Author: marionvermazen

I am a traveler, hiker, avid reader, Sun alumnus, computer geek, Spanish and French language student, knitter and genealogist. I am retired after working for almost 30 years in the Computer Industry. I live in Reno, Nevada with my husband Duke.

Prague

This morning we did the Rick Steves walking tour of Prague.

We started in Wenceslas Square.
This is the statue of King Wenceslas.
I detoured to a couple of toy store that weren’t on the tour.
I liked this Transformer
Another store had 100s of different puppets.
Another puppet
Last Sunday (western Easter) and today (orthodox Easter) we saw lots of people carrying Easter baskets with beautifully embroidered covers.

Our walk ended at the Charles Bridge over the Vlatava River. You can see Prague castle in the distance.

Charles Bridge

After the tour we sat in the main square and had beers.

Beers after our walk.
And then we shared a tunnel cake hot off the grill

Ústí nad Orlicí to Prague

It as overcast today, but no rain! Hallelujah!! We walked to the train station and caught a 10:30 train for Prague.

On our way to he train station. All the creeks and rivers look very high.

In Prague we walked to our hotel where we plan to spend two nights. Prague is a beautiful city!

Walking to the hotel in Prague.

Later in the afternoon we went out exploring.

Watching the musicians in the main square.
There were lots of stalls selling delicious looking food.

For dinner we went to a nearby restaurant. Apparently the Czech Republic is the number one consumer of beer in the world. I can understand why. Czech beer is so good.

Duke and his half and half beer, a liter mixture of lager and Pilsner.
The waitress said I was the first woman she had seen finish a liter. She congratulated me but I’m not sure that’s something to be proud of!

When we came out of the restaurant the square and the sky were amazing. The square was beautifully lit and the sky was clear and deep blue.

The Prague main square after dinner.
I’m sorry this trip is almost over.

Brno to Ústí nad Orlicí

This morning we walked to the train station in the rain. For some reason we had to take about a 20 minute bus ride to catch the train. In Ústí nad Orlicí we thought we would take a taxi to our hotel since it was about two miles away and it was still raining. But there were no cabs so we walked. Luckily the temp was in the 50s so it wasn’t too cold.

Duke walking in the rain to the train in Brno
Duke walking in the rain to the hotel in Ústí nad Orlicí.

For dinner tonight we ate at the restaurant at our hotel. Dining experiences are a big part of why we enjoy traveling. We had local beer. If you look at the pork rib picture below you can see the grated horseradish, the sauerkraut, the pickles and the brown bread. I guess fresh horseradish must be traditionally Czech. We have had it multiple times and it is so good. Plus that is a lot of horseradish!

The other dish is the goulash and dumplings. It was perfectly flavored and the spices gave it a bit of a kick. It was also very good.

Goulash and dumplings
Pork ribs, pickles, sauerkraut, mustard, bread and fresh horseradish.

Brno

Today it rained almost all day. We are spending two nights in Brno. Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, after Prague. Brno is very similar in size to Reno

We went for a walk in the rain and enjoyed the views of the city from Brno castle.

We are out for a walk in Brno.
Cathedral of Saint Peter and Paul from the castle.
I’m not sure if Duke is guarding the castle or avoiding the rain.
We had a wonderful dinner at a nearby Italian Restaurant.

Telč to Brno

Weather makes such a difference to what we do and how we enjoy a place. We woke up this morning to beautiful blue skies. The temperature was below freezing when we woke up so we waited until after we checked out at 11 to go exploring. But then we spent a wonderful three hours walking around the parks and lakes of Telč. We basically hiked park bench to park bench. And the temperature was in the low fifties which made for a perfect Spring day.

The Telč town square.
Duke is holding the swan neck pump handle to pump water.
The Telč castle
A bench that is also a mini library
We weren’t the only ones enjoying the wonderful weather.
A great bench.
Another bench with a nice view.

About 2 o’clock we had coffee and kolāčkys at a coffee shop near our hotel. Then we walked to the bus station.

Coffee and kolāčkys. We have been looking for Czeck Kolaches like we get in the states but so far no luck!
On the bus to Brno.

In Brno we walked to our hotel. Where we were very happy to put our feet up and relax.

Our hotel room in Brno.