On Oct 16 we flew to Europe for the Viking Grand European Tour.  It was a long flight covering six time zones.  We started in Jacksonville, flew to Houston, then to Amsterdam.  A long flight (see image below) but we left in late afternoon and arrived in late morning the next day, so we slept much of the trip from Houston.  Our time in Europe would last until Nov 5. 

This Viking tour followed the itinerary displayed below: 

We flew into the Amsterdam airport and waited quite a while for someone to take us to our hotel.  The man who finally came serenaded us with a profanity-laden description of bicycle traffic that we would encounter.  We found that they indeed pay no heed to traffic laws or rules.

All the tourist information shown on TV or in travel brochures show pristine canals with colorful buildings side-by-side on either side of the canal banks.  This is true in a few places. What we found mostly was VERY cramped parking along every canal, with bicycles and other small vehicles (mostly electric) crowded everywhere.  Because they are electric powered vehicles, they will come up right behind you before notifying you of their presence.  Pretty alarming when the vehicle is a Mercedes van with its front bumper nearly touching you.  The sidewalks are very crowded, with tourists and (yes) more bicycles.

Click on any image below to enlarge

Bicycles Everywhere, City Streets  ...

... And Along Canals

Panorama of Canal Crowded with Cars on Left ...
 ... and Both Cars and Bicycles on Right

Rare Canal That Is Not Too Crowded

Sidewalks Along City Streets Are Crowded Enough Already

One of the Strange Electric Vehicles

Our room was in an old hotel on one of the canals.  Several hotels were used by Viking to room all their guests for several tours.  Apparently they thought Betty, with her walking trouble, needed a special kind of room.  It was close to the lobby on the first floor, with a bathroom that had no door, only a wide opening.  The shower was large with no door, so that it was hard to keep from at least partially flooding the whole bathroom.  The bathroom had a porthole between it and the sleeping area.  Who knows what for.

Wall Between Bathroom and Sleeping Area

On the wall opposite both sleeping area and bathroom was a strange ornament.  Made to look like a stack of large books precariously balanced on a narrow base.

Closeup of Wall Ornament

We decided to skip the Viking excursion walking tour the afternoon of our first day and take an alternative offering that we learned about from the local Viking representative at the hotel.  This was a rickshaw ride through key areas of note.  Just what this vehicle would be we did not know, but soon found out.

The Amsterdam Rickshaw

Like so many others who ply the tourist trade in Amsterdam, our driver was from another country, Greece.  His name was Lampros Stavroudis.  He spoke good English, unlike some of the other workers.  He was very friendly and helpful, and Betty took down his mailing address in order to mail him a Christmas card later. 

 

His Rig Was Well Decorated

Lampros Answering Betty's Questions

Lampros Took Our Photo at One of Our Stops

Lampros Points Out the Basilica of St Nicholas

National Maritime Museum

A'DAM Tower at Amsterdam Harbor

Observation Deck on Top of Tower

The Observation Deck above includes the "over the edge" swings.  On these swings one can swing far out over the edge of the deck.

Montelbaanstoren Being Refurbished

One of the More Attractive Canals

Some People Actually Live in Boats Along a Canal

And Several Canal Tour Boats

Canal Lock Leading Out Toward Harbor

Example of Some of Their Modern Architecture

As we headed back to our hotel room, we noticed many apartments where people live below the street level.  Given that all of the Netherlands are quite well below sea level already, why would anyone want to live even lower?  There have been floods in the past.  Just wondering. 

One of the Below-the-Street-Level Apartments

The next day we went on a Viking walking tour, led by one of the local guides.  It was quite a walk, through heavy traffic of every kind.  

A bus took us by group to the Rijksmuseum.  Across the street of the library entrance was an orchestra playing as loudly as they could to be heard over the traffic din.  Mission Impossible.  Turns out that day the city had scheduled a marathon run through the streets of Amsterdam.  Barricades were set up downtown to redirect traffic (and pedestrians).  Part of our group, from another hotel, was delayed by their bus being blocked.  So our guide held us up waiting for them.  For a very long time standing outdoors.

Rijksmuseum

We were waiting in the large archway in bottom center of image above.  Finally we got to enter the museum.

Note the Advertisement for an Old American Movie

The influence in Europe of all things American is pretty surprising.  Note above, at the entrance to the nation's national museum, an advertisement for a fairly old Steve McQueen movie.  And once you enter, another ad for that same movie.

