New Prague, MN.

When we found on the map a town of New Prague nearby, we decided to take a day trip to find out what it's all about. This is mostly because Mirek is Czech, and we had spent two wonderful summers in this beautiful country and saw the "real thing", Prague.
This tower with a Czech flag was greeting us when we were entering the town.
We strolled down the street and had coffee with pastries in "Lau's Czech Bakery". There was a greeting by the entrance and a few words inside the bakery written in Czech. "Welcome to Lau's Bakery. We accept out of town Czechs" sign made us laugh.
We stopped by the Chamber and picked up a few facts about the town. New Prague, a progressive small town founded in 1856, is rich in historic Bavarian and Bohemian culture, with a thriving agricultural and business community.
"Dozinky", a Czech Harvest Festival patterned after the "old country" original, is held on the third weekend of September each year. The festival features a Classic Car cruise Friday evening. Saturday activities include the parade of Farm Pride, singing and dancing, a variety of Czech and German Foods and a Beer Garden.
Then we took a tour of St. Winceslav's Cathedral, that is a big attraction in the town. The cathedral is built in memory of the first Czech King Vaclav, or Winceslav.
An elederly lady greeted us inside. We had a few questions to ask, but she seemed to be reluctant to talk. She was covering her mouth, smiling, and explained:" Oh, I left my dentures at home, so I can't really talk. There is a storm coming, so I ran to church to get some holy water".
Trying a hand (and feet!) at playing an organ was an extra treat. A 17 year old boy was practicing while were downstairs. It was very nice of him to show us the instrument and let us try to play it. Apparently, you need special shoes to be able to play the down keys. My sneakers were too wide. The top keys were made from ebony. And there were 2,152 pipes in this organ. When we were leaving he got back to playing Bach again.

We, too, needed to head home, as the storm was approaching.