The Museum of Illusions is a place that will test your brain and your senses and you will walk out of some experiences mesmerized and dizzy but enlightened. It is a nice way to spend an afternoon.
I was on my way to my brother’s wedding after my trip to Prague and traveled through Palermo on my way to the other side of the island. I had never been to Italy before, so this was a real experience for me.
I had just finished classes in both Paris and Prague (Please see the series “My walk in Paris” and “My walk in Prague”) and was exhausted from all the traveling but I had to carry on until the big day. Since I could not get to my hotel in Giardini Naxos for another two days, I decided to spend two days in Palermo exploring the city and seeing what it was all about. I swear it was an eye opener. It dawned on my where all the North Jersey traits come from. It is a carbon copy of the CIty of Palermo just that people spoke Italian there. I even heard some of the same swear words come out of women’s voices when people would stop their cars suddenly.
I was burnt out from all the flying. I had to change planes twice to get to Palermo from Prague and that was not fun. When I finally got to Palermo airport, I was frazed. All those layovers were exhausting. I had traveled in two days from Prague to Vienna and then from Vienna to Stuttgart and then had a eight-hour layover in Stuttgart, where I had to lie down on the only seats that were available (there was NO seating at that airport) and then Stuttgart to Palermo.
Then I took a group cab, which was only 13 Euros to the center of the City. The guy dumps me there and says I have to walk to my final destination with all that luggage. I looked at him like he was crazy, and he says to me, “This is why you took a group cab and not a regular one (I would find out later what he meant when returning back to Palermo it cost me 67 Euros to get back to the airport that is twelve miles outside the city).
The City square in Palermo in front of the Teatro Massimo.
I was impressed with the Teatro Massimo where I was dropped off.
I got to my B & B, the La Tua Dimora at Via Goethe 3, about four hours early and it was not ready yet. Just trying to find the place was interesting. The B & B was part of an inside complex of apartment and offices, and you needed a key for the front door, a key to the section of the building the B & B was located, a key to that section of the B & B and then a key to the room. It was a bit overwhelming when you just arrive totally jet-lagged from a flight from hell.
B & B La Tua Dimora at Via Goethe 3 in Palermo is hidden from the street
Giovanni, my host met me at the door and let me in to drop off my luggage. My room was still being cleaned so I had about three hours before I could check in. The clouds broke and I just decided to walk around until I could come back to the room to relax. It was funny that he asked me for three Euros, and I could not figure out why, but I just paid it. Then I took my Google Maps, Google Translate and a map of the City of Palermo and went on an adventure.
I did not know where to start, so I took the map I had in my back pocket and the Google Map I downloaded and decided to walk back to where the cabbie dropped me off. The Town Square was so beautiful with all the purple flowered trees and the fountains and the shopping district that I saw from the cab, I thought it would be fun to explore.
I got totally lost! I just followed the walkway from the open garden restaurants that followed a road path from the square near my B & B to the harbor. I had gotten back to the shopping area and saw a group of people eating their lunch just off the square near the edge of the shopping area by the Teatro Massimo and I wanted to get a glimpse of the menu. I ended up walking block by block south down the open pathway, which was once a road, now lined with open air cafes down to the harbor.
The wonderful outdoor cafes on that Sunday morning were packed with people dining.
From there, I saw that two large cruise ships (that were filled with older German tourists) had docked and all the tourists were coming ashore and walking into the tourist shopping and dining areas, so I just followed them around the harbor and into the historic district. We walked down tiny roadways and passages through people’s homes. There were small fountains, lots of churches and many tiny outdoor cafes with similar menus. I figured all of this was geared for the ocean liner crowd that came in on the ships.
The Italian coastline is so beautiful
Walking through the side streets of Palermo from the Harbor
I never stopped snapping pictures the whole time with one block being more beautiful than the next and the architecture and stonework being more breathtaking building by building. These would be neighborhoods that would be fully gentrified in New York if this type of architecture existed (the closest thing we have is the Flatiron District which I have written about and try buying those buildings now). All the garden spots and flowering pots and statuary just makes it such a unique place to visit.
An apartment building with potted plants in Palermo
Every block was filled with one beautiful street after another. Though just off the tourist district was a pretty run-down area of the city but I figured in a couple of years this will be fixed up as well. Every block that I walked on the buildings were old but had so much character to them.
The apartments had their own outdoor gardens.
I just winded through these little streets just off the harbor, admiring all the beautiful structures and these hanging gardens on each block. I was not too sure what the German tourists were in such a rush for, but I stopped block by block to take pictures and look at statuary.
An apartment house on the side streets in Palermo
The outdoor restaurants that line this area of the city
The open-air restaurants near the harbor attracted all the German Cruise customers.
The interesting buildings in the historic section, the Porta Nuova, the old entrance to the city.
The traffic circle by the harbor
The Church by the harbor
Walking through the town squares of Palermo
As I was walking around following the German tourists through this colorful part of the city, I was also starved. There was not much food on the flights, and I was always in a rush. As I walked around the park, I stopped to see a group of tourists eating some rice balls and said to myself, “I want those”. So, I stopped in the restaurant to see what they had.
