Well, Well, Well 😃

​What a plucky group of people! There are 33 of us in all, although I think a few were missing at the 6 pm meeting. I was surprised to hear that most everybody, at least everybody I spoke to, actually arrived just this morning 😱. So needless to say, all were dead tired. One couple took a nap, so I doubt they will sleep much tonight 😂. But I hope that’s not the case! We’ve got a couple of Aussie‘s, one Britt, one Canadian, and the rest are mostly from the east or the west coast. Our guide is from Slovenia, and he has a very thick accent, so we have to listen carefully to understand him. Several solo travelers like me, so I feel much better! It’ll be a fun adventure with this new group of friends.😊🤗

I picked this up at the grocery store on my way back to the hotel. It was smoked mozzarella, and very tasty. Sadly, I do not have a refrigerator in my room tonight, so I had to throw much of it away.  The other photos are just from my wandering around in the new ‘hood. 😊

Dejavu

​Well this is ironic! My room number for the past three days was 411, and I was at the end of a hallway near a window. My room number for the next three days is 611, again at the end of the hallway. Near a window. 🤓😂😂.  I feel like I am still in the TWILIGHT ZONE!😂😂😂

Very cozy!  Time to unpack with a cup of tea. 🤗

I walked past my little friend’s home at 1:54. I decided not to ring the buzzer because I figured it probably wasn’t safe for either of us to go off to a market as strangers. And I really wanted to get the great UNpack done. Hopefully she will forgive me.😳

😱😱😱

​UZBEKISTAN😱!  Samarkand is in UZBEKISTAN! Wow! My first time trying Uzbekistan food 😱! 

😂😂😂😂 Part II

​I arrived at my hotel around 11 o’clock, so three hours before check-in. But they kindly allowed me to leave my bags and go out exploring. Again, it’s an unfamiliar neighborhood, and mostly apartment buildings. Knowing I had to be close to some market (in Europe, there seem to be markets in every neighborhood) , I put in LIDL, and found there was one only .3 miles away!😃

So I meandered along  the paths that led through the apartment complexes, and up to the Lidl. There is little fanfare to be found here to announce shopping markets, restaurants, and the like. Seems everybody just must know where they are and what they are, evidence of few tourists in this ‘hood, I reckon.  I was beginning to feel the need to use the ‘loo, so that meant I had to find a place to sit and have a bite to eat (no public toilets where there are no tourists to be found 😂). But by now, sitting for a spell would be nice, after all, it’s wine:30 somewhere! 😂😂

So I put into Google Maps… ‘Restaurants Near Me’, and this one came up…

As I began to walk toward it, I thought to myself…there’s no way there’s a restaurant around here. It’s all apartment complexes….

Suddenly, to my surprise, I hear a little voice greeting me in what I can only assume was Czech!  I turned to see a sweet little girl who was probably about 10. I waved and said hello. She immediately started speaking English and said, “Oh! HELLO!” 

Much to my surprise, she embraced me with a huge hug, and handed me a dandelion flower that she’d been carrying. I asked her why she wasn’t in school and she told me that they got out early today (I guess because it’s Friday?)  She continued to keep up a lively conversation, pointing out who lived where, where she lived, and where she went to school. She asked me what I was doing there, and I said, “I’m trying to find a restaurant .”

She then said, “Oh yes,” pointing again, “it’s right down there.”

She continued to talk to me, in between embracing me, for roughly 30 more minutes. She introduced me to the neighbor’s dog, and told me all about the neighbor who was an invalid and being taken care of by a housemaid.😂But in between chatting, she let me take a picture of the two of us…💕

When I finally told her I had to go to the bathroom so I was going to have to go to the restaurant, she said, “ OK, but will you come back?”

I told her I would come back at 2 o’clock. And if she wanted, I would walk with her to the market and let her tell me what things are,  because  somehow everything got lost in translation 😂.  We’ll see if her mother actually lets her go with me. Apparently, she was in the house the whole time her daughter was outside speaking with a stranger😂😂.   So that I would remember where she lived, she had me take this picture…

What a love! Truly made my day. And now, walking further into the twilight zone…😂😂…The Restaurant.  

Totally dark, and really no signage to announce what it is, other than this…

So I walked into the darkened entrance and was greeted by a very kind face… a young lady who beckoned me in and said, “Sit anywhere you’d like.’

I am, and have been, the only one here since I arrived. But so far they’ve been very attentive, and the food has been delicious!

I’m not sure what anything is. The two young gals  couldn’t speak English well enough to describe anything, and the menu was in Russian I believe…😂😂So I just pointed to the pictures, and that’s what I got. The soup tastes rather like borscht, and I haven’t tried the other thing yet, so stay tuned for more… Adventures with Erin 😂😂😂! 

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

​That’s all I can say 😂😂😂. In a good way 😂😂. I feel like I’ve left Prague and have arrived in Russia!😂😂 

First off, I am far away from Old Town, and now amidst the traditional Russian-era apartment complexes. You know the type…inexpensive to build, unattractive, but free-for-all-comrades. 

Each complex seems to have its own equally unattractive and unappealing park for children, which are nowhere to be found.

But amidst the mundane far removed from Old Town, I found  some lovely trees in blossom! And my favorite shopping market… LIDL😃😂😂👏👏!

More to come in a bit! The story continues😂😂😂. 

The Great Pack-Up

​Time to re-load my bags to move to the hotel I will be staying at for the next three nights in Prague with my COSMOS Tours group. It is on the east side of town, approximately 4 miles from Old Town, which is why I stayed here, at the Charles Bridge Palace Hotel. It was a wonderful first three days on my own, but I’m excited to meet the tour director, as well as the people I will be traveling with for the next seven days.  I can’t reiterate enough how much nicer and easier it is to have just a smaller, carry-on size suitcase, rather than the larger one. When I see people trying to navigate their 25 inch spinners over the cobble stones, along with a carry-on, and often a backpack, I can’t help but chuckle because that used to be me! I understand their misery😂!   I remember one of the youngest ladies on our group to Europe last spring had brought along two full-size suitcases and a backpack. She couldn’t take the buses or the trains with us, as she just had too much stuff. So she would have to patiently call and wait for an Uber before we transferred to a new place.  And when we headed over to the UK, she flew on an airplane! 😱😂  But she had a new outfit to wear every day, and even changed into something different a couple of times a day!😂😂😂  The NEW me 🤓…

That backpack looks massive on that little suitcase, I know, but it’s carrying my pillow. So let’s give it some grace.😂😂😂😂😂😂. 

Vyšehrad Fort

​Yes, another stand alone!  I never would have known about this place had I not watched the ‘Top 10 Things Not to Miss when Visiting Prague’ on YouTube!  I was grateful it was within walking distance of my hotel. I will post some information on the fort that was at the entrance. Surprisingly, this was free for all visitors! And not crowded with tourists at all. 😱

Can you see the moon?

How about now 🤓?  So lovely! 

And, as I have found is typical for forts and castles in Prague, they are all high up on hills!😂😂😂

But well worth the climb. 😊

There was a beautiful cemetery on the shady side of the historic church. It was fascinating to read of the people buried there, many dating back to the 1800’s. 

I believe this statue represents a mother and her daughter, who, according to the dates inscribed, died at three years of age. 😔

There were several random statues such as this scattered around the grounds. 

View from the fort 😊. 

When I was done wandering the grounds, I stopped into a small café on the campus of the fort and had potato dumplings stuffed with smoked ham, and a refreshing ‘still water’, along with a glass of a tasty Merlot 🍷.  

A fine end to a wonderful afternoon!