Saturday & Sunday we continued rambling around Prague & visiting engaging but sometimes amusing sites.  The “Dancing House” (aka Fred and Ginger) is quite a modern structure, which looks “drunk”, in a neighborhood of very traditional buildings.  Its design caused quite a stir with the locals because it did not accord well with the beautiful traditional Prague architecture.   The Dancing House was supported by a former Czech president who, at the time, lived next door.  The company ING wanted to create a symbolic building within the city; so they allowed noteworthy architects to have an unlimited budget with total artistic freedom.  This funky building still has “for rent” signs on the exterior, so maybe it is still unpopular.

We visited the St. Cyril & St. Methodius Cathedral museum and crypt around the corner from the Dancing House.  The story is truly fascinating.  During WWII, the Czech Underground assassinated Hitler’s #3 guy, the “Butcher of Prague”.  He was the highest ranking German soldier assassinated during the war.  This Greek Orthodox Church has a great memorial with detailed information in English about these 7 soldiers who parachuted into Prague after being trained in England.  Their story of a botched assassination that led to the eventual death of the butcher is riveting.  Their final fight was while they hid in the church crypt and held off hundreds of Nazi SS troops for over a day.  They eventually all committed suicide when all was lost.   It was a compelling story for us of heroism and bravery.

Outside our apartment is Wenceslas Square which is one of the main city squares.  We have a large deck overlooking Wenceslas Square.  Over the last two days, there has been lots of ethnic dancing & singing in the square with formal entertainment platforms and tents.  Clubs from various surrounding villages have come to sing & dance in their village costumes.  Their outfits are always colorful and the Czech music is utterly delightful.  The coordination between all of the dancers clearly took significant practice.  We really enjoyed having drinks and watching the performances every day in the late afternoon from our deck.

The Church of St. James in Prague Old Town is quite interesting.  It is one of the most ornate churches that we have ever seen; but, that is not what makes it interesting.  Several days ago, our tour guide told us the story; however, the church was closed and we couldn’t view the key element of the story.  Today,  we got to view the evidence!  There is a very “gross” mumified forearm, which is more than 400 years old, hanging on a chain high above the right side of the entrance.  It belonged to the thief who tried one night to steal some jewels from the Madonna which was on the high alter of the church.   Apparently, the Madonna grabbed the thief’s hand and would not let go.  The next day, when the Minorites came to the Church, they could not separate the hand from the Madonna.  They had to cut the thief’s arm off,  only then the Madonna let the hand go.  The monks hung the arm to remember this event and as a warning for other thieves!

We walked to the National Technical Museum on Sunday located in a picturesque park a couple of miles from the Prague Castle area.  It has quite an array of exhibits displaying the mechanical capabilities of Home Appliances, Astronomy, Mining, Architecture and much more.  The transportation exhibit was the most interesting with numerous cars that had been produced in Czechoslovakia or were relevant to the country for another reason.  The evolution of the motorcycle and bicycles was also fascinating with numerous models showing the changes throughout the 19th & 20th centuries.

We continue to be impressed with Prague.  As you wander throughout the city, the architecture is always impressive, incredibly detailed and often very unique.  Prague is a very lively city and clearly a favorite among the younger generation.  We are surprised at the large number of bachelor/bachelorette parties always occurring here.  We constantly see groups of 6-10 young tourists consuming beer in the cafes and bars.  Quite simply, there are a large number of tourists in Prague.   And, the tour groups are almost overwhelming.   .   .   . lots of individuals holding up umbrellas or paddles leading a group of 30 lost souls through the narrow streets!

We are off to Munich & Salzburg for a week on Monday.