Another Ad for That Steve McQueen Movie

Once fully inside the entrance, one sees the front courtyard leading to several levels and surrounded by places to check luggage and coats.  

The Museum Courtyard

We were led to one of the arched doorways where, ironically, we saw one more reproduction of the Laocoon and His Sons that we saw at the Savannah museum (shown on this blog).

Laocoon and His Sons

I shall not attempt to present everything to be seen inside this library.  Needless to say, famous works by Dutch artists abound.  I have selected only a sampling to display below.

One of the Large Entry Rooms

Johannes Vermeer's The Milkmaid

Rembrandt's The Syndics

Rembrandt's The Night Watch

The Night Watch (see above) was being restored in another room, but in yet another room there was an exhibit of what they anticipated the reworked masterpiece would look like.

The Anticipated Reworked Version

Our guide noted that action was depicted in these scenes when previous art works of this kind rendered the figures without motion.  Depicting action in the painting below almost appears to show the man in black at the center about to be shot in the back.

Van Der Helst's Militia Company of District VIII

There were many depictions of group celebration.  This depicted the joy of being free of the domination of Spain's Catholic Church, which had all the money and were the only sponsors in the past.  Now the wealthy commercial class had the money and celebrated their liberty and wealth.  

Jan Havicksz Steen's The Merry Family

This is not to say that Dutch art of this period never depicted religious scenes.  Rembrandt, for example, is famous for his Biblical scenes.  Our tour of the museum never took us that far for me to photograph a few of those.

And the Dutch celebrated their new-found wealth in their consumption of lavish food and drink, especially drink.  The following is only one of very many such food depictions.  

Dutch Celebration of Food and Drink

And there was much celebration of being an independent military power able to defend itself from any further interference from Spain or any other country.

Jan Abrahamsz Beerstraaten's The Battle of Terheide

And there were some of the obligatory Van Gogh:

And some ship models:

A Model Ship

And some porcelain: 

Just Some of the Examples of Their Porcelain

This is like their Library of Congress:

Included in This Museum Is Their National Library

After our time at this museum, our guide took us on what turned out to be a long walk to one of his favorite restaurants.  He said this was a very Dutch restaurant service very Dutch meals for lunch. To get there we had to walk through the maze created for the marathon runners.

Barricades for the Runners

And Here They Come

And Somebody Comes Cruising Through
in His Electric Vehicle

Finally We Arrive At Our Guide's Very Dutch Restaurant

And here we were served a large meatball on top of a blob of mashed potatoes covered in gravy.  That was it!

And This Was Our Very Dutch Lunch

After lunch we had more walking to do to get to our ride to the next museum.  This next museum was reminiscent of the old houses we saw in Savannah that had been converted into museums.  Betty was getting very tired by now, and this was so similar to what we had experienced in Savannah that we hurried through.  Rooms like the following were on display.  Look familiar?  It would if you go back to the Savannah trip photos.

And Old Period Bedroom in an Old House

And out back was a garden much like the ones in Savannah.  

And the buildings in the back contained old horse carriages, displays of bridles, etc. just like Savannah.  

Next stop:  Kinderdijk to see windmills.  This would include a ride to the Viking Ship for the remainder of our visit.

Our Room Aboard the Viking River Ship

River Ships, and Their Rooms, Are Very Narrow

The idyllic scene of windmills glistening in the sun surrounded by beautiful tulips in bloom graces the tourist literature.  Our walk to the windmills was on a pretty overcast day. Nevertheless, it was instructive, aided by several signs along the walk which describe the workings of water management there.  Problem was, it was all in Dutch.  Even inside the tourist center, all the books for sale to tourists were in Dutch.  Nothing in English.

One of Several Instructive Signs in Dutch

We find out that the purpose of windmills is not to grind grain into flour for food to eat.  Their sole purpose is to pump the water out of the Netherlands back into the North Sea.  That was a surprise to me!

After a fairly long walk from where the bus stopped in order to reach the windmills, one sees what the trip is all about.

  

Windmills Along the Canal to be Pumped

We Were Led Into a Windmill

Windmill keepers are like lighthouse keepers:  they live in the windmill that they operate.  There were at least three floors in this windmill, each pretty cramped for space.  They must have had small families.

