Day 16 - Prague, Czech Republic - Rest Day in Prague

Tony's view

We decided to sleep in this morning so that we could recover from yesterday and get ready for a very big day tomorrow.

Unfortunately, the weather forecast changed overnight, and we're now expecting rain all morning. Since tomorrow is at least an 8-hour ride, and more likely a 9-hour one, we'll need to get an early start. If there were no rain in the forecast, I'd be rolling out between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. If it does rain, this will be Joan's first ride without a fairing. She'll get just as wet as I do now. Bummer. Welcome to my world, Joan! Sorry for breaking your fairing.

Because of the forecast, I rerouted tomorrow's ride this morning so that it's 99% pavement. Gravel and dirt roads tend to lose some of their charm when they're wet and muddy. The reroute added about 3 miles, bringing tomorrow's adventure to 66 miles, with 4,850 feet of climbing and 2,200 feet of descending.

My route-planning software, Komoot, kindly informed me that it recommends breaking this trip into two or three days. Clearly, Komoot doesn't understand that we have grandkids waiting for us at home. 😏

After that, I cleaned up the bike, adjusted a few spokes, rewaxed the chain, and generally got everything ready for tomorrow. Now all that's left is to hope the weather forecast changes again... preferably in our favor.

Then we headed back out to tour Prague again today. One thing we've noticed is that there are ice cream shops everywhere selling those giant sugar-donut creations where they stuff the middle with goodness and pile ice cream on top. Naturally, we had to stop and try one.

Mine was filled with bananas (which officially made it healthy), covered in caramel sauce, and then topped with ice cream. It was absolutely delicious. Being the generous husband that I am, I shared it with Joan. Being the efficient eater that she is, she finished most of it. In the process, she also managed to spill some on herself.

Fortunately for her, she was reviewing the photos later and somehow the evidence of the ice cream incident got deleted. I'm not saying it was intentional, but the photographic proof has mysteriously disappeared. 🤔😂

Aside from the suspicious loss of evidence, we had a great afternoon wandering around Prague and enjoying the city.

We walked a little farther and came across an all-metal motorcycle sculpture. Of course, Joan immediately climbed on it for a photo.

The more we looked at it, the more we realized it looked like something Clyde Verhoff would build. Every single part was made of metal, including the wheels. Then again, as a Welding Engineer, Clyde seems to believe that if something exists, it should probably be made out of metal. Need a chair? Metal. Need a table? Metal. Need a motorcycle? Definitely metal. Need wheels for that motorcycle? Why would you use anything other than metal?

As if the motorcycle wasn't enough, there was even a metal Minion nearby. I can only assume Clyde would approve of that too. 😂

We went into the Greek Catholic Cathedral of St Clement. We arrived right after their Mass

People got in a line to venerate the wood of the cross after Mass. So we decided to get in line after a while and do the same.

After they venerated the cross, they would go over to the holy water container and pour some into a cup. I decided  to do the same, Joan probably wisely decided to pass.

Then they would drink it, so I decided to do it myself.

We then crossed St Charles Bridge again and took some cool pictures with the clouds and sun in the background.

There was another statue that people have been rubbing for good fortune for many years. Joan first rubbed the figure on the right, figuring a little extra luck couldn't hurt. But then I pointed out that Luna would probably have strong opinions on the matter and would definitely want her to rub the dog instead. Not wanting to risk upsetting Luna, Joan switched her good-fortune strategy and gave the dog a proper rub too.

We stopped and toured St. Nicholas Church, and what a beautiful place it is. Everywhere you looked there was another stunning painting, statue, fresco, or piece of architecture. It was one of those churches where you can stand still for several minutes and keep discovering new details in every direction.

Of course, it was another excellent stop on our ongoing World Catholic Tour (WCT). We're not exactly sure how many churches we've visited so far, but we're building quite a collection. Most importantly, we have to keep Bud happy. He would never forgive us if we passed up a beautiful Catholic church without going inside. 😄 So, for Bud, we dutifully toured St. Nicholas, admired the craftsmanship, and added another successful entry to the WCT record book.😂

This was one of the first times we were able to go up into the balcony that runs around the church. You see these in many of the old churches. So here are a few pictures from up there, although they really don't do it justice.

