Checking Out the Czech Republic (Prague)

Melody of the Day: The Humoresque No 7 in G Flat Major for Piano by Dvorak (a Czech composer).
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmAZoexenx8

We spent two days in lovely Prague, and the city was a delightful surprise.  We didn't know much about the city before we went, and added it to our itinerary shortly before we left because of others' recommendations.  Prague was generally untouched during WWII, lending to it's old-world charm today.  We learned that Hitler actually liked the city and pretty much let it be during the war, and therefore most of the buildings are original (and absolutely lovely).  There is somewhat of a dreariness to the overall skyline, but that only lends to its charm.  There were only 2 bombs that hit the inner city, and one of them destroyed a building that all the locals thought was ugly anyhow (a blessing in disguise?).  Prague is also known as the "City of a Hundred Spires."  The architecture reminded us very much of Russian architecture, with the bulbous building tops and spires at the top.  Unfortunately, it rained for much of our time there (and this rain was apprarently meant to follow us around Europe, but more on that later).  Luckily, we were able to do some exploring.  On our first night, we checked into our hostel and headed out to explore with some bar recommendations from the guy at the front desk.  We checked out a jazz bar (jazz was huge there) and then found a fun place called The Pub.  The tappers were at the tables, and you were able to pour your own beer without waiting for a waiter/waitress.  The coolest part was that there was a screen at the table and you could keep track of how much beer each customer poured and could also order food from it.  I tried the traditional Czech goulash (but wasn't able to eat too much... too meaty) and Jon got a hamburger (he was feeling gutsy lol).  The bar also had a huge screen at the back that kept track of each of the Pub bars in Europe and you could compete with the other bars over how much beer was drunk (binge drinking anyone?).  We headed back to the tram over the Charles Bridge, the most famous bridge in Prague.  It was absolutely stunningly beautiful to see the castle over-looking the town, the water, the full moon.  *Sigh*

The largest bill we've ever seen!

The next day, even though it was rainy and cool, we decided to do a walking tour of the city. Thanks to our hostel, we were able to get a 6-hour walking tour for half off, and I think you all know how we like a good deal!  We were able to see the national museum, the astronomical clock, and a giant metronome with "Tears of Stalin" in huge letters in front of it.  This is where a statue of Stalin once stood, looking tyrannically over the city.  We also were able to take a boat out on the river, eat lunch at a local restaurant (we tried the traditional fried cheese, just like Wisconsin's!), and finished the day off at the Prague castle, which overlooks the city and offers a fantastic view. That evening, we did a bit of resting and then headed out one last time for dinner (pizza...again).  We got a bit lost trying to make our way home as we had to use a different late night tram.  It was cold, and I panicked (just a bit).  Thank goodness Jon is always so calm and reasonable in those situations.  He's constantly reminding me "it's all part of the master plan," and he's right!  We made it back, got a little bit of rest, and in the morning it was off to Berlin!

Prague Castle

The city of Prague from the castle