After leaving the Museum of Communism, we walk down the museum of capitalism…just kidding… but the street outside the museum is like an outdoor mall…Zara, Marks & Spencer, H&W, Michael Kors, you name the chain high dollar or low dollar shop – it’s there. Quite the juxtaposition. We turn our way toward Old Town and the Charles Bridge – not much better in terms of tourism or capitalism, but it is our destination!
Along the way – outside the “fake” market we found yesterday – and across from the Hooters (yeah, what can we say?), there was a nice little park bench, where we could actually see an old gothic church, that we took for our picnic spot. Ham and cheese sandwiches made from our left overs from the dinner last night. Perfect for a lunch!
After filling our bellies, we swam our way through the tide of tourists on Karlova Utica (Charles Street), past all the food vendors (ah, the Trdelniks!), actually stopping for a warm wine (grog) that was quite good!
Snapping shots of the great architecture along the way….
..then, fighting the hordes, we make our way to the famous Charles Bridge. It’s really gorgeous, and historical, and amazing…but with the amount of people! Ay yi yi! A total mess! Still, we do what we can to enjoy the moment, and take pictures as we can! The square at the entrance, the first gate, the statues that line the bridge, the locks of love on the iron work, and various scenes along the away…
…then of course while we are on the bridge, watching the river boats sail and turn before the rapids, looking up on the hill and seeing where we road our bikes the day before (the chalet up on the hill),
Finally, passing over the bridge, and going in search of the Lennon Wall (in Little Quarter) that began after John Lennon’s death as a spontaneous memorial in graffiti. People would paint Lennon tune phrases, and night after night, the police would paint over them. It became an independence statement. The wall still stands today as an homage to the hope it gave before independence finally won out in 1989.
After finally finding the wall (the first time ever Rick Steves has given us bum directions), we’re ready for an adult beverage. We spied a “Craft beer basement bar” on the way to the wall, and managed our way back there. It’s a great little undiscovered place, except for the fact that they advertise WC, so everyone, and we mean everyone, comes down there to use the bathroom. We wanted drinks, so the bartender got us our beverages quickly while fending off the bathroom goers (at 20CZH each). It is a totally cool space,
until the Japanese come down like some sort of invasion looking for the bathroom. Ack! Then the Germans or Austrians or whoever come in – and there’s like 30 of them – and well, we are outta there! Nice while it lasted!
We wander around Little Quarter a bit, looking at the architecture and some great ivy covered buildings…..
and what not,
then finally hit on another restaurant bar, with a balcony up top above the fray.
We order drinks and snacks – great little sausages (totally cheap) and with a completely different flavor…
Then it is time to head back to the hotel…blog (need time to update all you bleaders!) and off to diner at Arrosto – the Italian restaurant on the corner of the street.
Excellent food, wine and beer! Ed has octopus to start, extremely well done in olive oil, garlic and hot peppers, then for a main he has chicken with prosciutto and sage, and I have a pork tenderloin with pesto and pepper sauce.
Awesome. Total bill comes to 719CZK or $30US. We could come to love this country!!! 
Tomorrow onto Bratislava, we’ll see what there is to see there!
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