{"id":17475,"date":"2015-07-16T18:44:59","date_gmt":"2015-07-17T00:44:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/?p=17475"},"modified":"2017-11-18T12:54:19","modified_gmt":"2017-11-18T19:54:19","slug":"taucks-ms-savor-day-two-prague-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/2015\/07\/taucks-ms-savor-day-two-prague-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Tauck’s ms Savor: Danube Reflections, Day Two, Prague"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"InterContinental<\/a>

Our home base for two nights before we board Tauck’s ms Savor, the InterContinental Prague. The historic landmark is regarded as the finest-quality “brutalist” construction in the Czech Republic today. And that\u2019s a good thing, right? \u00a9\u00a02015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

I had my doubts when approaching the InterContinental Prague<\/strong> yesterday. The\u00a0monolithic hotel was built during the Soviet era, and it had\u00a0all of the\u00a0peculiar appeal (chuckle here)\u00a0of\u00a0Soviet era buildings. It was the type of building\u00a0that I would cast if I were producing a Cold War spy movie. That’s not too far-fetched actually.\u00a0The five-star property opened more than 40 years ago, when Czechoslovakia was under Soviet rule, so it certainly looks the part. The nine-story building’s structural style was known\u00a0as\u00a0brutalism<\/em> (derived from the French b\u00e9ton brut<\/em> \u2013 raw concrete). The general manager appeared almost apologetic\u00a0in a letter welcoming guests.<\/p>\n

Did you know that the hotel design is protected by Czech state law? The InterContinental Prague plays an important part in Prague’s history and architecture, and because of this, the design and features are protected and preserved by the Ministry of Heritage …\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Reading between the lines, you get the impression that the general manager\u00a0heaved a heavy sigh when he discovered he could not dress up his property a bit.\u00a0Enter double-agent Russell Crowe, stage left.<\/p>\n

My room on the sixth floor was spacious and clean, with two double beds.\u00a0I had a good\u00a0night’s sleep on the firm mattress and awoke at 7 a.m. to shower and head down for breakfast. The morning meal, while well-handled, was a bit chaotic. Several river cruise companies were using the\u00a0iconic InterContinental, and all of them began their tours before 9 a.m., hence the breakfast room was congested. It took me a few minutes to find a place to park my plate. Nonetheless, the friendly staff worked efficiently to clear tables and keep breakfast items stocked. It was pure choreography – with bacon and eggs.<\/p>\n

If I were returning to Prague, would I stay at the InterContinental? Absolutely. Depending on price, of course. A Four Seasons is two blocks away and there’s a Hilton in the Old Town. I certainly would do some comparative shopping. The thing that gives the InterContinental an edge, however, is its ninth-floor restaurant, which I’ll tell you about in a bit.<\/p>\n

Tauck Tours Today<\/h2>\n

Tauck offered two complimentary walking tours today.\u00a0I chose the\u00a0Gardens and Churches Tour<\/strong>. An option was to\u00a0visit the Kafka Museum, a treasure house of documents, photographs and interactive exhibits dedicated to writer Franz Kafka and his dark imaginary visions. The tour also included a brief history of Jewish Prague.<\/p>\n

Our Tauck tour directors divided us into manageable groups of 18 (I believe we are a total of 120 on this Danube Reflections river cruise). Each group was led by a local guide, and we had headsets so that we did not have to keep huddled up next to our guide.<\/p>\n

\"Svatopluk<\/a>

Svatopluk \u010cech Bridge. \u00a9 2015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

Our tour started at our hotel. Before\u00a0crossing the Vltava, the longest river in the Czech Republic, we stopped\u00a0as our guide imparted\u00a0some of the history of Prague.\u00a0Across\u00a0the river, dominating the skyline, was the Prague Castle complex. We will visit\u00a0the castle tomorrow on a three-hour\u00a0tour before departing for Regensburg, Germany, where we will board ms Savor.<\/p>\n

I’ll jump ahead a bit to say that I like the way that Tauck structured the tour today. I’m not sure how far we walked, but those who strive for 10,000 steps a day would have achieved their goals. The pace was quite good, not breathless at all but at just the right clip, fast enough to keep things exciting yet\u00a0relaxed\u00a0enough for us to appreciate what we were seeing.<\/p>\n

\"20150716-P1250186\"<\/a>

View of Prague Castle on our walk today. \u00a9 2015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

The weather was warm but overcast. At one point, a light rain sprinkled on us, but only for a few minutes. The opaque sky cast the perfect light for photographing such icons as the Charles Bridge in this “city of 100 spires.”<\/p>\n

\"Prague's<\/a>

Prague’s iconic Charles Bridge is adorned with more than 70 stone saints. \u00a9 2015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

