13 July 1997 - humanoids on the Prague tower, Václavské Námesti Warsaw Pact Invasion boulevard, duty free open up to 7 PM at Zelezna Ruda
Sunday 13 July 1997
Hi everyone! Ahoj všichni!
I had spent the previous night in Prague, and have woken up in a youth hostel. I did not plan to spend the night in Prague, but I managed just fine. I would have to return to Munich by train, leaving no later than 1:30 PM so that I could return to the German border by 7 PM.
About 7 AM I woke up, took a shower, and had breakfast before checking out. On the TV there was a funny television show that ended by showing a kitten in a carrier. I could not understand what anyone was saying, given that the program was in Czech.
I took my backpack, and proceeded to Mustek metro station and took the Line A to Muzeum to change to the Line C. I had to check the time at Hlavní Nádrazí that the train would leave, and I confirmed it would be just after 1:30 PM. I took the Line C to the northern end at Holesovice Nádrazí, which was the Holesovice rail station. Such trains would normally travel in the direction of Usti nad Labem and eventually Dresden in Germany. Some would also go north and then east to Brno. Then I took Line C back to Muzeum to change to the Line A. I wanted to visit the Prague Tower, which was located at the Jirího z Podébrad station. That is one of the deepest stations on the Line A. From there, I had to walk to teh Zizkovská televizni véz. That was the tower entrance. It opened at 9 AM. A ride up cost about 35 KC. The restaurant would open about 11 AM. The tower has strange forms of juvenile humans climbing the tower, about ten of them at various positions. The tower has a very nice panoramic view, particularly towards the Vlatva, and you can also see Hlavní Nádrazí and Holesovice stations. I had a snack just as the restaurant was opening, before leaving.
Unfortunately I do not remember what else I did after the tower visit, except ride the Line A for a while, as far as Hradcanská. Starométská was boarded up and the train passed by slowly. I returned and alighted at Muzeum, walked along Wenceslas Street or Václavské Námesti, up and down. In 1968 and 1989, that was the site for the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, as well as the Velvet Revolution in protest of the Communist regime.
After passing by the Statue of Saint Wenceslas, I walked northeast along Wilsonova to the Hlavní Nádrazí and was at the station about 1:15 PM, in time to find the track where the train to Pilsen would depart from. I was in an eight-person compartment where the seats were small enough to fit four to a row, and passengers would have one armrest at one side. The train left at 1:35 PM for Pilsen. It took about an hour to arrive at Pilsen, at 2:40 PM. The conductor did not notice my ticket expiration as it was purchased the day before, and to him it did not matter. I had about an hour and a half until the connecting train to Bayerisch Eisenstein.
The train to Bayerisch Eisenstein would depart from Klatovy about 5:30 PM. I boarded the 4:30 PM train to Ceske Budejovice (Budweis). The conductor on that train found my Pilsen to Bayerisch Eisenstein to be expired, as it was meant to be used the same day. He fined me 50 KC and that was the end of the matter. He did tell me to change trains at Klatovy for Bayerisch Eisenstein. At Klatovy, the 6 PM train back to Bayerisch Eisenstein would be a 1960s diesel multiple unit. It took almost an hour to arrive at Bayerisch Eisenstein. Before crossing into Germany, many people were stopping at the Duty Free kiosk but the lady who ran it was about to close for the evening. I was able to buy a bottle or two of slivovitz. I should also have ordered something to eat at Bayerisch Eisenstein on the German side, as the Plattling snack bar would not have any hot food available.
The ride from Bayerisch Eisenstein took about an hour to arrive at Plattling. Plattling would be where I would catch the train to München Hbf through Landshut and Freising. The train came about 8 PM and it took about an hour to end at München Hbf. I took the U2 to Silberhornstraße and the bus to St. Quirin Platz, and was glad to be home. It was a nice weekend in Prague and Pilsen, and if I were to return to Prague, I would plan better for the next year, in terms of buying a ticket, so it would not expire.
That was my weekend on 12th and 13th July 1997. The next story will be the 18th, 19th and 20th July 1997, when I visit Hamburg for the first time (my second time would be 8th to 9th November 2002 and a train transfer on 11th November 2002). Hope you will join me then.
Dobrou noc! Gute Nacht!