Sfrigola is a local fast-food chain that specializes in arancini, Italian rice balls that have different fillings. I stopped and took a peek inside to see two workers only cooking rice and then adding the fillings that people ordered. They made this one item and I swear that they perfected it.
I ordered one sausage and one pork ragu arancini and added a local soda to the order, a Lemonata. The entire lunch was excellent. The rice balls were made order and then freshly fried and served hot with a side of fresh tomato sauce. I was in heaven because it was the perfect meal. I knew it would be a heavy meal, but it was so delicious. The fillings were so flavorful and rich combined with the rich tomato sauce. I really enjoyed my meal. What was nice was the young woman who worked the register spoke perfect English and helped me with my order. I highly recommend this tiny restaurant by the park.
My delicious lunch
The delicious Sausage Arancini
The Pork Ragu Arancini with the Lemonata drink
After I finished lunch, I walked over the park up the block from the restaurant and relaxed. I had not gotten over the jet lag and stay over in Germany, so I needed some time to collect myself. I have to say one thing, this guy could really sing. Talk about a nice way to spend the afternoon. I sat on a bench enjoying the sunshine and nice weather listening to songs in Italian. The singer really stopped crowds.
The Garden Square at the Villa Bonanno
The singer who entertained in the gardens
After relaxing and digesting lunch and enjoying the sunshine, I continued to explore Palermo. I used my Google Maps on my phone and just got ‘lost’, walking all the little side streets and going from extremes from rich to poor. The one thing I did see as I walked the streets around this area was the artwork on the walls of the buildings. The street art in Palermo was very interesting.
This was on one of the walls in a seedier area of Palermo
This unusual piece was near one of the restaurants.
I thought this was interesting.
On my way through the shopping district from the harbor to the main part of the city, I came across this elegant fountain that faced a square with other fountains matching it.
One of the “Four Canti” fountains in Palermo on my first afternoon
Statuary by one of the public squares by Palermo Cathedral
After exploring the harbor area of Palermo, I could finally go back to the B & B to settle in and relax after the flight from hell. I got back to room and just relaxed and unpacked. It had been a little bit of a hassle to get into the room as I had to deal with three sets of keys to get to my room. One to open the main door, one to open the hallway door and then one to open my room. I finally got inside the room and collapsed on the bed.
My bedroom at the B & B
The one thing I really liked about my room was that it had a balcony that faced the street and a really nice breeze. I was able to keep the window open and get fresh air in the room and get some rest. The room was really nice in that it was a large space with its own bathroom and a workstation. It was like being in someone’s studio apartment. I relaxed for about two hours before dinner.
I had explored the whole neighborhood that afternoon and there were several restaurants that I wanted to try for dinner but being a Sunday night when I arrived almost everything closed after lunch. When I got back to the B & B, most everything was shut down and even the pizzeria down the block from me that looked interesting was closed. So, I walk around the block, and I found Opale, an Italian restaurant on the next block over. God, what a wonderful restaurant with excellent food and service.
Opale is a wonderful family-owned restaurant in the residential district of my B & B and not a very touristy spot. The owner of the restaurant and his extended family were eating at the large table in the back of the restaurant. I saw three generations of family members enjoying dinner together and the quietist baby relaxing in his mother’s arms. I had not seen such well-behaved children since our dinners out with my parents. I could tell the whole family was having a good time together.
Opale at Piazza S. Francesco di Paola, 19 in Sicily
I knew I was in a more neighborhood spot when the waiter spoke no English and me with my broken Italian and Google translate buttons. I knew most of the things on the menu because Italian is written on the menus of all the Italian restaurants in the States as well. Somethings I could not translate so well so I thought I ordered a side salad with a pasta dish, and I got a dinner salad with a pizza. So much for understanding the translations.
The outside of Opale
The dining room at Opale
The waiter was really cool and could not have been more patient with me. I had to order with my iPhone and unfortunately, he did not speak English. I was expecting a pasta dish with sausage and broccoli, and they delivered a pizza to my table with sausage and broccoli rabe. It was the best mistake I ever made because it was delicious.
The Salad had fresh greens, homemade croutons and fresh mozzarella.
The Pizza had fresh mozzarella, broccoli rabe and topped with fresh basil in a white sauce.
The Dinner was excellent!
I could not believe how much food I ordered but had no problem eating everything in front of me. The owner was greeting friends and neighbors in the restaurant and then looked at me. I guess he was trying to understand where this tourist came from. He smiled and nodded to me, and I figured he went back to the table to talk about me because for a moment I could swear they all looked over at me.
It was an amazing dinner.
After dinner was over, it gave me a chance to walk around the neighborhood some more and explore the stores. I did not realize until the next morning that we were on the edge of a major retail corridor a few blocks away. So, I got some window shopping in for the next morning as I planned my day. I got an excellent night’s sleep at the B & B.
