Click here for the Introduction.
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| Prague Castle. Photo credit: Go to Prague |
Thursday, September 1
We visited the Prague Castle, home of the current president
and the past Bohemian Kings for several hundred years. It is an amazing complex
of buildings, a 16th century church, museum, theatre, and several
courtyards of cobblestone.
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| Stalwart and unmoved guard at Prague Castle. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons |
Each entrance is guarded by a powder blue uniformed soldier
with white gloves. They clutch bayonetted rifles, stiff faced, except for the
eyes. The president was in residence signified by the blue and red flag flying
above the palace.
The castle has a commanding view of the city’s red roofs,
several bridges, and a multitude of spires that seemed to puncture the morning
mist. We leaned over the castle walls, mesmerized by the scenery below. We
spied a British and American flag, wondering if the United States had a
consulate office in Prague. Because it is the capitol, we saw many Rolls Royce’s
and Mercedes, most likely belonging to important dignitaries.
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| The wild environs of Wenceslas Square. Photo credit: Wikipedia |
Anything goes in this city, especially along the wide
boulevard of historic Wenceslas Square, the place where demonstrations
congregate and site of the Velvet Revolution. Andy and I wandered its colorful,
cultural length. Sex shops are located next door to banks; a woman helped her
young daughter urinate into a street drain; the poor huddle on the sidewalk
with hats cupped upward for handouts; a man picked through trash; bank guards
let in only enough customers as there were tellers available, workmen impounded
vehicles by clamping a device onto the front tires.
The afternoon was hot so we returned to the campground for
relaxation. I hand washed laundry while Andy cleaned his bike and replaced rear
brake pads. Afterwards, I did some bike maintenance, wiping the frame and rims,
and re-oiling the chain. Neither of us enjoys working on bikes, yet pedaling
with a smooth-rolling drivetrain creates a quieter and easier shifting ride.
Plus, the bikes will, hopefully, encounter less wear while on an extended trip.
While I concentrated on the rear rim a spoke fell loose from the axle. My hopes
sagged. Replacing a spoke is not something I feel comfortable doing, nor is
truing a wheel. Besides, we weren’t carrying the proper tools. I’d had a spoke
replaced not too long ago, in the Netherlands. The tension must be out of
whack, only remedied by total replacement or at the very least, rebuilding the
wheel with all new spokes. We’ll need to locate a bike shop soon. For now, the
Trek is ridable. The wheel isn’t wobbly, or at least not yet.
Oh dear, spokey complications terrify me. I feel completely out of my depth. This is all the more pathetic because the LHT comes with spare spokes stored on the frame. Sometimes I think they're taunting me! I hope it was resolved fairly easily and did not spoil an otherwise lovely time.
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