Day Thirteen - Prague, Czech Republic

Today we were up early for breakfast in the hotel dining room, which is included as part of our trip. We then departed at 8:45 a.m. to tour Vysehrad Castle (which was more of a fortress), Prague New Town and the Dvořák Museum where we also heard a short concert of music by Dvořák by our “maestros” (Rafael and Michael) .

​​SMLXL

After being dropped by at the hotel around noon we went walking in search of a place for lunch and ended up just off the old town square at Hotel U Prince Café.

Following lunch we strolled back to the hotel to rest and change for the evening activities. Along the way we stopped by the festival in the Old Town Square which was celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Czech Republic and Slovakia working together. As we neared the main stage we noticed that a group was getting ready to perform traditional Czech music and dance, so we listened and watch for a while.

We boarded the motor coaches at 4:30 p.m. for a forty minute drive north of Prague to Nelahozeves Castle. First we visited the house where Antonín Dvořák was born and lived as a child. Just across the street from the Dvorak house is a small church where he was christened and at age 16 began playing the organ.

All of this is right in the shadow of the castle where we went for dinner, beginning with cocktails in the courtyard.

After cocktails we were taken to a room in the castle where we were welcomed by the current “prince” (who actually was born and grew up in Boston because his father had fled Czechoslovakia during WWII.

Following the welcome speech the choir made up of about 15 of us sang the two songs we had been rehearsing and then we were divided among several smaller rooms where we dined on a wonderful meal while being serenaded by two young women playing the record and lute-guitar.

After dinner we had the option to go on a half hour tour of some other parts of the castle, which Darwin and I chose to do. All of the rooms we viewed had original furnishings.

We then were driven back to our hotel in Prague arriving around 10:30 p.m., more than ready to call an end to day thirteen.