Up the Narrow Stairway We Go

Arriving on the Second Floor

We did not venture up another narrow flight of stairs to see the third floor.  There are side rooms on each floor up there, with cooking facilities, pantry, bedrooms, etc.  All very small.

On our way back to the tourist center, we were told about an old fable concerning a cat.  There is a Dutch legend of Baby Beatrijs set during the Saint Elizabeth Flood of 1421.  When the dikes broke, a cradle carrying a baby floated away.  Miraculously, a cat in the cradle jumped side to side to keep the cradle in balance so that it would not sink.  In the canal is a statue in tribute to the legend.  

View of the Statue from the Bridge Crossing the Canal

Close-up of Statue

Once we were back into the tourist center, we received a long talk about the water management of the area, thankfully in English.  Several signs inside described the work they do.

Again, All in Dutch

 Below is a photo I took of one of their main water control dikes.

No Explanation Given on This One

Then we were off to the bus, a ride back to the Viking ship, and a trip to Cologne, Germany.

In Germany along the Rhine River, one gets to see Old Germany.  It still shows remnants of the Holy Roman Empire, when church and state were nearly indistinguishable.  Tourists are shown large churches and cathedrals along with castles that share many similar attributes.  One castle we were shown, Falkenlust and its associated Hunting Lodge, was the residence of the prince-archbishops of Cologne. This part of Germany remains Roman Catholic, while to the east one finds the churches affected by the Reformation.  Tourists who see these castles and churches are shocked to see how a select class of church-state minority controlled all the wealth, leaving the remaining population to live in near poverty.  These latter people include the workman who made these elaborate dwellings for the wealthy few.

Our introduction to Cologne was led by a Viking guide who went to great pains, as we walked toward a visit to the Cologne Cathedral, to show us the Roman Empire's influence on this very old city, with remnants easily seen along the street leading to the cathedral.  

 

Wall Built by the Romans

More of the Wall

Early Cologne City Outline

Monument to Edith Stein-Denkmal, Victim of Holocaust

Another indicator of America's influence on Europe was the place our guide pointed out for catching the bus back to the ship after seeing the cathedral.  "On the corner with the McDonalds," he noted.

Our Meeting Point for Our Return to the Viking Ship

Everywhere we went we saw numerous American businesses.  

Outside the cathedral was very crowded with tourists, making it hard to get a really good image of it.  Note how dark the exterior is.  They say it is due to pollution and decay.  Several cleaning efforts have been ongoing.

Cologne Cathedral

Icon at Entry to Cathedral

The View Down the Center Upon Entry

View from the Opposite End

View of Stained Glass On One Side

One is reminded that these buildings were several centuries in their making.  Work continues to this day.

Our next tour stop was to the aforementioned Falkenlust castle and hunting lodge.

We began by seeing the hunting lodge.  Just wait until you see the interior.

Few Would Think This Was a Hunting Lodge

As one enters the hunting lodge, the entry is lined with pagan statuary from Greek and Roman myth.  Then one enters the stairway, and as one climbs upward to the next floor, the view downward is pretty impressive.

View Down Hunting Lodge Stairway

And looking up, one sees elaborate artwork.  Are a group of hunters really in need of this in their lodge?

View of Ceiling of Hunting Lodge Stairway

Not Your Typical Hunting Lodge

Elaboration Everywhere

But this is really pretty simple.  Let's continue to the castle.

The Castle

Betty Standing in Castle Courtyard

Leading to Entrance from Side

Castle Foyer

Stairway Closeup

View of Ceiling Over Stairway

Upper Room Over Stairway

Upper Stairway

Room After Opulent Room

And the Ceilings . . .

One After Another Like This

And More Rooms

Walls Covered in Tapestries

A Dining Room

Room With Porcelain Fireplace

I grew weary of photographing it all.  So much excess!

The weather at this point turned terrible.  Very cold, windy, and constant hard rain.  The balcony of our room was soaking wet for a week, so we did not want to go out.  In addition, we picked up some kind of virus that kept us from going out on any more excursions in Germany.  Several of our dinner group went out and gave reports back of horrible cold, needing a hot shower and a nap afterward. Mostly the excursions were for more grand churches/cathedrals and castles, of which we were weary.  In Bavaria, the focus was mostly on drinking a lot of several kinds of beer.  One of our dinner group did not make it to supper that night due to inadvertently drinking far too much beer.  Her husband had to carry her back and straight to bed.  Did not see her again until breakfast the next morning.

