Czechoslovakia 1991

(Except Prague)

In 1991 we arrived from Poland and found, on the Czechoslovakian side of the border, a block or two of dozens of buses filled with workers. It appeared they had been there for hours, and there was no sign they were going anywhere, soon.

We think perhaps the roads in Czechoslovakia are in good shape because there is little traffic to wear them out. An old lady was pushing a huge cart filled with vegetables, but we saw no place nearby that appeared to be either the origin or the destination of her journey. She will be taking a long walk.

It’s nice to see that rather than shade trees, the trees along this road are apple trees, and people make use of the fruit. This part of Czechoslovakia has dozens of steeples that are of a beautiful and varied design. We also see many little churches that, while of a pleasant design, appear to look very much alike.

We drove around in Brno awhile, then found ourselves driving right down the main pedestrian-only shopping street. The streets we passed were too narrow, or one-way the wrong direction, so we could find no way to leave. The strollers and shoppers acted as if they expected to see American Tourists in a German RV, driving down their pedestrian-only street.

We found there was a four-lane Freeway that led to Prague, 140 miles away. We looked for campsites as we drove, and after getting off the freeway and futilely following signs two different times, decided to forget it. Finally stopped at a station for fuel and information. They would accept special Diesel coupons or our Visa card, and they provided directions to a campsite.

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After we left Prague, on our way to Dresden, Germany, we found a street market right in front of the Cloister of Doksany, a large church with a group of beautiful old buildings that will be delightful after they have been renovated.

At a large rest stop where we stopped for lunch, we saw another wrecked and destroyed automobile, as we have seen elsewhere in Eastern Germany, Poland, and in Czechoslovakia. The chassis was stripped for parts, and what remained was used to work off aggression. It appeared that people stop and use a sledgehammer to pound on the vehicle's skeleton. Fresh bangs would be obvious on old rusty wrecks. At one place (forgot which country) we actually saw people swing a hammer.