Praha 30, or Dane Plays Cheery Tour Guide for the Masses

Here's the famous Astronomical Clock at night. Why is it famous? Why, because it's a really complicated clock that not only measures time, but zodiac signs. And they apparently built it in such a time when such mechanical complexity was unheard of! Currently, it's one of the most profitable spots for pickpockets in Prague. Every hour, on the hour, some bells play, and little mechanical people twirl in circles for the entertainment of the masses of tourists...tourists that are too busy trying to watch the clock to notice their pockets!

Here is a shot of what I affectionately call the Communist Tunnel. It's fairly close to my apartment, and serves as a safe way to cross the three-lane highway - just go under it! This picture was taken at night, so there's no way to see the food vendors that are usually on the left-hand side. But Communist Tunnel, you ask? Yes! The first time I walked through this tunnel, with its many peeling layers of musical and political flyers, my imagination went alight with visions of resisters, meeting in this tunnel to plot to overthrow the government.

And here is a beautiful sight - a busy worker at a klobasa stand, the Czech's mighty response to the pitiful American hot dog. These things are large and delicious, and I never, ever want to know what's in them. You can choose to eat them in a soft bun, or plain on a paper plate, with a slice of chleba to sop up th grease and mustard. Nevertheless, they are among the best things to eat in Prague, if you have no objection to committing suicide by a self-induced heart attack!

Hope you've enjoyed this part of the tour, folks! Next, we'll encounter a Czech tram conductor, and poke him with a stick to get the genuine "service with a snarl" experience that's so familiar in these Bohemian parts!