7/28 Today we said 'arrivederci' to Italy, but not without one last 'hurrah'. While there are many ways one might get to the airport from Venice, the most direct (and certainly most invigorating) is by water taxi - a gondola ride on steroids. After breakfast with the help of a porter we wheeled our baggage to a the side of a small canal a few alleyways away from the hotel where we boarded a speedboat with room for perhaps a dozen passengers and a fare meter - aka: a water taxi. After climbing aboard, our pilot backed out of the side channel and into the Grande Canal. He proceeded to out and around the island at a slow pace - there being strict speed limits in the canals due to the damage waves from boat wakes can have on the old buildings. It was a nice last chained to see some of the sites and enjoy the ambience of Venice. But once around the island he put it into high gear and following a clearly marked channel bordered by dispersed but regularly spaced wooden pilings, he crossed 'the lagoon' all the way to the airport which has a special docking station a seven-minute walk from the terminal. The entire trip took about forty minutes, during which Lyn and Joe stood at the back of the boat enjoying the rush of air, the blues of sea and sky, the skyline punctuated by church domes and towers, and the sea birds coming and going. Wonderful!
Once in the airport we could have been anywhere in the world. The immediacy and intimacy of Italy fading before our eyes - but not our memories! As we stood in line waiting to board the plane, two young ladies overhearing our (to them) amusing attempts at pronouncing some basic Czech salutations, helped us a bit. An hour and a half later we were landing in Prague! The Zenisek homeland! Joe could feel the resonance in his genes as stepped onto Czech 'soil'.
Lyn's brother, Mamer, met us right as we entered the terminal from the plane - the privilege of being a diplomat! It was nice to receive a warm welcome by a familiar face at this midpoint in our escape to the continent. We loaded our luggage into his car and he drove us to their flat in the city, maybe thirty minutes from the airport. Once there, Mamer had to go back to work at the embassy and we were left alone for a couple hours to catch up on sleep - a welcome nap. As we would be in Prague for several days we felt we could afford the indulgence! Shortly after we awoke, Merlines - Mamer's wife got home from work and shortly after, whisked us away for an introductory walk through the city. Little Matthew - their five year old son joined us as we walked from the residential neighborhood where their flat is located, through Namesti Miru square, then onto the National Museum, which houses some artwork by František Ženíšek - a relation of uncertain connection which we will have more to say about later, and continuing in a northwesterly direction, to the Old Town Square and across the Vlatave River on Charles Bridge - famous for the parade of statuary that runs along both sides of the bridge, 600 years of use for "processions, battles, and executions". Along the route Serge sampled Czech sausage, little Mathew called out the numbers on all the trams (streetcars) that passed us, and Joe and Matthew had a continuous game of 'opposites' ("I say, YES!" - "I say NO!"). On first impression, Prague reminded us somewhat of Portland - lots of streetcars and busses sharing streets with cars and pedestrians on streets lined with shops on the ground floor and residential housing above. The architecture however was predominantly Romanesque. As we ventured closer to the Old Town Square, however, the city began to reveal more of its medieval roots. Many streets are narrow and open only to pedestrian traffic - a European feature we wish our fair city would emulate.
By the time we navigated through the crowds and art booths to return back across the bridge, it was time to take a tram back to the flat and have a delicious home cooked meal of prawns, spicy crab and rice (thank you Mamer and Merlines and good night!).
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