After another good night's sleep at the Pension Fontana, I was up at 6 AM, and got packed for the trip to Prague. I took a last walk around Podebrady looking for a cup of coffee, but nothing was open yet. Still, the weather was perfect, and I enjoyed the scenery. Karel arrived at 7:30 to take me and my tons of luggage over to their condo, where he and Adriana made another great breakfast, and I ate while Adriana was getting ready for work. KK had stayed overnight at his grandmother's house, so the place was unusually quiet. I already missed him...
After breakfast, we all got in the car, and Adriana drove us to Prague 4.
The drive went pretty well, and she dropped us off at a subway station near her Dental office, (making Karel mental, as she used a bus lane to stop in....no time for a smoke!).
Karel bought subway passes for us, and we dragged the luggage down to the subway platform and caught the next train for the eight stops to Prague 8. After a short streetcar ride, we walked the rest of the way to Karel's mom's condominium.
Eva's place:Luckily for us she was still there, and had prepared some food (!) , and offered us some shots of Fernet...dessert was an amazing strawberry and ice cream dish. She gave me a brochure from Honza's, (Jan's), company that featured Karel in one of the renderings, making us laugh, and a guide to Stockholm. We presented her with a picture we had acquired earlier in Podebrady.
Jan's Brochure:You can also spot Robert, Katka, and Adam......
The plan for the day was to go downtown (Prague 1) and meet up with Katka, Karel's sister, to drop off a present for her son Adam, but Karel's mom talked us into going with her first to Adam's new home, further out in Prague 8. The plan was to try and catch the right tram that would take us all the way there, but after that didn't work out, we took a bit of a walk to the subway station, during which Eva pointed out the swimming pool they use in the summer, and Karel spotted a kick-ass house that had been featured in an architectural magazine. Keeping up with his mom was proving to be quite a task, as she was moving at an amazing pace...when we got to the subway station she literally ran down the longest escalator I have ever seen, just in time to make the next train. We travelled the one stop, and on the Prague Transit System, you have to press a button on the door if you want to exit. Eva was in such a hurry she probably pushed that button a dozen times before the train even came to a stop. After a fifteen minute bus ride, (past a Cubist Cemetery), we were in the area where Robert, Katka, and Adam live.
They have purchased a new condo, and done extensive interior work, including designing a beautiful kitchen, with Honza's help, and upgrading the bathroom. Adam's school is close by, and Katka and Robert have a reasonable commute to work. On the walk there, Eva pointed out the pub where she and Honza go for a quick pint......
Katka's building is midsized and their place is on the second floor. It is large and airy, with big wonderful windows in all the rooms, and includes a large balcony. Adam has his own room, and it is large enough to contain Karel's old piano.
Much to our surprise, Adam showed up while we were still there, ( I hadn't seen him in 2 years). We didn't expect him, and, as such, was an unexpected treat. Boy, was he shocked to see us in his home....I had brought a small remote controlled helicopter for him, and we were just going to leave it there for him to find later. This was better, as Karel was starting to get the hang of the thing, (designed to drive anyone crazy who tries to fly it), and he was able to give Adam a few tips. He actually got it to hover this time, which was the best any one of us had yet achieved. It certainly suprised Vendi, (who was looking pretty good for her age).
Adam showed me some of his stuff. He's collecting soccer player's pictures to fill an album. I think you get them from Tesco. He has some great DVDs - Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc. He also played some of his favourite music, with his grandmother encouraging him to show us his dance moves......he just came back from a camp in Bulgaria, and apparently learned a few things from the Bulgarian girls......Giving the helicopter a go.....
When Karel finished demonstrating his flying skills, Eva and Adam walked us to the bus stop, where we caught the next bus to the subway station.
We were to meet with Adam's mom, Katka, at 4 PM. Getting downtown, with some time to spare, we stopped for a beer at a quiet courtyard cafe off the main street. We then took a walk to find an area Karel's mom said was full of galleries. The first one we went in was quite promising, and Karel managed to find a cool graphic print for his father.
Lucerna Passage - built by Ing. Havel father of former Czech President Václav Havel, early in the 20th century:
After checking several more galleries, which weren't quite as promising, Karel did spot one that was temporarily closed, so we decided to come back after meeting with Katka.
Katka does research in an old convent close to Municipal House, for the Health Ministry. We were there pretty much on time, but had a second to peek into the chapel, which is stunningly beautiful. There is also an old baby box at the front door where the nuns used to collect foundlings. Katka appeared shortly afterward. I hadn't seen her since KK's baptism and she looked great. After checking in an antique bookstore for more prints, we went to a Jamaican (?) restaurant for a drink. Katka gave me a beautiful book on the Spas of the Czech Republic, and a bottle of Becherovka. We had a great talk, but soon it was time for Katka to get home to Adam. We walked her to the subway station and said our goodbyes. Too little time.... and no time to see Richard and Teresa, who were in Brussels.
After leaving Katka, we made our way back through the old town to try and find the gallery that Karel had liked. On the way Karel pointed out the restaurant where he and Adriana had their first official date.
Further along we stopped for supper at a restaurant Karel's sister had recommended, where we both ended up having HUGE portions of Pork and Dumplings. The beer and the food were excellent, but after that I could hardly move. Karel's remedy was to stop in a pastry shop down the road and buy us several types of desserts - the sugar would make digesting our dinner easier he assured me.....we then returned to the task of trying to find the gallery.
After several aborted attempts, we finally came across the Light Art Gallery, and it was worth the search. I ended up purchasing 2 prints by Temo Svirely, and Karel got a very relevant one for KK's room in Podebrady.
Now poor Karel had to drag these prints around for the rest of the day, and I was carrying the a bag of T-shirts I bought for my nephews back in Toronto. We decided to cross the Charles Bridge into Mala Strana, and walk up to the Castle.
......
Charles Bridge:
It was a good way to walk off the dinner, and a great time of day to see the city. I had been this way on my last couple of trips, and it was great to see it again. At the castle, we stopped at the top of the road near the entrance to a restaurant, and I finally found the cobblestone I was looking for....we then went through the palace grounds, past the cathedral, and actually got to go through the 'Golden Lane' for free, which usually cost a few crowns.
Top of the Hill:
The Golden Lane at Prague Castle
Karel turns on the taps.....
When we exited at the other end of the palace grounds, we got a phone call from Adriana that she was finished work, and on her way back to Karel's mom's condo. Of course she would be there in ten minutes, but it would probably take us forty....Needless to say, after we took 2 subways, and had a ten minute walk, we found her fast asleep outside the building in her car, (she'd put in a 12 hour day). After Karel woke her up, we went upstairs, and had a quick snack. Adriana gave me a Dentist's sample toothbrush and tooth paste, and instructions on how to use it! Karel unwound the mysterious couch to produce a very comfortable bed. I had a perfect night's sleep.....
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