Prague, Czech Republic - Haven for Classic Cars

On my trip to Prague I was surprised to see so many Classic Cars tooling around town. Some were used for tours and others just seemed to be part of the local charm. Here's a few pictures for your enjoyment.

Czech Crown Jewels and The Story of Prague Castle

From the Pictured Brochure:

The Story of Prague Castle

The Thousand Year History of the Place where Czech Statehood Unfolded

The Story of Prague Castle - The Exhibition

Old Royal Palace (Gothic Floor)
April - October (Summer Season) 9am to 6pm
November - March (Winter Season) 9am to 4pm
Duration of visit about 1 hour 30 minutes

The exhibition is divided into two parts.

The first of these chronologically presents the major representatives of the Czech state, the key events and building development of the Prague Castle complex from prehistory to the present. This also includes interactive programmes with visualizations of the building development of the castle complex in nine stages and a wealth of information about the given periods, including brief summaries of well-known historical events in Europe, the Bohemian lands and Prague Castle itself.

The second part the Stories, develop certain themes linked with Prague Castle: The Story of Bohemian Patrons, The Story of the Church and Cathedral, The Story of Burials, The Story of Residences, The Story of Heating, The Story of Banquets, The Story of Coronations.

The Story of Prague Castle - The Film

There is also a Film: Prague Castle Through The Ages which shows daily in both Czech and English. The documentary presents the hidden corners of the castle in a montage of unusual perspectives on architecture, artworks and old prints. The mindsets of those who built and ruled the castle are presented through quotations from historical chronicles and manuscripts.

Screening Times (as of October 2008)
Czech Version: 9:00am, 10:30am, noon, 1:30pm, 3pm
Additional summer screening: 4:30pm
English Version: 9:45am, 11:15am, 12:45pm, 2:15pm
Additional summer screenings: 3:45pm and 5:15pm

The film is shown in the room above the Gothic floor - access from the Riders' Staircase, running time of 40 minutes.

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I loved this exhibition, although I did not see the documentary. Prague castle is littered with history and it was grand to have it all laid out so comprehensively in one place. Of course, my main fascination is always with the crown jewels. So I particularly enjoyed seeing the Bohemian crown jewels. Recommended. Especially if you like bling. Stop by the official Story of Prague Castle website for more info.

St Vitus's Cathedral - Tomb of St Wenceslas

The Tomb of St Wenceslas - St Vitus Cathedral

Pictured to the left: St Wenceslas and St Vitus by Bartholomaeus Spranger c 1600

Known as Good King Wenceslas, St Wenceslas was murdered by his brother on September 28, 935. The date of his death is now his Holy Day on the church calendar to mark his sainthood. He was hacked to pieces by his brother Boleslav at the urging of their mother Drahomíra. The murder of St Ludmilla, Wenceslas' grandmother was also planned by Drahomira. St Wenceslas is the patron saint of the Czech Republic and the Czech people.

Wenceslas became the ruler of Bohemia after his fathers death in 921. Circa 925 the Rotunda of St Vitas cathedral was comissioned by Wenceslas. The consecration of the completed cathedral occured in 1929, nearly 1,000 years after Wenceslas began building.

After his death, Wenceslas's murderer and brother Boleslav became the ruler of Bohemia. Several years later Boleslav regretted his deed and had Wenceslas' body exhumed and moved to the St Vitas Cathedral. The tomb of St Wenceslas is housed in the most beautiful side chapel, the altar of which is decorated with precious stones. The walls of the chapel are decorated with scenes from the life of Christ. The Tomb of St Wenceslas has become somewhat of a pilgrimage site and is quite crowded.

Pictured Above The Tomb of St Wenceslas

Tower of London - Beheadings, Torture and the Crown Jewels

The Tower of London - General History

The Tower of London is located in Central London on the north bank of the river Thames. It is comprised of the original White Tower built in 1078 by William the Conqueror, surrounded by an inner wall with 13 towers, an outer wall with 5 additional towers and a moat. It has over the centuries been a palace, a prison, a zoo, the Royal Mint, an observatory, an armory and a treasury, as well as a place of execution and torture. My personal favorite is that it has been the home of the United Kingdom's crown jewels since 1303.

On my last visit to London I was only in town for about 24 hours on a long lay over so I didn't get to visit the shiny wonders again. However, I did have time to snap a pic of the Tower at Night.
This photo was taken from the nearest Tube stop to the Tower of London, Tower Hill.

The Tower of London - Beheadings and Torture

While inside the torture chamber many tools were used, the best known is the Rack. These methods were used to extract information from prisoner. A charge of heresy was more likely to bring a turn on the rack. Condemned lower class criminals were usually hung. Higher profile prisoners were beheaded publicly, while women and a few other nobels were beheaded inside the complex privately. Treason was the most common reason for beheading and the list of people who lost their heads includes:

• King Baliol of Scotland (1296)
  
• William Wallace (1305)
  
• Sir Thomas Moore (1535)
• Anne Boleyn (1536)
• Thomas Cromwell (1540)
  
• Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (1541)
• Catherine Howard (1542)
• Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford (1542)
• Lady Jane Grey (1554)
• Guy Fawkes (1606)
• Sir Walter Raleigh (1618)
• Last Execution(firing squad): Josef Jakobs (1941)
  

The Tower of London - Home of the Crown Jewels

The Tower became home to the Crown Jewels in 1303 after they had been stolen from Westminister Abbey. Most of the Crown Jewels were melted down by Oliver Cromwell in 1649 after the establishment of the Commonwealth. Upon Charles II Restoration, most of the regalia were replaced. St Edwards Crown, made in 1661, is commonly used in the coronation ceremoney. This Crown includes 444 precious stones and is purportedly heavy and uncomfortable to wear.