Our very helpful, friendly, and kind "Hotel Manager" went out to the nearest pharmacy and got us some over-the-counter medication to help us along with our virus.

Hotel Manager, Nino Libassi

The remainder of the cruise along the Rhine was pleasant enough, enjoyed in  the very nice passenger lounge.  There were copious amounts of free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, along with various very good cookies.

One View of Passenger Lounge

Consulting the internet in that part of the world is intruded by the usual unwelcome advertising, only quite different from what we get at home.

Looks Like an Ad for Martial Arts

This part of the Rhine River at this time of year is showy due to autumn colors, particularly of the yellow wine vineyards along the slope away from the river.

Autumn Colors Along the Rhine

Manor Overlooking Vineyard

More Vineyards

European RVers Camp Along the Rhine

The Legend of Lorelei is a famous German folklore about a beautiful siren who sits atop a high cliff (the Loreley) on the Rhine River, combing her golden hair and singing a captivating song that lures boatmen to their doom on the rocks below.  There is a statue of her along the Rhine River (see below). 

Statue of Lorelei Beside Train Tracks Along Rhine

This portion of the Middle Rhine is noted for its castles perched up high along the crest.  Yes, more castles. I stood on the upper deck of the ship and got the best photos I could in the rapidly changing light.  These castles were here to patrol traffic, lifting a chain across the river to charge traffic a toll to pass.  This was their primary source of income.

Maus Castle

 

Rheinfels Castle

Katz Castle

Schonburg Castle

Gutenfels Castle (and Hotel)

Pfalzgrafenstein (on an Island)

Stahleck Castle

Sooneck Castle

Reichenstein Castle

Klopp Castle

And all along the remainder of the Rhine we see other buildings that look like castles or churches.

Even the entrances to tunnels along the railway beside the Rhine look like castles.

We were now approaching the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal.  This was a multi-year project to shorten the water route from the North Sea to the Black Sea.  It also provides us a convenient way to sail to the Danube River from here.    

The Rhine-Main-Danube Canal (Circled in Yellow)

This also means that we are now about to travel through 16 locks on just the canal.  Altogether, before we reached Budapest, we would pass through 68 locks.  The deepest lock we shall traverse around midnight, so no photos of that.

Entering a Lock

The Lock Filling With Water

Lock Nearly Full

Gates Opening

Out We Go to the Next Lock

Finally we arrive in Vienna, Austria and much more interesting things to see.  The first excursion was to see St Stephen's Cathedral.  

Out back of the cathedral one finds carriages waiting to give tourists a ride.  

Horse-drawn Carriages Await the Tourists

A Very Interesting View from This Angle

A More Frontal View of Cathedral

The inside view from the front is impressive but not as elaborate as the Cologne Cathedral.  

Cathedral Frontal View Inside

Before continuing on after seeing the cathedral, we were allowed a restroom break.  We were instructed that down an escalator were restrooms, but unlike in America, there is a charge to use a public restroom. 

 

Down the Escalator We Go

Turns out they want a Euro to use their facilities. 

We were back on the bus to see some of the famous buildings in Vienna, which were not easy to photograph in all the city traffic.  But I did get a couple.

Austrian Parliament Building

Insurance Company Building

Note above that over centuries they have accumulated a lot of impressive buildings that often are taken over for use by the business community.

We returned to the ship for supper and the following evening excursion to the Vienna Haus der Musik (House of Music) performed by members of the Vienna Residence Orchestra.  The photo below was taken from the internet since it was very dark outside when we were there.

House of Music

Lobby Inside House of Music

Ceiling of Concert Hall

Concert Hall

I did what I could to capture some of the performance with my phone as videos, which I have uploaded to YouTube.  Click on the center arrows below. 

Wish I could have videoed the entire concert.  The concert program is shown below.  

English Portion of Concert Program

Next we were off to Budapest, and one of our favorite places of the whole trip.  This is a very tourist-friendly city.  Our Viking ship docked on the western (Buda) side of the Danube.  Climbing some steps led us to the street level of the Chain Bridge that connects Buda to Pest.  There were many tourists from all over the world happily crossing the bridge and looking at the scenery that surround the bridge.  Ironically, the bridge has the same kind of lion statues on either side that the Bridge of Lions in St Augustine has.