Our guide Renata was excellent, with appropriate humor and good information that she fed to us\u00a0in clear English. She made us\u00a0laugh more than once. Just before she went in to buy tickets for our group at the St. Nicholas Church, she told us she was a bit nervous. She explained that the last time she was here the ticket seller was a nun. “I thought they were friendly\u00a0people,” Renata\u00a0said. “But\u00a0she\u00a0was so rude. She could\u00a0have been employed in a work camp.”<\/p>\n

Renata peeked inside and sighed relief. Luckily, the ticket seller was a kind-looking man.<\/p>\n

\"Prague's<\/a>

Prague’s Old Town and the Charles Bridge, which crosses the Vltava River to link the Little Quarter with Old Town. \u00a9 2015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

We crossed the Vltava river\u00a0to the \u201cLesser Town\u201d (or the \u201cLittle Quarter\u201d), a picturesque, historic neighborhood at the foot of\u00a0Prague Castle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Our first stop was\u00a0Valdstejnska Garden<\/strong>. The original palace and gardens were\u00a0built in the years 1623-1630 by Albrecht von Wallenstein, Duke of Mecklenburg (1583-1634), who made his name and fortune as the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial forces in the Thirty Years War. I learned that the original sculptures in the garden were seized\u00a0by the Swedes and now adorn the gardens at Stockholm’s Drottningholm Castle, home to\u00a0Sweden’s Royal Family. “The Swedes are friendly people today,” Renata\u00a0joked. “They weren’t so friendly in the 17th century.”<\/p>\n

Following are photos from our tour today …<\/p>\n

\"20150716-P1250203\"<\/a>

The Valdstejnska Garden. The original sculptures were taken by the Swedes in 1648 and can now be seen Stockholm’s Drottningholm Castle, home of Sweden’s Royal family. \u00a9 2015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Valdstejnska<\/a>

In Valdstejnska Garden. \u00a9 2015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Prague<\/a>

Posing for a wedding in Valdstejnska Garden. \u00a9 2015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Prague's<\/a>

In Prague’s Old Town. \u00a9 2015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

\"20150716-P1250228\"<\/a>

Resembles the Bridge of Sighs in Venice. \u00a9\u00a02015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Prague<\/a>

Mixed architecture of Prague. \u00a9\u00a02015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

\"In<\/a>

In St. Nicholas Church. \u00a9 2015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Prague<\/a>

A tram makes its way through the Old Town \u00a9\u00a02015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Colonada\"<\/a>

Midway through our morning tour, Tauck’s tour directors provided water and a Czech snack called, Colonada<\/em>, a giant wafer that can have different fillings. \u00a9 2015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Church<\/a>

At Prague’s Church of Our Lady Victorious. \u00a9\u00a02015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Vrtba<\/a>

View from the baroque Vrtba Garden. \u00a9\u00a02015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Vrtba<\/a>

Entering the hidden Vrtba Garden. \u00a9\u00a02015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Medieval-costumed<\/a>

Medieval-costumed performers on the Charles Bridge. \u00a9\u00a02015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

Back At The InterContinental<\/h2>\n

After a wonderful day of touring Prague, I enjoyed dinner with the voucher that Tauck gave to me\u00a0last night<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The setting, on the ninth floor of InterContinental Prague, was absolutely breathtaking. The only\u00a0reservation I could get had me sitting indoors. I was okay with that, but when I showed up the maitre d’ <\/em>asked me if I would like to sit on the terrace, with a view of Prague Castle and the Old Town. I was delighted. It was a gorgeous evening, with sunset coming in about 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

\"Zlata<\/a>

Skyline views from Zlata Praha, the fine-dining restaurant on the 9th floor of Prague’s InterContinental. \u00a9 2015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

The Tauck tour directors\u00a0had given me more than 1,900 Czech crowns to spend on dinner. I had a starter, two beers, a large bottle of sparkling water, a main course and dessert – and still had 600 Czech crowns remaining. Tauck had been extra generous. No penny-pinching. No telling me, Yes we’ll pay for dinner, but you have to pay for your alcohol. Tauck was super-classy in the way it handled dinner. Was Tauck’s gesture\u00a0is a precedent for things to come this week?<\/p>\n

\"Budweiser<\/a>

The original Budweiser Budvar (no connection to Anheuser-Busch). The term Budweiser derived from the Czech town of Budejovice. \u00a9 2015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

Sunset was absolutely gorgeous. I sat for two hours, eating mindfully and nursing my beer. The InterContinental Prague, the city where it was situated, and Tauck had won me over. It was a good start to what I think we’ll be a great week ahead.<\/p>\n

\"Zlatan-Praha\"<\/a>

An amuse-bouche<\/em> to begin dinner at Zlatan Praha, where I dined on the rooftop terrace at\u00a0the InterContinental Prague. \u00a9 2015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Prague<\/a>

Prague Castle at sunset, from my table last night at\u00a0the Intercontinental Prague. \u00a9 2015 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

Tauck ms Savor – Danube Reflections, Live Voyage Report<\/h2>\n