July 16, 1998

Caption: CHS crowds the dance floor at U Rudolfa where we ate our last dinner in Europe.

Some of us have come down with a strange Czech virus (just kidding--it's just a bad cold), but otherwise everyone is doing fine. I think the kids have had fun, but some are getting a bit homesick. More than 30 kids are staying on in Europe--since they are "deviating" from the tour itinerary we call them our "deviants." Some are meeting family members and some are backpacking on their own.

Our hotel in Prague, Hotel Jasmin, is in a rather remote section of the city. It's old but fairly spacious; we even have T.V.'s. We saw Euro News this morning--we haven't seen or heard any news from the U.S. except about the heat in Texas.

After a breakfast of granola (with room temperature milk), cheese, meat, and pastries we had four hours to explore Prague. Our group went first to Prague castle, founded in the 9th century and the official residence of the president. There are several beautiful courtyards. We loved St. Vitus Cathedral which dates back to 1344, yet wasn't completed until 1929. Saint Wenceslas (of the Christmas carol) is buried in St. Vitus, and the novelist Franz Kafka lived and wrote in a small house on Golden Lane, now filled with street vendors. Our favorite purchases were ice cream cones for 13 cents, crocheted table runners for $3.00 and sketches of Prague of $3.00. We had captivating views of the city, including St. Nicholas Church with its beautiful green dome.

We saw the Gothic Straronova Synagogue from the outside in the Jewish Quarter. It is one of the oldest synagogues in Europe. Behind the synagogue was the old Jewish Cemetery with 12,000 tombstones.

Prague's old town square was fun to see. Every hour a skeleton and cock come from the Gothic astronomical clock on the old Town Hall. We saw the monument in the middle of the town square to religious activist Jan Hus. It was erected in 1915 on the 500th anniversary of his death (on the stake). The Tyn Church with its two steeples was also very striking. We cannot get over how inexpensive everything is. A large cheeseburger (yes, we succumbed to American food eventually) was $1.80 in a sit-down outdoor cafe.

We also walked across "Karluv Most" (Charles Bridge). It was constructed in 1357 and boasts 30 statues. We had been warned about pickpockets on this particular bridge because it is swarming with tourists and hawkers. It is a pedestrian bridge now but was the only bridge in Prague until 1841. We touched St. John Nepomuk's statue for good luck--it's still looks gold where everyone touches it, but the rest of the statue is corroded. Nepomuk was thrown off the bridge because he wouldn't tell St. Wenceslas something--we're unclear about the details.

Now we're on our way to Krabcice, a small village about 1 hour from Prague. Even the bus driver and the local tour guide (our regular tour guide developed a high fever) had to ask directions. We are out in the middle of nowhere. This town is tiny. As I am writing this, the church is beginning to fill up, and it is still 30 minutes until concert time. The "mayor" welcomed us off the bus. We don't get the impression the village has enjoyed many American groups. The church has pastries and goodies in the back for us--the chaperones are excited. There are mostly older people gathering but we spot a few children. The church is plain and unadorned, no stained glass at all. There is a large pipe organ (which Jeff Suling later played) in the balcony, however, and the acoustics seem quite good.

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Now the concert is over and we're on our way to dinner. It's 9:00 and still light. There must have been about 250 people at the concert, and they were incredibly appreciative. They KEPT clapping after we finished. Of course their favorite piece was The Pink Panther. Then the church people served us tasty treats which the kids devoured. We then proceeded to pack up 18 cellos and completely trash the church floor. It took a while to get it all swept up. Lots of the kids made donations to the church. The church sponsors a nursing home and it seemed like monetary contributions might be helpful. The minister seemed overwhelmed by the kids' generosity.

Our restaurant was so very lively. U Rudolfa had a combo band and played "Amazing Grace" as its first number (huh???). I've never seen people swing dance to "Amazing Grace." Of course our kids had to join in. What a fun evening and an incredible trip.

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