Chain Bridge Looking Back Toward Buda Side

Looking Back From More Distant Point

Betty Poses Before One of the Lions

This Bridge Is One of the Lock Bridges
Where Lovers "Lock Their Love" With Padlocks

Looking in the direction of Pest, on the right you can see the ornate entry to a traffic tunnel, and to the left the funicular for an easy ride to the top.  I wish we had had more time there to visit so many of those places. 

View Toward Pest from the Chain Bridge

Closeup of the Funicular

Up On the Ridge to the Left Is the Royal Palace

Along the sidewalk on the left side one finds more reminders of American influence.  

KFC Restaurant Ad

One thing very different from America is that wherever you get a bottle of water, the lid is attached to the bottle.  The cap keeps sticking you in the face when you drink from the bottle.

Bottles With Caps Attached to the Bottles

In addition, the pretzels in Europe look like our soft pretzels, but they have an outer layer hard as laminated plastic.

European Pretzel

Betty loves to collect travel souvenirs, so we went walking toward the shopping district on the Pest side.  Betty sat down to rest while I continued on.  It was a long walk, but finally I came to the area of interest.  

Shopping District in Pest

Souvenir shops proudly place SOUVENIRS signs in their windows.  You can always tell the tourist shopping areas.  I sought a T-shirt for Betty from the following rack, which is typical of such shops.

Souvenir Shirt Rack

Souvenir for Betty

With souvenir in hand, we ventured back toward the bridge.  Along the way we noticed an attractive flower garden formed into a design.

This Pattern Probably Signifies Something Special
But We Have No Idea What

I suppose if we could spend more time there we would know what some of these symbols mean.  

As we walked back across the bridge toward Buda, we could see numerous Viking ships docked along the banks.  This is a huge company with very many ships.

Viking Ships Everywhere

More Viking Ships

Looking South Down Buda Bank of Danube

Another Budapest Church Along the Danube

Our time was coming to say goodbye to our Viking ship and all the people with whom we had come into daily contact for a couple weeks.

Our Mealtime Group

Our Very Friendly Waiter and Waitress

That night was very clear, allowing us to photograph the beautifully lit bridge and town of Budapest.  The town does a wonderful job of lighting up the town every night.

Chain Bridge Lit Up at Night

Buildings Beautifully Lit

Royal Palace at Night

Notice the difference in the appearance of the following building by day and by night.  

The Church of Our Lady of Buda Castle by Day

And Here It Is Lit Up by Night

Tomorrow very early we were to depart for Prague, which is nowhere near the Danube river.  We did not realize it at the time, but this would mean a 7.5 hour bus ride to get there.

Viking opened the ship restaurant early for us to have breakfast.  I got my usual eggs benedict.  I noted once again that over there, there are no regular salt and pepper shakers like we have at home.  Only grinders for salt and pepper, which produce very large flakes compared to ours.

My Final Breakfast Aboard Ship

A Somewhat Dismal Ride to Prague

There was a bus driver (who spoke very little English) and a guide who spoke very poor English.  The latter struggled to convey to us what to expect in a country dominated by Russians for 50 years.  The people there rarely smile because they have been for so long afraid of everyone around them, fearing that they may be reported on to the KGB.  When we got to the city of Prague, overrun with tourists from outside the country, one does not notice this.  But outside of Prague in the surrounding areas, one definitely will notice it.  More on that later.

We stopped for lunch at what passes for a restaurant here:  a modified gas station.  Walking through to the back one finds a sign overhead and a menu on a large flat screen display.    

The On-screen Menu Often Changes

This place is really more of a cafeteria.  We walked through a line looking down through glass panels to see if there was anything that we would like to try.  Workers simply said:  "You try; is good!"  Labels said simply; beef, chicken, potato, etc.  I selected some things to have with a diet soda.  Was not too bad. 

My Lunch

I cannot remember what was in that bowl, but the chicken and mashed potatoes were pretty good.  

Our Guide (left) and Bus Driver (right)

Back on the bus, we continued our trek to Prague (or Praha as they say it).

My Phone Map Showed We Were Getting Closer

The hotel Viking assigned to us was the Prague Marriott Hotel located near the historic city center (Old Town).  If we had had more time and a city tour guide, we could have seen many more historic sites.  As it was, we were pretty much on our own.   