The comfortable breakfast room at the B & B
The next morning after a nice rest and getting my homework done for class, I went to the other part of the B & B for breakfast. There were a lot of twists and turns in the structure of the B & B and I found the breakfast room. Guiseppe had a nice spread of food for us with fresh pastries and fruit and tiny egg sandwiches. I do not know how many people were staying there but I had my fill of the buffet. The food was simple and delicious.
The breakfast spread of fresh pastries and sandwiches.
Breakfast at the B & B
Waiting for the other guests
After my broken conversation with Guiseppe and the staff, off I went to explore Palermo. I just grabbed my map, a Google Maps app and memory of where I walked yesterday, and I started on the journey. It was fun having the whole day for myself and getting lost. The only problem was the whole day was really gloomy and it always looked like it was going to rain. Still, I wanted to see as much of Palermo as I could see in one day.
I had wanted to see both the Archeology Museum and the Zoological Museum that morning, but the Archeology Museum was closed on Monday and the Zoological Museum did not open until noon, so I wondered around the back of the city and made my way around the Palermo University and explored the historical core of Palermo. It really is a breathtaking and unique city.
I started my walk in the small park near the city square. This is near where the taxi dropped me off the other day.
I made my way down the Via Volturno and stopped to take pictures at the Palermo Opera House. I thought the building was very impressive as did all the German tourists I had to elbow to take the perfect shot of the building. It was about ten minutes of waiting until they all moved.
The Palermo Opera House
I walked back towards the harbor area that I had walked the previous day and explored the theaters, churches and parks that caught my eye. I snapped pictures all afternoon because there were so many beautiful things to see.
I next revisited the shopping area that I had seen yesterday and the four fountains that faced one another. I walked the Via Salvatore Spinuzza to the Via Roma shopping avenue and spent time in this very touristy area. This section of the city was catering to the cruise ship crowd with themed restaurants, tourist shops and loads of ice cream and dessert places with higher prices than the store and restaurants around me. The Via Roma is one of the main arteries to the harbor and this area in between the harbor is ‘tourist central’.
With the Archeological Museum was closed so I decided to see other things. The first thing I went back to see was the Quattro Canti, the ‘Four Canti’, a Baroque octagon plaza with fountains and statues in the heart of the shopping district.
The Four Canti on the east side of the plaza.
The Four Canti on the west side of the plaza.
By this point it was drizzling and I could see that people were stopping for meals and snacks to get out of the rain. I admired these buildings and the beautiful fountain at the base of each of them. The day before you could not see the statuary because there were so many people here but with the rain, the plaza emptied out and you could see their details.
The tables were not full at this interesting statue by the shopping district as it rained part of the day.
The weather my second day in Palermo was not great. The clouds kept going in and out and it was light rain off and on for most of the morning and afternoon. It did not stop the people on the cruise ships (two big ones were docked at the harbor) but there was a lot of umbrellas out to dodge.
I next passed one of the most beautiful churches that I had seen in Europe.
Even though I had no interesting in touring the church (the lines were really long for it), touring the outside of it and admiring its beauty was enough. I love how people built these buildings not just to last forever (Palermo was not hit during WWII) but made to be admired and loved. Just the detail work in the historical district of Palermo on the buildings and the fountains and statuary of the streets is something you don’t see anymore. In cities on the East Coast, you will see this stonework but not past 1920 and is work by the very stone masons from this region.
Seeing the beauty in the side streets and back alleys of Palermo.
I walked back up the Via Vittorio Emanuele, which is a major thoroughfare from the harbor to the Villa Bonnano Park where I heard the musician playing the other day. It is amazing how the rain kept people out of the park and quiet it was as the rain cleared. This is when I noticed the vibrance of the colors in the flowers and plantings. Again the park had many unique statues and looked like an open-air museum.
The Villa Bonnano Park
Villa Bonnano Park in the rain
There was a quiet beauty to walking around the park and admiring the trees and flowers. It is so nice when there are no crowds around and you have the park to yourself to appreciate it. As I walked up to the Palazzo dei Normanni I noticed this interesting fountain just outside the building.
There was a crowd of students waiting to get into the building for a field trip, so I turned around and walked through the park again until I reached the Porta Nuova, which was the old entrance gate to the City of Palermo.
The Porta Nuova, the original entrance to the city
A Standout flower in the garden wall
I followed the Plaza della Victoria to the Corso Tukory on my way to the Museum of Zoology and then I passed the Museum of Geology, which I had not seen on the map of museums. I stopped in to take a peek to see what the museum was like. It was very impressive for such a small museum.
I have to say that I was very impressed by this little museum. In just two floors it was filled with interesting artifacts and displays. The Dinosaur Exhibition was really fun because not only did you get to see the skeletons but a dinosaur egg as well. There were all sorts of sea fossils on the First Floor and on the Second Floor there was a extensive Gem collection to view.
The Dinosaur Exhibition
The Dinosaur egg exhibit
The Sea Fossil Exhibition
The Gem Room
I was following around a group of school kids and their mothers who were on a class trip and their mothers. I swear like I was back in New Jersey with the way these kids behaved, and their mothers dressed. If they started to speak English, I would have felt like I would have been back in Bergen County. It amazed me how similar people were from here to home.
