Because only 26 of us were continuing on the bus was not crowded so pretty much everyone had their seat all to themselves. I was right behind the driver. This may have been good - nice view - and it may have been bad. The driver seat was on springs so he kept bobbing up and down like a fishing line being nibbled at. Sometimes it was quite a hop! The roads in the Czech Republic are not really decent. Seams every 50 feet or so meant the bus thumped, bumped, and clumped along like on a real washboard.
The scenery was reminiscent of Wisconsin or Indiana. Corn and sunflowers growing in vast fields. A few quaint villages with a pretty steeple lay in the distance. I did get a lot of reading done once I realized there was not a great deal to see. This is unusual for me but I had to keep my mind off the constant thumping.
At the boarder we stopped at a truck stop for a rest room break. So while in a public bathroom in Hungary I got stuck! I had locked the door before I realized there was no paper. No matter which way I turned the lock I could not open the door. I tried full turns, half turns, quarter turns, and jiggling the lock. It finally opened but not before pinching my finger enough that it still has not healed. I got back in line and tried another stall. Even though these were just a row of outdoor toilets I did not expect what happened next. As I was preparing to use the facilities a little door opened in the back of the cabin and a man looked in to see if there was a need for more toilet paper. He reloaded the empty spool and adjusted the full ones and closed the hatch! I do not think I will ever again be in a truck stop in Hungary but if you are, take warning!
Another hour or so passed and we stopped at a little restaurant at the roadside that had a nice selection of hearty Czech meals. Hearty is definitely the word for the cuisine in this culture! You cannot finish the quantity served of heavy meats and dumplings and if you do you just want to nap. One of the guys got stung by an enormous waspy thing. Not sure what it was. I was glad I had chosen not to order anything because I did not want to invite any critters to check it out.
After an hour lunch break we had only two hours left of our seven hour journey before reaching the Hilton Hotel and I was very, very glad to see it. Our room was very nice with a good view toward the old city. I must say though that it was not Hilton service as I would have expected. You had to ask every day for wash cloths and shampoo. They did not turn down the room in the evening and during the day turned off the air conditioning. But the included breakfasts were quite good and I got hooked on Prague Ham.
After a quick unpacking of only the essentials (we were only there three nights so no need to unpack everything) we connected up with Candy and Dave for a first look-see into the center of the Old Town by the Powder Tower. Quite beautiful with extravagant buildings and quiet shops but bustling with people rushing from work or weekend outings. Trolleys are the main means of transportation and private cars stop as soon as you set foot into the crosswalk.
We found the restaurant we were looking for after a few missed turns. These mistaken streets were a bonus, though, as we so so many unexpected sights. The restaurant had a different name on the sign and was way off on a side square but then we spotted the name we were looking for on the sidewalk seating umbrellas. We settled in for a two hour European style dinner on a lovely deck surrounded by trees and under cover of the umbrella when there was a slight shower. The food was delicious and you can see that Dave Schade enjoyed the dark beer!
After a peaceful stroll back to the hotel I could not wait for a dip in the pool and hot tub and a drop dead sleep in the comfy bed with the lights of the city twinkling before by closing eyelids.
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