Tuesday, October 1. We were up at 7:00 and had our suitcases out in the hall by 7:30. We had the same breakfast buffet again. It was another sunny but cool day. We checked out of the Park Inn and were on the bus by 9:15. We were still going to tour the Prague Castle in Hradcany before leaving the city.

The traffic was terrible and we barely got to the Castle in time for the 10:00 changing of the guard. It was a simple ceremony, held at the gate at Powder Bridge, but we were still glad we didn't miss it.
 
From there Jutta led us through the Second Courtyard and into the Third, site of St. Vitus Cathedral. The present church was built over a period of almost six centuries (1344-1929) on the site of an earlier one (930).  The front of the Cathedral is so closely hemmed in by a wall of the courtyard that it's difficult to see. The only decent view is from the side or rear. Our group did not go inside, but Jane and I returned and went in in our free time.

Upon leaving the Cathedral, Jutta led us to Castle Square, lined by the Archbishop's Palace and several others.  The First Courtyard and the Castle's main gate face this Square. There is also a great view of the city below. At 10:45 we were finally given half an hour of free time. That's when we went into the Cathedral and took a very quick look around. We were glad that we’d been here before because half an hour didn't leave enough time to see anything. We passed the Old Riding School (1630) and also spent some time walking through the gardens on our way back to the bus.

The bus left at 11:15, heading northwest out of the city toward Dresden. About half an hour later we entered the former Sudetenland. When Czechoslovakia was created out of the defeated Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I (1919), this area was included even though its population was predominantly ethnic Germans. One of Hitler's earliest territorial demands was the annexation of this territory by Germany, and in 1938 that was allowed in an effort to appease him. After World War II the Sudetenland was returned to Czechoslovakia. Most of its ethnic German residents were then deported to Germany, even those whose families had lived there for centuries.
 

Building at Terezin

We arrived at Litomerice at 12:30. This is one of the oldest Czech towns, established in the 10th century. Even under the earliest Slavic rulers, though, it had a high level of German residents. By the 17th century it was predominantly German. Of course, most of them were expelled in 1945.

Jutta led us on a half hour walking tour of the town, including the large Peace Square, surrounded by beautiful old buildings, including St. Stephen's Cathedral (1668), All Saints Church (part from the 14th century), Old Town Hall (1539) and Black Eagle House (1564). The city still has some if its old city walls and bastions, too.


Jutta then took us to a large tavern where we enjoyed a nice lunch, including a half liter of dark beer from the town of Budweiser. We had half an hour to explore on our own before the bus left at 2:30.


We crossed the border into Germany (Saxony) about 3:30 and entered Dresden about 4:00. We were just passing through part of the city to get to the Elbe River, but the traffic through the city was very heavy. We finally got to the ship at 5:30. With the other activities planned, that did not leave time for the mandatory emergency drill, so it was postponed.

MS Rhapsody at Loschwitz Bridge

Beer Garden on bank above ship

The MS Rhapsody was moored in the Elbe almost under the Blue Wonder (or Loschwitz) Bridge (1893) on the east side of Dresden. The crew greeted us efficiently and enthusiastically, and we were soon in our room (103). I went out to explore the area and take some photos. After walking across the bridge, I found a beer garden just reopening after being flooded out in the spring. Soon the sun soon went down and it turned cold.


All the passengers met in the lounge at 6:00 where we were introduced to the entire crew while we had the customary welcoming drink. There was a 30 minute port talk at 6:45, followed by an elaborate Captain's welcome dinner at 7:15. Both the food and its presentation were excellent. After dinner we were treated to live music by our onboard musician, an excellent pianist. The ship had wifi access in the lounge, and later I used the opportunity to retrieve my email from the last few days. We finally got to bed about 11:00.