What a day! On Saturday, November 23rd, we hung out with Stephan in Prague, and experienced all of the things listed in the title. Only in Prague! In Wenceslas Square, we listened to a musical group called the Bohemian Bards. As you can see from this video, we enjoyed watching this talented group of musicians. We brought back a souvenir CD from the group, but they are better live!
After this, we went to the Museum of Communism. It details the history and devastating effects of Communism as it developed in post WW2 Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia was under Communist rule for 41 years. During this time, health conditions deteriorated, supplies were hard to find, creativity was squelched, and people lived in fear and suspicion. Anyone under the notion that Communism works well should go to this museum or crack open a history book. To see see what modern day Communism does, compare the (Communist) North Korea and (Democratic Republic of) South Korea in almost any way (population, life expectancy, income, infant mortality, military expenditure as a percentage of GDP...). Any leader would do well to remember the saying, "Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it."
After the heaviness of the Museum of Communism, we were all in need of some fresh air and wide open spaces. We took the Funicular (inclined railway) to the Eiffel Tower. Technically, it is the Petrin Lookout Tower, but it was inspired by the Eiffel Tower. Though it is substantially smaller than Paris's Eiffel Tower, the top of the Petrin Lookout Tower is higher than the top of it's Parisian counterpart, as it was build atop a hill.
We walked down the hillside overlooking Prague and snapped dozens of photos along the way. For us, this was a sad walk, as our time with Cousin Stephan was coming to a close. Here's a picture that some fellow sightseers took of us midway down the hill.
After saying "Goodbye" to Stephan, Liz and I went to Friend's Coffee House to reflect and process our trip. We also shared a palacinky crepe (or two... who's counting?).
We ate dinner at a restaurant where we felt like we were on display. It was on a main thoroughfare, and the booth was elevated like a stage so that tourists could watch us eat. We almost felt like we should charge them for the entertainment! Afterwards, we went shopping for souvenirs. Liz found a giant mug suitable for high-powered caffeination or a large cup of soup.
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