River Elbe cruise, Part 1

We spent more days in beautiful Prague than all of the rest of our trip put together and we loved every minute of it.   Below is the apartment building where we stayed  (top row) and, in the lower row, a view from the side street next to the building.

 

Our grandchildren were staying in a small hotel on the other side of the river, but Prague's excellent public transportation made it easy for us to meet for our days of touring.      I'm still sorting and labeling Prague pictures and I will blog again later about all that we saw and learned during the week we lived in that apartment.  

But today I'm skipping forward to the part of our trip scheduled with Viking River Cruise line. We were still in Prague for a couple of days, but as scheduled  we moved to the Prague Hilton (below) for two nights.

 

That evening, the Viking tour was a trip by bus through some beautiful  countryside to an old barn/restaurant near the village of Cicovice:

 

We were served a typical Czech family-style dinner of farm-raised food and Czech wine and beer.   We  were entertained with a village gala featuring dancers, musicians and a singer performing traditional music.  We enjoyed both food and entertainment.  

The next morning, on our own, we visited Petrin Hill, one attraction we had not seen already.  We skipped the scheduled city walking tour  because we'd already experienced most of it with our family.    (Our grandchildren had gone home to Germany on the same day we left  our Prague apartment.)   Our guidebooks  said that the views from the Hill are some of the most spectacular in the city.  I think they were right.

At the top of the hill, there's a tower replica of the Eiffel Tower at one-fifth of the height.  We were not quite up to climbing the 400 steps, so we paid for an elevator ride.  Just that ride was adventure of a sort because (ridiculously)  I'm a little bit phobic about elevators.  The creaky old elevator car to the top of the tower held only three people plus an operator.  I told myself  if the lady operator wasn't afraid to ride the elevator all day, then I shouldn't be either.   

 

We rode the Funicular to the bottom of the hill.  As with all public transportation in the City, the funicular railroad was free to  senior citizens.  We ended up in a part of the city I think is called Lesser Town Square, where we enjoyed a good dinner before returning to our Hotel for the night.

 

Grounds around the tower

In real life, this was our last day in Prague.  The next day we traveled with Viking by motor coach to Bad Schandau on the River Elbe where the Viking River Ship Beyla was waiting for us to board.   However, here in Blogland,  we'll be traveling back to more about beautiful Prague as well as to further stops along the River Elbe.

 

LINKING this week to the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to the hosts.

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;  THROUGH MY LENS; TUESDAY TREASURES; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD;   THANKFUL THURSDAY;  and SKYWATCH FRIDAY;   

 

 

Comments

[Michelle Keltner]

A river cruise is something we have been considering and you make it look great. Thanks for linking up!

[Pat]

Wow--we heard so much about Prague from our son, who years ago backpacked throughout Europe the summer he graduated from college. Prague was at the top of the list of his favorite places and experiences. Your photos and experiences show us that it is truly a very beautiful place to visit.

We have not tried a river cruise as yet ...hopefully, one day that will become a reality for us! We heard very good things about Viking.

[tomthebackroadstraveller]

...Sallie, you sure had a fabulous trip, thanks for taking me along to see the sights.

[A ShutterBug Explores]

River Cruise looks wonderful and beautiful ~ such an adventure ~

Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

[Jm, Illinois, U.S.A.]

I so enjoyed the cyber tour. Wonderful photos.

[Beatrice]

I enjoyed seeing the photos of some of your trip experiences, Sallie, and know you will be sharing more in future posts. It takes time to get everything sorted. We have considered a Viking cruise so I would be very interested to read about how you enjoyed yours. We will be traveling abroad in Sept and Oct so I will have experiences to share as well.

[Fun60]

It is a beautiful city with lots to see. It is a few years since I visited and I loved seeing your photos. Look forward to more.

[Cloudia]

Thank you for kindly bringing us along. Aloha

[Regula]

It's nice to see some photographs of Prague as I'm going to visit this city in October.

The young say it's only a six hours from where we live ... ;-)

I have a colleague at work who grew up in Czechoslovakia (born in the early 70ies) and has good memories about her childhood which does not relate to what we read in the newspapers and were taught in school back then.

Have fun with going through the photographs.

Regula

[Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie]

Looks like a wonderful trip! Love the photos of the city from the hill with all the red rooftops. So pretty. Scrolled down to see your previous post of the beautiful city and sweet family photos. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your trip! x K

[Jim, Sydney, Australia]

Beautiful.

