Sightseeing

We went sightseeing today for the first time since we got here. We had a photo scavenger hunt we had to complete as part of our orientation. We ended up covering pretty much the whole city by the time we were done so I guess that's the point of the scavenger hunt. Anyway, we saw some cool things, some for the first time and some for the second time since our trip last March. We also went to three stores looking for a cordless phone (4 if you include the store I went to yesterday by myself). You would think no one in Prague had a home phone. The store I went to yesterday was called Datart and had 2 phones. That's right, 2 phones. And they both cost about 2500 Czech crowns (that's about $160!). We went to Tesco and a different Datart today and found the same thing, except Tesco didn't have any phones at all. You can buy everything from perfume to hardwood floors there, but no cordless phone. Anyway, it was an adventure. The third store we tried, we hit the jackpot; they had about 15 phones to choose from and they weren't all outrageously expensive. I have learned two important lessons since we've been here. Lesson #1: Pedestrians always have the right-of-way. Lesson #2: Just because pedestrians have the right-of-way doesn't mean they won't get hit. It's amazing. Some cars will slam on their brakes to let you cross the road, even if you're not at a crosswalk and some cars will just blaze on past you, even if you have a green light at the crosswalk and you're stepping out into the street. Here are some of the pictures we took today on our scavenger hunt...




No, this is not a rocket launch pad. It is a tv/radio transmitter. It was built back in the 80's/90s and was rumored to be used to jam "western" radio and tv during the communist era. Of course, this has not been confirmed... And what are those lumpy things on the side, might you ask...Well let's get a closer look...



Yep, they're babies crawling on the side of the tower. What?!? I guess that's art...



This is a garden outside of Wallenstein Palace, just down the road from the castle. It's called Wallenstein Garden. Imagine that.



This was the beginning of Matt impersonating famous people. This would be Matt's rendition of Jan Hus. (Can you see the resemblance?)



And this would be the end of Matt impersonating famous people. Churchill would not appreciate this one I bet.



Believe it or not, a live peacock or carp was on our scavenger hunt. We managed to find both at Wallenstein Garden. I'm trying to catch this one 'cause he's purty...



Really purty....



And I'm pointing and laughing at this one cause he's not at all pretty. He did follow me the rest of the way through the garden. Maybe to make me feel guilty.



Matt was really hungry...he tried to eat the carp.



These are the stairs that lead down from the castle. You can't tell, but they go on forever.



I met this cute guy by the castle. He let me take his picture.



This is the tower we climbed to get a view of the city (where the green roof is). It's called Great South Tower.



Can you see that? 287 steps!!! No elevator.



But this was our reward. This is Charles Bridge.






Another view of the city.



We're thinking about a new haircut for Matt. He wants to look more European.