Unlike our booking in Amsterdam where we were assigned a room for handicapped people, here we were given a room with stairs leading up to the front door and cramped quarters inside.

The Room Assigned to Us

Fairly Cramped Inside

I complained at the front desk and got a new room assigned.

New Room Was Much More Spacious and No Stairs to Door

View Out Our Window

First free moment and Betty was off to find a souvenir.  Looking out the window above to the left, one gets a glimpse of Old Town.  A bit of walking was still required to get there from the hotel, but Betty had her wheeled walker.

We Came to a Shopping Area

The familiar tourist SOUVENIRS sign came into view.  And drawn like a magnet,  Betty zoomed into that shop.

Betty Zeros In

Betty got another T-shirt, this time with Prague on the front.  It is a nice shirt, but all the others did not say "Prague."  They said the local spelling "Praha," which would not communicate well back home.

Prague Souvenir

After our souvenir purchase, we noticed directly across the street was a sign stating "200 SHOPS."  That looked a little too glitzy to me, but Betty insisted on checking it out.  That pink colored building looked strange to me.  

And There Are a Lot of Trains to Dodge

When we stepped in the front door, we were amazed at the sight.  This was a giant 5-floor modern shopping mall.  Calling it simply 200 shops does not do it justice.

I Had Not Seen Anything Like This Before

A Huge Mall

Escalators Galore

And notice how it melds into the pink business building next door.  Over there, over the many years, they have made good use of space by combining buildings into one another. 

And All Decked Out for Christmas

Quite a Show

View from the Top Floor

Another View from the Top

A lot of sales were advertised.  What truly interested me was that Thanksgiving is not a holiday here, but "Black Friday" sale signs were everywhere.  We are not sure how important Christmas is here where communism for so long outlawed it.  But so many "ex-pats" (Americans who now live here) expect it that businesses appeal to it.

If you look closely at the image below, in the lower right are American fast food offerings.  Burger King, KFC, McDonalds, etc. are present.  Interestingly in the foreground to the left is a local business trying hard to get into the game.

Top Floor View of Fast Food Stores

One of the Mall Directories

On the ground floor is a clear panel with the history of this location written on it.  The mall background showing through on top of the writing makes for a difficult story to read.  The history goes back to the 12th century as revealed in a 1996-2004 archaeological excavation of this historical area.  Most recently, where this mall resides now was a Russian military barracks.  Quite an improvement!

Not So Easy to Read Against Background

It was interesting to see what one of their ice cream stands looks like.  None of the names looked familiar, and they looked very different also. 

We decided to have a walk around other areas of town.  Walking down another side road we once again came upon another souvenir shop.  This is truly a tourist town.

Entrance to Souvenir Shop

As one works his way through the shop, one finds an overwhelming array of trinkets to take home as souvenirs.  Interested in little princess/angels?

Available in Various Sizes

Closeup of These Trinkets

Would you like miniature cathedrals or castles?

And here are more...

And everywhere, not just in souvenir shops, huge offerings of liquor.  

Lots of Liquor

The biggest surprise to me is that they consider brass knuckles to be an appropriate souvenir.   Hopefully these are not in use in the tourist shopping districts.  

Brass Knuckles for Souvenirs

Continuing on down that side street, upon looking up on the left one finds embedded into the wall, for who knows how long, an icon of the virgin Mary.

Prague Side Street

Embedded Into the Wall

The long Roman Catholic influence in Prague remains very evident, especially since they burned Jan Hus for championing the work of John Wycliffe and early Reformation efforts.  They continued to be Roman Catholic throughout the Reformation period.

On the way back to the hotel, I noticed the familiar display of the world's different paper currency.  It was a monetary exchange office, to exchange your country's currency for Euros to spend in Prague.  You are generally better off to use a credit card to get a better exchange rate.

Monetary Exchange Office in Prague

The following morning we decided to return to the mall for another look.  As we walked down the street on which the hotel resides, I once again looked up to notice all the spires down that way.  As Betty rested a while, I ventured on down toward the spires.

Street Outside Hotel

The closer I got, the more congested it got from buildings that had been added over the years to squeeze into limited space.  I had to find an alley to squeeze through to the left to get around this impasse.

