had dumplings with whipped cream and beef. It looked very fancy. Then, of course, we had ice cream for dessert before heading back.
During our subway ride home we used a small elevator and laughed when Desmond exclaimed "port-a-potty" as we entered.
There was free port in the lounge and cheers all around (one of Desmond's favorite activities lately) to end our day in Prague.
~ Merilee
We use an app called DB Navigator to help plan our train travel in Europe. It's really convenient. I can put in a time and destination and it gives us all kinds of options for getting there. With Desmond along we have been really focused on minimizing the travel time on this trip. The app has been a huge help with that.
The Prague Hilton was even nicer than the last one. We were put on the executive floor, which once again gave us free snacks and drinks. This has been a huge help to our budget. We had booked a family style room from transferred Citi ThankYou points which was upgraded to a suite. I will need to go figure out what that suite would have cost when we get home.
~ Bryan
Trains and Bones
Monday, July 11, 2016
Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
Other Entries
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1Starting Out
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2Flying to San Francisco
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3On to Boston
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4Freedom Trail
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6Arrival
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8Amazing Alps
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11When in Wien
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12Trains and Bones
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13Prague Day
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14Bus Out to Nürnberg
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15Nürnberg
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