I ended up being at the museum much longer than I thought I would and was late getting to the Zoological Museum and the guy at the desk said they closed at 1:00pm. I thought that was when they opened, and I tried to convince the guy in my bad Italian that it was my last day in Palermo, and I could not come back in the morning to see the museum (the museum is only one room but supposed to be impressive). He would not budge. So, I decided to keep touring the city.
Walking on the Via Lincoln
I ventured back up the Via Lincoln and explored around the Train Station, the Piazza Giulio Cesare, with it beautiful Roman architecture and the statues in the front of hte train station guarding the rails. I had to ask about transportation to the other side of the island for the next day. The rail system was under renovation on the way to Castonia, so I decided to take the bus the next morning. Thank God that the staff at both the railroad and the bus spoke English. It made it easier to plan the trip.
This beautiful fountain is right near the train station.
After I left the railroad station, I continued exploring down the Via Lincoln and passed a couple of building with Chinese lettering. I did not realize that Palermo had its own Chinatown or what was left of it. It was just a couple of buildings on a corner at this point. I thought this was pretty interesting as to how the Chinese landed in Palermo.
The tiny Palermo Chinatown
By this point in the afternoon, I was starved. I was so sick of pizza and pasta I was hoping that there was a Chinese restaurant around the historical section of the city but to no avail. Then I went to one of the side streets in the neighborhood and found Snack Point, a tiny sandwich shop that I found out later was a chain from India.
It must have been a culture shock to the owner who kept looking me over to see an American eating at their restaurant that mostly catered to locals. The selection was really nice and the food was excellent.
The menu at Snack Point was extensive and very reasonable.
I had a gyro sandwich which I was in the mood for after all the pizza I had been eating. I could not believe the prices were so reasonable for the portion size. I thought the restaurant was very fair. The service was wonderful as the owner’s wife waited on me with perfect English. I felt right at home.
The Gyro sandwich and fries was excellent and could have fed two people.
After lunch was over, I looked online and found out that the other two museums I wanted to see were closed as well so I decided to go to the Botanical Gardens at the end of the block. I hate to say it, but they were not well taken care of and needed a lot of work. It was like being on a Silent Movie star’s property and looking at the shabby elegance of it all. You can see what they once were and what they could be. I thought in many parts of the garden they were really beautiful.
The Entrance to the Palermo Botanical Gardens (The Orto Botanico di Palermo building was closed)
The entrance to the old Botanical Gardens were closed so I went to the other entrance. A lone security guard was feeding a feral cat by the entrance, and he just let me walk in. There was no fee for going into the gardens. They really had a shabby elegance to them. It was really quiet on this gloomy afternoon, and I pretty much had the gardens to myself.
At the entrance of the Botanical Gardens
The Botanical Gardens
The back of the Botanical Gardens
The stauary in the Gardens
The statue of King Neptune
The gardens returning to nature
Wondering along the paths of the gardens
The gardens reminded me of what can happen when you neglect these treasures. They start reverting to nature as I could see all the weeds growing in and the statues needing cleaning. The paths needed to be cut and the bushes edged. Even though they were in shabby shape, there still was a quiet elegance about them and seeing all the animals adapting to them. It was fun though to have the palce to myself for most of the afternoon.
Walking by the harbor in Palermo
I continued to walk around the city, walking down this street and that street on my way back to my B & B. I passed so many little wonderful pocket parks, beautiful fountains and great restaurants (I kept hoping that my appetite would come back but that sandwich at lunch was really filling). All I kept doing was looking at menus.
The Fountain Garrafo by all the wonderful restaurants
I wanted to stop and see the four Canti again in the historic district again and was able to get a better look without the crowds. They really are beautiful.
Canti One
Canti Two
Canti Three
Canti Four
Not being hungry for dinner, I stopped at Dane Cafe at Via Dante 39 near my B & B. The pastries and the ice cream here is incredible. The first day I went the manager was standing outside and said to me in perfect English “You should come in have some dessert.” and I said to myself “Yes, I should.” and I went inside. I had the most delicious Watermelon and Strawberry gelato cone. I swear it was so good that I thought I saw God. It amazes me when something is so good that it does not compare to anything in the past. This gelato stood alone.
All of their pastries and gelatos looked so good, and it was only after I left Palermo that I realized that they served food here too. I was so taken by desserts I never asked. It was the perfect go to place on these humid Sicilian nights. here I had the Strawberry and Vanilla and Banana gelato.
The ‘Ice Cream Man’ at Dante Cafe with my cone creation.
As I walked back to the B & B happily eating my gelato, I wished I had planned more time in Palermo. I really admired this city on the bay. I just could not believe how beautiful the city was and how special each neighborhood in the city seemed to be.
By the time I got back to the B & B it was late and I just wanted to relax. I must have walked all over the historical part of the city, dodging cars, trying to help German tourists (but I am from the United States) and looking at every menu at every restaurant I passed. It really is a charming historical city with lots of surprises here and there. It reminded me of my walks in Manhattan where just walking down the city block yields so many wonderful things to see and experience.