Imperial State Crown, British Crown Jewels housed in the Tower of London

The Imperial State Crown was made in 1937. This crown boasts 2,868 diamonds (including the Lesser Star of Africa Diamond), 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and five rubies (including the Black Princes's Ruby). The Crown Jewels kept in the tower are considered to be one of the largest jewelery collections in existence.

Sacramento Mac n Cheese

Ah, what a wonderful town - they've got great Macaroni & Cheese! We arrived in Sacramento about noon and my traveling buddy was hankerin for breakfast. Breakfast served all day is apparently not the thing in Sacramento.

So in our search for breakfast we stumbled upon Bernardos off 28th and Capitol. Had great Peppermint tea and cheesy mac n chi too - a great find.

Later for dinner we ate at Dawsons at the downtown Hyatt. Once again - fabulous Mac n Cheese. The crabcakes were just ok, the fries disinteresting and the veggie lasagna needed marinara it wasn't served with.

However, dessert was amazing. The service was flawless. And along with great Mac n Cheese, what else do you really need?

Fly thru Airport Security with no waiting with Flyclear.com

My flight out of JFK left at 8:30am so I got there at 7am like a good traveler. Didn't want to get stuck in airport security. Its always such a dice roll....get there early and have to wait and wait until your plane arrives, or cut it close only to risk a run for the gate if airport security is too backed up. This trip the airport security line was pretty short so I had plenty of time to wait for my flight. And I noticed something new, a separate - completely empty - security line with a big blue cube that said CLEAR. I investigated further at flyclear.com when I got home.

So here's the deal - you sign up for Fly Clear and you get to skip the security check like a rock star. Strictly front of the line service. You'll get to submit an application, and then go in person to get your fingerprints done and a eye scan (it feels so Bond) and you're new clear card and you're all set. So far they are set up at twenty airports across the country including the big airports like San Francisco, Dulles and JFK. Currently LAX is in the works, here's a complete list of the flyclear.com serviced airports.

And the cost? An annual membership at flyclear.com is $199. If your time is valuable and you do a lot of traveling its well worth the saved time. There are also discounts for multi-year purchases - save $40 on at two year subscription, $100 on three years, $300 on 5 years or a whopping $800 on a decades worth of quick lines. There are also special offers for Delta Skylines Members and Amex Corporate Cardholders. Both Hyatt's Diamond and Platinum Gold Passport Members and Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum Members can get a year for FREE. There's also referral discounts so if you get 12 people per year to sign up you can Fly Clear for Free too!

It looks promising - It will be interesting to see how far flyclear.com expands. Happy flying!

Today I Hate Southwest Airlines

I've always loved Southwest Airlines - cheap tickets, no stress, no hassle and some fun on the side. Lately though Southwest has been losing its luster. First there was that time earlier this year when my flight got canceled. I thought, "Hey, no big deal, happens to everyone eventually" until flew back a week later. I started talking with other passengers flying the same day to discover they had canceled about 30 flights just between Southern California and Northern California...not so cool.

Then there was this trip. It wasn't that they did anything particularly horrible. It was just a general feeling of frustration with grumpy and unhappy Southwest employees and Southwest's short hop addiction. I know, its my own fault for wanting to fly into Long Island instead of JFK. I knew I wasnt going to get there nonstop. I just haven't taken three legs to get across the country in a long time - wow! did it suck! Starting at 5am west coast time LAX to Phoenix, then a layover, then Phoenix to Chicago. Welcome to layover number two. Then Chicago to finally arrive in Long Island at almost 7pm east cost time. All told it was just a mere 14 hour project to get across the country.

At least I didnt have to worry about the flights getting cancelled. Every seat was taken on every one of those three flights. And I had slacked off and not checked in until 12 hours before my flight so on the second leg we were practically at the back of the line. Middle seats for everyone!

I did feel a bit of love for Southwest Airlines budding in me as I paid that $40 luggage fee to Delta on the way home. Southwest is still great for saving on all those stupid fees there are these days. Still I'm feelin a bit burnt on Southwest and will just be keeping them around for short hops. Maybe I'm just gettin old - but its time to focus on the nonstop service from now on. Thankfully getting back to one of my favorite places was worth it. As was the night in the city and the New York Pizza. And of course, Go Islanders!!!!

Cesky Krumlov - UNESCO World Heritage Site Plaque

This just touched my heart. Cesky Krumlov is a perfectly preserved wonder and I am grateful that the people there care enough to keep it up.


The text of the plaque is:

In the year 1992 the historical town center of Cesky Krumlov was added to the UNESCO List of World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Thus, the skills, feelings and love which our ancestors put into building this town over the past eight centuries have been duly recognized. It is our duty to enhance those values with equal love and preserve them for future generations.