Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Got a late start today to catch up on rest. We wandered over toward Old Town, but didn’t quite make it. We quickly visited St. Joseph’s Church near our hotel. This is a tired-looking Catholic church, smaller than others in the area, with graffiti outside the courtyard. Inside, the church was modestly decorated although with a few more than the minimum requirement of Catholic statuary and figurines. Immediately next to St. Joseph’s was a very modern, glass-fronted building, The Palladium.

The Palladium was a surprise. Its showy front did not look all that big, but inside it was a full-sized, modern shopping mall with five levels and many American brand stores. We found a pet supply store and selected a few gifts for Josephine (it’s a surprise; don’t tell her!).

Speaking of dogs, the Czechs love their dogs. We saw many dogs on the streets and even inside attractions. Dogs are welcome on public transportation as long as they are leashed and muzzled. Well, supposedly so. We saw many dogs on trams and the subway (Metro) that were neither leashed nor muzzled. On the streets as well, even busy streets, unleashed dogs stayed close to their masters and strode along as part of the crowd. Never did we see one of these dogs stray too far or riskily enter the street.