Dead End

Still Not Finding Clear Passage

Turns Out the Spires Are On the Other Side of This

Working my way around the building I eventually find myself in the Old Town Square.  

Prague Old Town Square

Near the lower center above you can see the monument to Jan Hus.  Rather surprising that the Roman Catholics allowed a monument to him, but I was very glad to see it.

Closeup of Monument to Jan Hus

At the far left in the Town Square image above, one can see another interesting monument of some kind.  I walked a ways to get a closer look.  

Prague Astronomical Clock

I noticed another interesting feature at a distance and decided to investigate.  

Looks Like a Clear Walkway

Getting Closer

Old Town Bridge Tower

The Old Town Bridge crosses the main river in Prague, the Vltava.  

I Got This Photo from the Internet
Did Not Want to Get Wet

The prior night we ate at a place recommended by the Viking representative at the hotel.  Not only was it hard to find, its food was overpriced and not that good.  So tonight we ate at the hotel.  It was difficult to understand the menu, so we asked our waiter for a recommendation.  Below is what we got.

As the waiter served it, he noted that there would be no butter for the bread because we were to use the wax from the candle.  No kidding!  The candles are made from tallow.  We ate the bread without topping.  The bread was rather strange in itself.  This is a Marriott restaurant?  

That evening we went on the only open excursion with Viking in Prague before we left town. It was for a folklore supper outside Prague in a rural area.  Once again the guide on the bus ride there schooled us on why we should not expect a lot of smiling and friendly service.  As mentioned before, 50 years of Russian domination had left its toll.  The guide also pointed out all the McDonalds, Burger Kings, and KFCs along the way.  He mentioned that the American ambassador each year would favor one or the other as his place to eat.  Each year that eatery would be referred to as the American Restaurant.  After hearing the guide describe the food we were going to be served at the folklore supper, I was tempted to ask the driver to drop us off at the next KFC.  

We drove past the Prague Airport a good ways to get to our destination.   

I do not know what that name means in English, but hardly anyone but the host spoke our language.  We were to hear several folk songs sung in the Czech language. 

Our Main Performers for the Night

I have loaded some videos onto YouTube so that you can click on them below to see what the performances were like.

Our Soup Starter

Then our unsmiling waitress brought to the table several large containers of meat chunks:  chicken, beef, and ham.  As the container was passed around the table, we carved off whatever meat we would like.  I tried some of each, and it was pretty good.  Neither of us can remember if we were also served any potato or other vegetable.  I guess the soup covered that ground.

Here are the videos of the performance.  In one of them, you can see our waitress walk right in front of my camera and demonstrate that she did not care.  In another video you can see the other waitress, a much younger one and not so affected by the earlier years of Russian oppression.  She actually DOES smile.

That was it for the night.  We returned to the hotel and finalized arrangements for being taken to the Prague Airport early the next morning. The Viking representative at the hotel, who went to college in America and spoke good English, told me that all his friends and colleagues believe that Donald Trump is a KGB agent undercover.  He explained that Trump's wife's father worked for the Soviet police, and when Trump returned from Europe saying that he would like to leave NATO, this only confirmed their suspicions.  The somewhat Orwellian sound of this was very interesting.

Since the Marriott was not going to humor us by opening their restaurant early for our very early departure for the Prague Airport, Viking provided us with a box breakfast.

Not Bad

  

Our bus driver to the airport spoke no English and behaved like a thug.  He even pulled off the road on the way to make a phone call (to get directions?).  Once at the airport, he dropped us off far from the terminal.  He virtually tossed Betty's wheeled walker out from the bus basement and drove off.  We walked the long way to the terminal only to find no one who spoke English.  Where do we check in and get a boarding pass?  Finally a guy from Viking showed up, but spoke poor English.  He got us our boarding passes and, after a fairly short wait, we were at the boarding desk.  We flew to the Frankfurt Airport to connect for our flight home.  The way they handle people in wheelchairs and walkers at this airport is pretty crude and primitive.  Some rather gruff individuals put you into a separate bus and drive to a special vehicle with a platform lift on the back.  The same kind you would use to deliver a refrigerator.  Then they roll up to the airplane for you to roll into the plane door.

Lifted Up Into Transit Vehicle

Betty Being Loaded Up Like Freight

Once on board a United Airlines flight to home, we breathed a sigh of relief.  The flight was simple, and we arrived home safely.