I just relaxed for the rest of the evening and worked on my papers for school. I wanted to finish them before I left Palermo the next day for the other side of the island for my brother’s wedding. Then I would not be getting anything done.
The wonderful buffet the next morning.
My last breakfast in Palermo brightened up another gloomy morning.
The next morning, I prepared to leave the city. I was packed and ready to go and ready for the next leg of my trip. I had a long breakfast at the B & B and relaxed and enjoyed it. Guiseppe called me a cab after breakfast, and we said our goodbyes (via Google Translate). It was a wonderful two days in a city that was part of my family’s past, and I was glad to experience it myself. Then i left for the long bus trip to Castonia on the other side of the island.
I was recently at the NYC Fancy Food Show, sampling the best and latest of foods that will be hitting or are in supermarkets now. There were so many great products that you can see them in my blog on the 2023 NYC Fancy Food Show (Day Two Hundred and Seventy-Eight):
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Lyndhurst Schoolhouse grounds
The Lyndhurst Schoolhouse historic marker
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The museum’s Pipe & Drum Corps display on the Second Floor Gallery
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I really enjoyed this morning as we were allowed to sleep in a bit from class and did not have to meet up until 9:00am. Everyone in the class seemed to like that. We were able to grab a quick bite and then we had to meet with the head of the Czech Tourism Office, CEO Jan Herget. After the visit, we were going to have lunch at his restaurant/boat on the river and then an afternoon of paddle boarding. Not a bad way to spend some class time while learning what tourists might want to experience in Prague.
Our group shot with CEO of Czech Tourism Jan Herget (he is standing right of me. I am in the middle in the green polo).
We got to the office rather early and our host was a bit late (I kept thinking we were starting these mornings too early). Meeting the head of the whole country’s tourism board I was thinking I would be meeting this stiff guy in a blue suit but Mr. Herget could not have been more laid back. I think he rode his motorcycle over to the meeting.
We all thought he was a great. He had a PowerPoint presentation on his goals for the country and wanted to really build on the success that they were having. After visiting the outside cities, I thought the direction of the country should be more of getting people out of Prague for at least three days. I was so impressed with what I saw with the visits to the small cities that I thought more tourists would want to see that after maybe two to three days in Prague. I find that most people that travel abroad to a non-English speaking country are more adventurous in their travels and don’t want to be limited.
The riverfront in Prague is beautiful on a sunny warm day
After our conversation with the CEO, it was off to lunch at his restaurant, The Kayak Bar. This was an picturesque restaurant on the river not far from where I was touring on my afternoon off from visiting Old Town. It was a bright sunny day with blue skies and around 80 degrees. It was the perfect afternoon to be on a boat.
The Kayak Beach Bar at Naplavka 128 00 by the river
It was a nice walk from the office to the river and we got to see more of the city that I had seen the other afternoon. I was hoping Mr. Herget would be joining us but he had an afternoon of meetings so our group was off for lunch. I was starved because I did not have much of a breakfast.
The Kayak Beach Bar
The Kayak Beach Bar
The Hamburger and French Fries were excellent at the Kayak Beach Bar
After lunch was over, the group of us were hoping to go paddleboarding. All the restaurant had was kayaks and no one wanted to kayak in the the river. None of us wanted to fall in. So we left the restaurant in search of paddleboats which we found on a small island park down the river. That was a lot of fun. I had not been in a paddleboat since I was in Boston about ten years ago when I was in one of the swan paddleboats.
All of us getting in our paddleboats for an afternoon tour of the river and the city. I am in the green polo and paddled like crazy that afternoon.
While we were waiting for everyone to come back, we relaxed in the garden on the small island where the paddleboats were located.
Even a better group shot with the river and the city behind us
After our lunch and the tour of the river area, it was time to explore the Old City again and then the neighborhoods of Vysehrad and Vinohrady. These were neighborhoods outside the tourist zones of the Old City and had lots of nice shopping and dining options. From there, we would be on our way to our cooking class where we would be making a traditional Czech dinner and eating in as a group.
We passed through the older section of this part of the city, passing the old Opera House and then crossing the Charles Bridge again. On this spectacular sunny day the views were amazing.
Passing through the town square
We crossed over the Charles Bridge and took in the sites during the day. It really is a breathtaking bridge with the most wonderful statuary. We passed by the old Opera House with its elegant details. The bridge is a national treasure in beauty and design. What I liked about this walk was all the interesting architecture that you pass where one building is more glorious than the next. These things were built to last and to show the importance of that city in that era. They just don’t built them like this today.
We stopped at Winnie Lahudky & Potraviny Bakery at Masarykovo nábř 38/2058 for a quick snack before we continued the tour. As with everyone else, we needed a coffee and pastry break. I think we were turning into Europeans by this point. I think it is civil to have an afternoon break. The pastries were excellent (see TripAdvisor review).
