We Are In Prague

Today was just a glorious day.  The weather was perfect as was the ride route.  We are constantly amazed at how beautiful this country is.  We stopped for coffee in Holasovice.  It's another UNESCO World Heritage site.  It was first mentioned in 1253.  Between 1520 and 1525 the village was nearly wiped out by the bubonic plague - two residents survived.  By the time WWII rolled around, many of the inhabitants were ethnic German.  After the war, they were displaced and the population dropped again; the village again fell on hard times.  The UNESCO designation provided funds for restoration, and today 140 people live there.  This is a typical house, the main living quarters are on the left, there is a court yard, and on the right was space for livestock, or perhaps another generation of the family.  I find it so interesting that these houses are so old, and they are still in use.

 
After the ride, there was a picnic lunch, and then a van transfer to Prague.  There was a fair amount of sleeping on the transfer.  We are staying tonight at the Adria Hotel, which is on Wenceslas Square.  The square was founded in 1348. 
It's a great hotel.  Look at this bathroom, we are loving the counter space.

As you know, I love a good grocery store.  We went out for some walking, and to buy bottled water.  Look at this place.  It's a Julius Meinl, which is a high zoot upscale grocery store. 

Are the tomatoes not lovely?

The store is three stories high, and their merchandising is just gorgeous.

As in all gourmet stores we have your foie gras and duck mousse.

There is terrine of wild boar.

And from the US, we have mopping sauce.  There is a school of barbeque (which is actually the smoking of meat) in which sauce is mopped onto whatever it is you're smoking.  I can't tell if this is for during the smoking, or during the eating.  It was interesting to see this here, along with French's mustard.  The CZ and Germany are mustard heaven, so why anyone would buy French's is beyond me.

Tomorrow we move to our apartment rental, in which we shall reside until departing for the Prague to Budapest bike tour, which starts a week from now.  We are looking forward to seeing Prague and to doing a fair amount of laundry.