[Peter B.]

It does look like a gorgeous city, and looks like you are making the most of it! Love those hillside views, and looking forward to future posts!

[Carol]

More beauty from your vacation - lovely

[Ken Schneider]

You obviously are enjoying the immersion in the culture. Very impressive views of the city and points of interest.

[Diane]

It sounds like a fabulous holiday, a place we have never been to. Thanks so much for your visit, Cheers Diane

[Penelope Notes]

Love the cultural flavors conveyed in the restaurant pictures as well as those orange rusty-red roofs, reminding me of Italy. :)

[Sharon Hein]

Looking good! Welcome back to your "second" home.

[Traude "Rostrose"]

Dear Sallie, you weren't that far away from us! We live just a few hours from Prague. It really is a beautiful city - I want to go back. My ancestors come from the Czech Republic, but because the "Iron Curtain" used to exist, traveling there was not possible for a long time, so I only got to know the country a few years ago (far too little). Thank you for your travelogue!
And thank you too for telling me the story of the newly fledged songbird that made you miss a whole morning at work. I would have done it the same way - wouldn't have wanted to make the poor animal suffer (and poop all over the room 😉)...
All the best from Austria, Traude
🌸🌿❤️🌿🌸
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2023/07/costa-rica-13-kapitel-osa-peninsula.html

[Linda P]

Glad you are back home after a wonderful family trip. The photos are great! A river cruise sounds a relaxing way to travel.

[::: Heidrun]

You make me travel urge with your post. We should visit Prague too. It`s again a pleasure seeing your post at the linkparty.

Thank your being part at
MosaicMonday

Hugs by Heidrun

[Sharon Wagner]

A Viking cruise used to be at the top of my bucket list! Have fun! We gave up on that dream mostly due to the fact that we like to travel with more flexability with dining times, etc. The schedules seemed exhausting, too. The wine and dine and local fancy food sounds so good though.

[DeniseinVA]

Marvelous! Loved all these photos and look forward to the next ones. Thanks Sallie, what a great experience this must have been.

[Sognafaret]

I would like to go to that cruise

[diane]

You sound like you had a great tour. The view from the hill is spectacular.

[Veronica Lee]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time.
The dinner looks amazing.
And the views are spectacular!

Hugs and blessings, Sallie

[William Kendall]

Beautiful shots!

[dee]

Sounds like you had a great time! The dinner sounds wonderful and the view from the hill is gorgeous, too. And I'm sure the funicular ride was exciting, too. :)

[Suzan Batz]

Oh my what a dream trip. The countryside is lovely. I do have a bit of cruise envy!!
Sue

[Yogi]

Looks like fun to me. The phoos from the hill in Prague look wonderful. Glad to hear the public transportation is free for seniors.

[somewhereinireland]

What fantastic photos of Prague. Thanks for sharing and have a great week.

[tomthebackroadstraveller]

...Sallie, you sure had a beautiful trip. I love seeing the red tile roofs. Thanks for taking me along for the tour.

[Joanne]

What beautiful views! I'm a bit nervous in elevators too but I once got stuck in one in Paris and have been a bit cautious around them ever since.

[Alycia Quilts]

What a great trip and wonderful experience

[Little Wandering Wren]

You're taking me back to my last trip to Prague, how lovely to be there with the family. We took the Funicular up and walked down and yes those views are worth it huffing and puffing up how ever you make it to the top!
Have a lovely week.
Wren x

[Amy]

That's one very very old country. A branch of my father's family came from Poland. Yep i'd definitely love to go there for a visit.

[Ellen Bayles]

A great way to enjoy the city in an apartment and close to family. How wonderful. If I would ever go on a cruise it would be a river cruise, not an ocean cruise. I'm a fan of seeing shoreline!! Good for you for taking the elevator and the funicular! You really did see some beautiful views.

[Jennifer A. Jilks]

So many people are traveling! We drove an hour away on Saturday!
I read about a Funicular in a mystery novel. I totally forget what it was!

[Hazel]

A brilliant trip, so interesting to read about. Huge compliments to the Planner!

[Lorrie Orr]

Hello Sallie,
What wonderful photos of Prague. We visited in 2019 and thoroughly enjoyed all the history, some of it very sad. Have a great week!

[Eileen]

Hello, Sallie

Your River Cruise and trip look awesome. It sounds fun, the experience of a family style dinner. The views are gorgeous.
Wonderful trip photos! Take care, have a wonderful week!