Czech Republic, June 20

 We didn't awaken till about 8:00 a.m., then had a lovely breakfast.  While Dempsey had a few errands to run, Alexandra and I headed towards Staromestske name sit, or Old Town Square, easily the most spectacular square in Prague and the traditional heart of the city.  most of the brightly colored houses look to be from the 18th c., but their Baroque facades hide older buildings.  From the 11th c. on, this was the city's main marketplace (on the way to the Square we did encounter a wonderful food and crafts outdoor market, where we spent a substantial amount of time).  it was known as the Great Square, to which all roads in Bohemia led and where merchants from all over Europe gathered.  When the five towns that made up Prague were united in 1784, it was the Old Town Square's Town Hall that was made the seat of the new city council.   For the next 200 years, this square, along with Wenceslas Square, witnessed the country's most violent demonstrations and battles.  Nowadays, it is busy with tourists.  Also, tourists pour into the Square to witness the town hall's astronomical clock chime.  It is an ingenious, complex piece of work, but as we were late for its on the hour chime, we had a look and then passed on to take pictures of the splendid facades of the houses surrounding the square, see the monument to Jan Hus, as well as the Tyn Church and the old St. Nicholas Church.   The Hus monument is the most recent arrival in the square.  it is a turbulent scene of blackened bodies out of which arises the moral authority of Hus himself, gazing into the horizon.  An argument over the sale of indulgences to fund inter-papal wars prompted Hus's unofficial trial at the Council of Constance.   He was burned at the stake in 1415, and the Czechs were outraged.  Ladislav Saloun created the marvelous sculpture on the square in 1900 when the Art Nouveau style Vienna Secession was at its peak.  It was completed in 1915 and is considered a powerful symbol of Czech nationalism. Its inscription reads "Truth Prevails."  We explored the Tyn Church, with its unlike spires, begun in the 14th c. under Charles IV and a source of Czech national pride.  It is also the resting place of the astronomer Tycho Brahe.  Then we went to the Baroque St. Nicholas church, which seemed much larger outside than inside, and, with its undulating shape, proved, at least in my eyes, to be a letdown.  Once away from the square, we sought out a side street and a place to have lunch.  Alexandra had roasted pork and cabbage , while I had goulasch, both of  which were quite excellent.  We returned home to find Dempsey and her son Brian, who had been grocery shopping.  We talked a while, and then Alexandra and I decided to go have our ritual afternoon cappuccino and do some reading and postcard writing at a cafe called Chococafe. Dempsey then met us at Tesco to buy some toiletries and a few more things in the supermarket, and then we returned home by streetcar.  We will have dinner in a few minutes, as Dempsey and Alexandra are cooking salmon and vegetables tonight.  It is wonderful to have such good cooks in situ!  The sky has cleared, for the most part, and it is a glorious evening with light winds and a temperature of ca. 65 degrees.  What a switch from Dallas's 90+ F. onslaught!  it is good to be here!