Aug 28 – After a good night’s sleep, some espresso and an egg breakfast, we are ready to face the day’s adventures.
When Jim told me that Prague had a Lennon Wall, I had visions of Russian Marx and Lenin, but no! After his assassination in 1980, someone painted a mural of John Lennon on a downtown wall. People added song lyrics, poems, signatures and graffiti until the image of John was completely covered over. Every time the government painted over the images, the next day a new mural would begin.
Over the years there were images of short-haired John, long-haired John, bearded John, Yoko and John, and John with kaleidoscope eyes. Today, John was not to be seen, as his face was totally covered with graffiti.
That might be some Beatle mop-top hair under all that graffiti……and that might be Lucy in the Sky and Strawberry Fields. Who can say?A lot to take in🎶Two of us standing solo in the sun… (see what I did there?)Time to cross the very famous Charles Bridge, started by King Charles IV in 1357. It spans the Vitava River, connecting Prague Castle to the Old Town. Here are the steps to climb up the bridge.We were there very early in the morning, trying to beat the crowdsThe bridge boasts dozens of statues, mostly added in the 1600s…including St John Nepomuk, who was martyred by (not so good) King Wenceslaus, who had him thrown into the river after refusing to reveal secrets that the queen told him during confession.At the base of the state are two bas reliefs that every passerby touches for luck: the dog sitting loyally by his knight (good dog!) and……the depiction of St. John being thrown off this very bridge. The patina has worn off the reliefs from being touched by so many hands.We also obligingly touched the dead Saint on a gate at the center of the bridge.More statues – we learned that all the statues on the bridge are replicas, with the originals stored for safety in museumsWe thought this guy was praying, but before the day was out we’d seen several of these beggars, humbly holding out their begging cup and not looking at passersby As we approached the end of the bridge, we could see the tourist crowds heading our way. Glad we got an early start!We strolled around the Old TownLooking at more statues…and interesting buildingsAnother penitent beggarWe looked in shop windows…and considered a snack until we saw it was called Spit CakeA fun day!
Taking Our Time 