Here is a statue of St Cyril that I had to include for my Dad. Well, also for Luke and Santi, since their middle name is Cyril.

Here is a beautiful side chapel that Joan stopped and prayed.

Last two pictures of St Nicholas of the dome and the ceiling, I have many more but I think I have plenty already.

These three pictures are from another amazing church, the Church of Our Lady Victorious. Once again, there were photo opportunities in every direction you looked. But the main reason Joan wanted to visit this church was that the Infant Jesus of Prague is located here.

Here you can see Joan praying at the Infant Jesus of Prague, which is dressed in green for Ordinary Time. If you look closely at the picture below, you can see the green outfit.

They many cases of the different garments that have been used over the years, got a picture of a few. 

This explains what what the dressing of the Infant Jesus of Prague is all about for you that are interested.

We then wrapped up our church tour and made a quick stop at the Lennon Wall of Freedom and Energy. The Lennon Wall is a historic outdoor stone wall covered in colorful street art, Beatles lyrics, and messages of peace, love, and political freedom. It's a fascinating spot that has been evolving for decades as visitors continue to add their own artwork and messages.

As we looked around, I couldn't help but think it felt a little like something you might stumble across in Yellow Springs, Ohio. 😂 The mix of art, creativity, free expression, and colorful opinions would fit right in.

We then found this basketball hoop that Linda would absolutely love for herself, not her four boys. And yes, I'm counting three sons plus Wade, who may be the oldest but is definitely still the biggest kid in the family. 😂 What made this hoop really unique was that the net was made entirely of crystals. Most people would look at it and think, "What a beautiful work of art." Wade and the boys would look at it and think, "I wonder if we can play a quick game of HORSE." Linda, on the other hand, would probably have a heart attack imagining four boys launching basketballs at a crystal hoop. It's a good thing this hoop is in Prague and not in their backyard. It might survive that way. 😆

We found a place called that brews its own beer, and I decided to order their sour beer, doing my best Dan Ernst impression. I'll admit, I approached it with a little skepticism. After all, sour beers can range anywhere from "that's interesting" to "did someone accidentally ferment lemonade?" But Dan has been trying to convince me that sour beers are a gift to mankind, so I figured I should at least give it a fair chance. Well, Dan, you were right. I really enjoyed it. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I ordered a second one. I felt it was only fair to make sure the first glass wasn't a fluke. Scientific verification is very important when it comes to beer. 🍺😏

The place is called Fat Cat, and after sampling the beer, we decided it was only logical to eat there too. One of the first things we noticed was a sign that read:

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

Now that's a philosophy I can get behind. 😄

The people over here definitely love their beer, and honestly, I'm starting to understand why. Everywhere you go, there's great beer, great food, and people enjoying both. I feel like Prague may have found the secret to happiness. At the very least, they're making a very strong case for it. I love this place. 🍺😂

Check out these burgers, yummy. Joan even got gluten free and the bun held together. And yes, Dan that is my second sour.

We even found the Prague Beer Museum, a place that I could happily spend some time exploring. I told you these people like their beer over here!

Now let's all hope the rain decides to stay away tomorrow. The ride will be difficult enough without getting soaked for 8 to 9 hours. In fact, tomorrow's climb is bigger than any single day Wade and I had while riding through the Rocky Mountains, including our climb over the Continental Divide. That's saying something.

For anyone who wants to revisit that adventure, the blog is:

www.TonyChasingWade.Blogspot.com

As for tomorrow, my prediction is simple: regardless of whether it rains or not, there will be one very tired blogger writing tomorrow night's update. 😅🚴‍♂️

At least if Prague has taught me anything, it's that after a hard day on the bike, there seems to be a good beer waiting around every corner. 🍻😂

Joan's Extras

Prague has retained so much of its original beauty. I looked it up and only 1% of Prague was destroyed in WWII. The one bomb that was dropped on Prague was meant for Dresden, but there was thick cloud cover so the pilots got disoriented and hit Prague by mistake.

This picture is a collection of creches from around the world in the Church of Our Lady Victorious. There are almost as many creches here as in the Pat Francis and daughters' collection. 💗😀