A boat trip in Prague

I had an interrupted night (for some unknown reason, I was awake between 1 and 3!), but I got enough sleep overall and got up at a reasonable time. After breakfast, I wrote my diary and then went to catch the tram to the Old Town. I had a quick look around the farmer's market near the tram stop.

It was much cooler and cloudier than previous days, but I stuck to my plan and went to join a boat trip on the river. I chose to go on a barge-type boat because they are able to navigate the canal which is only 80cm deep. The other boats have to stick to the main river. I learnt a lot from the audio commentary, and the included coffee and gingerbread was very welcome.

Flowing through the heart of Prague, the beautiful River Vltava is as much a part of the city's character as its magnificent castles, churches and historic buildings. At approximately 430 kilometres long, it's the longest river in the Czech Republic, rising in the Šumava Mountains near the German border before winding its way through Bohemia and eventually joining the River Elbe. For centuries, the Vltava was an important trade route, carrying timber, salt and other goods, and helping Prague develop into a prosperous medieval city. Today, it's crossed by numerous bridges, the most famous being the magnificent Charles Bridge, which has connected the Old Town with the castle side of the city for more than 600 years. The river has also inspired artists, writers and musicians, most famously the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, whose beautiful orchestral piece Vltava, also known as The Moldau, captures the river's journey through the Czech countryside. Although the river has brought devastating floods to Prague over the centuries, it remains one of the city's greatest treasures.

From the newly erected banner (it wasn't there yesterday), we can see that Trump is as popular here as he is everywhere else in the world 😀.

The boat ticket also included entrance to the Charles Bridge Museum. It was fascinating to see how they think the colossal bridge was constructed in medieval times without the benefit of modern technology.Read more