The selection of pastries are excellent
The bakery had an excellent selection of delicious desserts. We tried not to ruin our appetites for dinner.
Walking through Old Town again was a treat. I love the architecture of this area. We toured a lot of the areas that we had seen our first day of touring this section of the city when we visited NYU. We walked down Paris, the street that looked like the Right Bank, with all the luxury stores and passed the oldest Jewish Synagogue in the Czech Republic.
The Synagogue in Old Town
The town square
As we toured this part of the city, we learned the history and development of the area and the change from it being a residential area to a tourist destination. Janna was telling us how she grew up here and the rapid change from her childhood home to tourists dominating this part of the city. Just like in New York, the tourist based businesses crowd out what makes a neighborhood a neighborhood.
The Old Town district has become one big tourist destination with no local character anymore unless people want to deal with troughs of people walking through their neighborhood. Here we saw more modern sculpture.
It was off to the cooking class for the rest of the evening. We got off the cable car and walked around the Vinohrady district which is a non-touristy district that you could tell must have been a much more exclusive neighborhood at one time. The apartment buildings and stores looked like a Parisian neighborhood. We got there a little late so most the shops and small markets that Janna wanted to take us to were closed at that point. We got the cooking school in record time.
This was interesting as it brought back memories of cooking at the Culinary Institute of America and at Michigan State University in my Skills Classes. It was not too difficult and the menu was easy to prepare. My table partner, Brian and I worked together to prepare our dinner.
We made a Cream of Mushroom Soup, a Roast Pork with Garlic and Chive Dumplings and then made dessert. It was a lot of fun but watching my classmates hesitate at times or making me always go first got to me. I am never afraid of making a fool of myself is because this is how I always learned in cooking school. Trial and error. We all make mistakes. Still, we had a great time working together to get the job done.
My cooking partner, Brian and I making soup for the first course
Plating the finished Mushroom Soup with Heavy Cream
Clean up to prepare to make the entrée
Me preparing homemade dumplings
Getting a demo of what the chef wanted us to do
Our entrée was Roast Garlic Pork with Chive Dumplings
Our Group shot with our Chef
We all sat down for dinner together after each course was done. We had such a good time not just learning how to cook these dishes but learning some things about Czech cuisine. Their version of dumplings are so much different from other countries. I saw this when we had lunch in Karlovy Vary. I did not know that is what a dumpling was supposed to look like. We got a lot out of this cooking class that evening. After we cleaned up it was back to campus to get some sleep. We had another long day ahead of us.
The adventure was going to continue. We were going to Kutna Hora on our last day and then our Farewell dinner. It was a quick week.
After spending most of our time exploring the city of Prague and all her secrets, it was time to leave the city again and explore more of the outside cities that the country was trying to promote for tourism. These spa towns were rich in small museums, beautiful churches, excellent shopping districts and wonderful restaurants (where a lot of the staff spoke perfect English). The views were breathtaking and the historical sites amazing.
We were up again today at 8:00am (groan) and had to be at the train station early to catch our train to Kunta Hora, another small city outside of Prague. I did not have time to research the city so I was not sure what to expect. It was another interesting city with a lot to do.
Passing unusual artwork on the way to the train station
We had to make the train to Kutna Hora at a certain time early in the morning so that we could get there to start our tours of the churches and historical sites. There was no time for breakfast until we got to the station. When we arrived, we were given our instructions, ticket information and then were given about forty-five minutes to get something to eat and then board the train. I started to look around.
Our neighborhood had such interesting buildings
Before we broke for breakfast, I came across a Lego display of the train station and I thought this was very clever. Talk about details. Who ever put this together did a wonderful job because it really did look like the station and the traffic around it.
Lego set at the Train Station
Lego Display at the Train Station
The details on the display were very much real to the way the station appeared. It was something I am not too sure many people noticed as they dashed to their trains and destinations.
I did not want to get too far from where our meeting place was so I looked on the same floor. Most of the places just sold coffee and Danishes but I wanted more. I was starved and breakfast is an important meal to me. That’s when I found Paul, a French bakery similar to the ones I ate at in Paris. The concept was the same and they did have formula meals.
Paul at the Train Station
Breakfast at Paul at Plzenska 344/1 at the Train Station
The breakfast was excellent. I could not believe the quality of the food that was at a train station. I am used to the watered down version of bakery items that we see in the United States when I have eaten at Penn Station or Port Authority with the airy croissant or the tasteless muffins and dealing with it because those were the only options. The baked goods at Paul rivaled anything at the Paris bakeries.
The taste of the breakfast really surprised me as it tasted like the Boulangeries’ that we ate at the week before in Paris and I thought I would not see that again. The Quiche Lorraine was full of pieces of fresh ham along with the creamy eggs and the crust was so flaky and the apricot tart was one of the best pastries on the trip (see review on TripAdvisor). I later wrote on of the most glowing reviews on TripAdvisor and got the nicest response from the manager who was thrilled by the review. I guess you can make a small difference in the world.
