D16 – CRUISING TO PRAGUE: PIECE OF CAKE

Driving to Prague was easier than one could expect. We resumed our now expected 100+ MPH on the autobahn and only knew we’d crossed into Czechoslovakia when the top speed dropped to 120 KPH (approx 74 MPH) and the roadsigns displayed language with a lot of accents and missing a lot of vowels.  No border guards, no passport showings, no Carnet de Passage books, no passport stamps…nothing.

Schatzie, our GPS, was not fazed by the change in language, speed limit or road smoothness. To her it was a piece of cake. We were sailing along when the warning signs signaled a detour. The autobahn had come to a sudden end. She deftly moved us along with left and right turns until we passed the same brewery we had passed earlier. Only after we’d passed the brewery for the third time did we suspect there was a problem. Basically, we were in a mobius loop with little hope of emerging. No amount of resetting the GPS for Prague seemed to work.

After quickly exhausting our own solutions, we pulled into a service station with the presumption someone would know the local roads and conditions. There were at least nine people in the cashier line when I asked in a loud, but friendly voice, “Does anyone here speak English?” The room grew suddenly quiet, like I’d said something really improper in the Czech language. Some looked at the ceiling, others stared at their shoes while the remainder shook their heads slowly.

I showed them the Garmin GPS map display and they all laughed because they were familiar with that detour. It started a spirited discussion on how to solve the problem of the confused GPS that didn’t know another way to Prague. All were speaking at once when the the cashier finally took command and entered a different name into the GPS. His idea, communicated by gestures, penciled arrows and hand waving, was to fool Schatzie by asking for directions to a nearby town on a back road to Prague. On arrival at that town, we had only to change the direction to Prague. The group applauded the clever solution but we went on our way with a certain amount of trepidation.

Well, it worked! An outsmarted Schatzie guided us in to Prague well before sunset, giving us time to explore the Charles Bridge that crosses the Voltava River.

It is now a pedestrian pathway that seems to draw an unreal amount of people going nowhere and in no hurry to get there. We plan to walk it again tomorrow to find a reason for the attraction.

We offer you a friendly “Ahoj” from Prague.

Louise and Ray