We travelled in a luxury double-decker coach from Berlin to Prague, stopping on the way in Dresden where we had a splendid lunch and time to shop and look around.
Dresden was tragically bombed during the Second World War and much of its heritage downtown was turned into rumble.
Over the past 20 years, the city’s core had been rebuilt and rejuvenated with classical Renaissance style architecture and the main church, the Lutheran Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) was completely restored to its former glory with some elements of the restoration being paid for by an English pilot who bombed it during the war.
From Dresden, it was a relatively short hop and a jump to Prague. We arrived in the late afternoon and got to see Wenceslas Square and the famous Dancing House before we reached our hotel located in the heart of the old town.
Our first day in the Czech capital was spent doing a walking tour of the city, using trams to get around. We visited the castle with its spectacular views over the city and saw the traditional changing of the guard and then we visited the Jewish Quarter and the town centre and the famous Charles Bridge before going on a very relaxing boat ride along the Vltava river.
The next day we visited two beautiful baroque gardens, the Vrtba Gardens, and the Wallenstein Gardens on the Mala Strana (Lesser Town) area of the city across the Charles Bridge.
Both gardens contained formal clipped hedging and statuary and impressive features. In the Vrtba garden we were able to ascend to a high viewing point where we got a spectacular panoramic view of the city while in the Wallenstein garden we enjoyed exploring the immense loggia and the grotto’s dark wall of dripping stone with its complex texture that is meant to represent a mix of artificial and “real living nature”.
Visitors are encouraged to try seeing animals or grotesque faces in the dripstone wall. I didn’t really succeed at either.
While over in the Mala Strana, we paused at the John Lennon Peace Wall to have a group photo and listen to the Beatles song, All Your Need Is Love. I added my twopence worth to the wall by writing Love, Love, Love, which felt right.
In the evening we attended a classical music concert in the famous Mirror Chapel of Saint Salvatore Church in the centre of town. The eclectic program included famous pieces by Mozart and Vivaldi. We loved it and came away feeling very uplifted.
Our last day in Prague was spent visiting the Kafka Museum and Wenceslas Square from where we were able to check out all the shops leading back into the old town square.
In the evening, we went to Reduta, one of Prague’s oldest jazz clubs, for an evening dedicated to the songs of Bille Holliday. It was a fun night with lots of champagne flowing.
On the street outside, I bumped into an old Italian buddy of mine – Dante Alighieri. We laughed and had a fun moment together.
Next stop: Vienna.
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