The train was particularly packed that morning and we were all over the place regardless of the fact that we had reserved tickets. It would be the same way when we returned. The Czech’s keep it very organized in that when you buy a ticket on the train, you get to book your seat like you would on a plane. It made it so much easier for us.
After being packed in for over an hour, we got to Kutna Hora and took the bus to our first destination in a series of churches we would be visiting that day. Our first stop was the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption and St. John the Baptist in Sedlec. The original church had been built between 1290 and 1320 and then burned to the ground in 1421. It lay in ruins until the early 18th century when it was reconstructed in the High Baroque style by architect Jan Blazej Santini-Aichel (Sedlec pamphlet).
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Kunta Hora
The Roman Catholic Cemetery Church of All Saints with Ossuary is together with the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption and St. John the Baptist, part of the former Cistercian abbey established in 1142 (Sedlec pamphlet).
From the early 1300’s to the late 1400’s almost 40,000 were buried in the cemetery due to famines and disease. When the cemetery was being reduced in the early 1500’s, the bones were deposited to the bottom of the chapel. In the beginning of the 1700’s when Santini-Aichel was making renovations on the church, he created bone decorations and other decorations for the church (Sedlec pamphlet).
The statuary outside the church
When the church was purchased by the Schwarzenberg’s in 1870, they renovated the bone decorations and hired carver Frantisek Rint to complement the décor. He cleaned the decorations and added new ones to the church including the chandelier and the Schwartzberg’s Coat of Arms (Sedlec pamphlet). Since we could not take pictures inside, I took this picture of the bone decorations from their website (Church website).
The bone decorations of the Roman Catholic Cemetery Church of All Saints with Ossuary
The inside of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption was very impressive with its statuary and paintings. We were able to take our time and really explore the church with our tour guide. It did not look like many services were still held in the church and it was more for touring.
The inside of the Church complex where the congregation seems to meet only in the front part of the church.
The tours of the main chapel
While the front part of the church looks like it is still used for services, the back part of the museum looks like it is being used as a museum for pieces of the inside of the church on display. A museum within a church. Exquisite pieces are on display that stand on their own.
One of the church’s altars
The other altar
The wooden carved confession booth
Church statuary
The magnificence ceiling
When we climbed the stairs to the second floor of the church and walked through the upper part of the floor, the church was sponsoring an art exhibition of a contemporary artist. I thought the was an interesting use of the ceiling area of the church. Still being used for services, the church is being repurposed for other events as well.
After visiting both churches and the bone decorations creating quite a discussion amongst our group, we went to visit the third church on our list , the other UNESCO site, St. Barbara’s Cathedral. I have never seen a more beautiful church and I have been to ones all over the world.
St. Barbara’s Cathedral as we approached the church
St. Barbara’s Cathedral from the front
Walking on the side of St. Barbara’s Cathedral
A unique work of peak and late Gothic architecture. It’s construction was started in 1388 by Petr Parler and his workgroup. Construction was interrupted several times and the monumental cathedral was finally completed after more than 500 years of building (Kunta Hora Tourist Information Center).
St. Barbara’s School across the street from the church
The Shrine of St. Barbara’s Cathedral
The church altar
The holy water at the church
The inside of St. Barbara’s pews
In 1905, in some chapels late gothic murals with mining themes are preserved, the most prized can be found in Smisek Chapel (Kutna Hora Tourist Information Center).
The stained glass windows
The beautiful stained glass windows
Paintings on the walls
The detailed paintings of St. Barbara’s Cathedral
Just walking around the church for the afternoon was a treat. I have never seen such beautiful detail on a church before with all the colorful stained glass windows and elegant paintings on the walls. The churches in this town had so many interesting aspects of carvings and painting to them. This is what the silver mining money of this town bought.
The outside of the church was just as beautiful with all the plantings and gardens. The pathways around the church were so nicely landscaped and there was even a small vineyard on the pathway out of the church.
The views from the church is breathtaking
The vineyard by the side of St. Barbara’s
The saints line the walkway by the vineyard
The views from the church’s walkway
The views looking into downtown Kutna Hora were just amazing. The church was the showpiece of the town and it looked like a postcard.
Me at St. Barbara’s second floor of the church. I wanted to remember this beautiful church.
After we left St. Barbara’s, we had the afternoon to ourselves for lunch and touring. This was my escape time and I wanted to explore the town on my own. There were a couple of suggestions of places to eat as we were walking into town but I wanted to explore Downtown Kunta Hora first and see what it had to offer. It is such a great downtown with lovely shops and some great restaurants.
The Kutna Hora Town Square
While some of my classmates toured the city together, I walked to the middle of the downtown where we were meeting to catch the bus home and walked all the side streets of the town. It was such a cute little town. It reminded me of the towns in the Hudson River Valley with their unique architecture and wonderful restaurants. I just wanted to find something different.
The quaint downtown of Kutna Hora
These planters were blooming all over the square
As I explored the side streets and looked at the menus, I did not want to eat pizzas and hamburgers. I wanted a nice meal but something light because we were having our going away dinner this evening in Prague and I did not need a big meal inside me.
