Prague Journal

Sunday, September 5, 2004.

In Czech, Sunday is Nedĕle which literally means “no work.” Since most places are closed, Sunday is an opportunity for us to get some meaningful “work” done at home. The weather is lovely today – sunny and warm but not hot or humid. After a productive trip to the Julius Meinl for dinner groceries, we strolled down to Hanspaulka to see if the fruitery was open (it was not) and found a modest pension on our way back that may serve as lodging for guests. A very nice room with three beds and a kitchen is 750 Czk or about $30 per day. A more modest room was 315 Czk per day (one-tenth the price of the Hotel Zlata Praha up the street from us). Rick’s German helped us once again, as the proprietors spoke no English.
Before dinner we took a 2-mile walk through the lower Šarka (forest preserve) that borders our street. There are lots of new, very big houses just outside the perimeter. Many are reconstructions of older dwellings, but some look new from the ground up. Most of the houses have big yards with well-kept gardens; all the newer buildings have garages. The air smells of peach and apple trees and an occasional trash-burner. When the cold weather comes, we’ll undoubtedly smell coal and heating oil. Sunday is quiet – although many Czechs work on their houses and in their gardens – with almost no traffic on the streets.

posted by JWinn @ 7:31 PM