The Road to Budapest - Day 6

26/03/09
Well the time had come to leave this magical town and head off to the City of a Hundred Spires – Prague. We left very early in the morning and took a small two-carriage old open plan train to Linz. We then caught a modern cabin style train for the rest of the journey. Our accommodation in Prague is apartments, and they were in a great location – about a street away from the heart of the old town centre. Soon after we got to Prague, we met up for lunch at a Bagel place and then started our orientation walk of the city. Not long after starting the walk, Antonio had noticed that his wallet and phone had been stolen from his jacket! He recalled seeing his jacket on the floor of the cafe and thought that it must have just fallen off this chair, but this must have been the moment the theft occurred!! Poor bugger – all his money (including the trip money), his card, Europe traveller ID and mobile were gone. We stopped the orientation and let Antonio go and sort his stuff out and place a police report. We continued walking around the Old Town, walked over one of the bridges and along the river towards the castle and then back over the amazing Charles Bridge. The bridge is lined with large statues of saints, one of which is known for its powers of granting wishes. The buildings in Prague are truly amazing – the style of the spires pointing up the skies give the city a mystical feel. They are currently setting up the Easter Fare – the market squares are being filled with decorations, wooden cabins and a stage.
That night, Gail & I decided to do the city Ghost Tour. The meeting point was at the Astronomical Clock – we were there to see in perform its hourly ritual. On the hour, bells start to sound and the two windows at the top open to reveal the 12 disciples – they slowly pass the windows, as the skeleton figure below pulls the rope to ring the bells. It is an amazing to know that the clock has been working every hour since being built in the 1400’s. The ghost tour was great; the tour leader was in a long dark coat with hood, holding a lantern. She told some great stories of some of the people that have been haunting parts of the Old Town for hundreds of years. The buildings of which the ghosts haunt are still standing and so they keep haunting the buildings and surrounding streets throughout the night in search of their loved one or saviour. We walked to through the Jewish Quarter, where it is believed that a resident of the old cemetery walks through the gate and towards the river ever night. It tour was really interesting and put a great spin on the city, so in the following days when I walk the same streets I will also be thinking of the ghosts that walk the streets at night.