I had passed this open doorway on the side street and peeked inside to find an restaurant that had both an inside dining room and an outdoor café. The weather was so beautiful the entire time we were in the Czech Republic, warm and sunny and in the high 70’s it would be fun to eat outside. Plus they had an interesting lunch menu that was reasonable. This is when I found Restaurant Ctyri Sestry at Havlickova Namesti 512.
What a beautiful restaurant with excellent food and service with views of the gardens and the valley as well. I even had a little cat join me for lunch (I think he was a feral cat as he walked away while I was eating my main course). I was seated in the corner table in the garden area and talk about views. I had the most wonderful of the walled garden that surrounded me and of the valley below with its slopes and small villages.
The outdoor dining
The walled gardens
The walled garden
The beauty of the walled garden where I was sitting
4-
The menu of daily specials in which everything looked good.
The menu specials were very creative and were not the ordinary schnitzels and potato dishes I had seen in other restaurants. It was almost a fusion of Italian and French with a little Czech thrown in. I wanted something on the lighter side but still filling because it was still going to be several hours before we had dinner. So I chose the Cream of Broccoli Soup and the Pork Patties with fresh noodles. Everything was not only excellent but so well presented.
My first course was the Cream of Broccoli Soup
The Cream of Broccoli Soup
The Pork Patties with Fresh Noodles in a Soy Sauce
I had this cat sitting right by me in the garden and I was not sure if it was the owner’s cat or just a feral cat hanging around. I was friendly to it but did not encourage it with food. You can never be sure with a cat. The cat looked more like a kitten was looking at me as I was looking at him.
My lunch companion who never left the dining area
When I was done with my lunch, my little dining companion climbed the wall and walked away through the roof and the gardens. He then just disappeared.
After the wonderful lunch was over, I went back down to the downtown area and visited the pastry shop that was around the corner from the restaurant. I had passed it earlier when I was looking for a restaurant to eat at and I wanted to stop back. The pastries in their cases looked delicious. This is where I found the delicious pastries of Cukrarna U Kraba bakery.
Peeking in the window is what attracted me to the bakery
The amazing pastry case
Picking out the pastries I wanted to try
I was not sure what I wanted to try as everything looked so good but I decided on the one on the top right that was a Vanilla Cream filled Glazed Doughnut and the Red Velvet doughnut with a heavy glaze on the bottom right.
More selection to choose from
Indulging in the delicious pastries of the bakery. A Chocolate covered Red Velvet Cake and a Vanilla Cream filled French Cruller. Yum!
Other wonderful items line the shelves
After a wonderful meal and a phenomenal dessert, it was time to visit the merchants that I saw as I was walking around looking for places to eat. there are some wonderful shops in the town with a lot of handmade merchandise.
Visiting the shops
The beautiful handmade porcelains (was cash only)
An excellent gift shop (with hand made cards)
There was even a Justy’s Café Restaurant which I thought was a good sign
It was back to the town square after the relaxing afternoon of lunch and shopping in the town. The town square was just so beautiful to sit in and relax. It was so nice to just sit back and relax and enjoy the beautiful day.
The elegant statue in Town Square
Relaxing under the trees before the trip home
Admiring the town architecture
Admiring the town architecture
Even the stone walls are attractive here
We took the bus back to the train and the train back to Prague and then we walked back to campus when we returned to Prague. The professor gave us two hours to just relax before we left for our farewell dinner which we would be having at a wonderful restaurant in the Old Town section of the city, Manes Restaurant.
We had a Prix Fixe menu and I had settled on the Goat Cheese appetizer and for dinner I had the Asparagus Risotto. For dessert, we had a refreshing Lemon Sorbet. Everything was so elegantly served and the service at the restaurant was flawless. Everyone was so nice to us and we had the back room all to ourselves. Jana joined us on our last night in the city so it made it special for our class as she became part of our group. The menus were very reasonable.
The Appetizer Menu
Tomato and Mozzarella Salad
The Entrée Menu
Asparagus Risotto
The Dessert Menu
Lemon Sorbet with Fresh Fruit
Our Farewell group shot on our last day of class in Prague. I left the next morning for Palermo in Italy for my brother’s wedding.
Our group shot at our farewell dinner our last night in our Prague class
After the wonderful dinner as over, we took one last trip over the Charles Bridge to see the views of the skyline of Prague and one more tour of the Old Town section of the city. Talk about an excellent view of the city at night.
The Charles Bridge at night with the City of Prague behind it.
After our walk on the bridge, we got the other side and everyone went their own ways. I had to head back to the campus to pack and get ready for a long airplane ride to Palermo (with three stopovers and a ten hour layover. Groan!) We all said our goodbyes and went one our ways. What a wonderful night and what a great class. I learned so much from the experience and from the City of Prague. There is so much potential here and I can see a big influx of American tourism in the future.
I could not put a price tag on what I experienced between my Paris and Prague classes. It was a valuable experience that I will remember for the rest of the rest of my life. Now I just have to finish the homework for the class in Italy (I got an “A” in both classes).
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