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Having been on the road for over five weeks and finally on the home stretch across eastern Europe before our final flights home (to LAX via JFK) across the Atlantic and the continental United States, our three days in Prague were spent recovering from the mad dash around our last few destinations! =)

After our arrival from London, we pretty much made our way to our hostel where we passed out for much of the morning and early afternoon. In fact, we also pretty much slept in until lunchtime on both the second and third days! But even then, we were able to make our way around to see, hear and taste the history and culture of one of Europe’s “most charming and beautiful cities” (the historic centre of Prague is another UNESCO World Heritage site!) thanks to the long summer days where we still had 8 or 9 hours of light even after lunch! =)

Even though I could probably try to organize our activities by day, we ended up visiting some of the same areas across our three days so I’ll just list some of the highlights below before I forget!

One of the defining characteristics of the historic parts of Prague is the cobblestone lanes running every which way between the fascinating rows of colorful and magnificent buildings!

Cobblestone roads

During our three days in Prague, we wandered the convoluted streets, and on several occasions, found ourselves in the fascinating Staromistske Namisti (or the Old Town Square) of Stare Mesto (Old Town). I should note that Prague was one of those cities where very little is translated into English… but at least Czech uses Roman characters which we could read (unlike in India or Egypt!!)! =)

Beautiful buildings facing every which way in Staromistske Namisti with the towers of the Tyn Church in the background

It seemed that something was always going on in the Old Town Square! When we first arrived, there was a big screen set up for the grand final of the EuroCup between Spain & Germany… on another day, there was some military parade/ceremony going on (no idea what because… everything was in Czech! =P)

Czech soldiers at a ceremony in the Old Town Square

And of course, throngs of tourists gathered every hour to watch the Astronomical Clock on the side of the Old Town Hall.

In front of the Astronomical Clock

Not too far from the Old Town Square, heading towards the New Town (which is still old… but hey, there’s even an Old-New Synagogue!), we stopped by the Powder Tower, “the gateway to the Royal Route which leads through the Old Town over the Charles Bridge to the castle up the hill.”

In front of the 65m tall Powder Tower

From the observation deck on top of the tower looking towards the Old Town

View of the Old Town, Tyn Church and the Prague Castle (on the distant horizon) from the Powder Tower

On the other side of the Old Town from the Powder Tower, we crossed over the Vltava River via the Charles Bridge to follow the Royal Route up to the Lesser Town and Castle districts of Prague.

On the bustling Charles Bridge

After crossing the Vltava, and before heading up to the Castle, we went up Petrin Hill where we checked out the Mirror Maze and climbed Prague’s version of the Eiffel Tower… let me just mention that I am afraid of heights… and this tower involved 299 steps around and around the outer steel frame up the 60m tower with the wind blowing and the tower quivering…

Petrin Tower on Petrin Hill

And even though it was somewhat of an unsettling experience for me to climb, there were some fabulous panoramic views of the entire city from on top of the tower and hill.

A glimpse of the Lesser Town… rooftops that seem to point in every direction and not in an orderly grid!

View of the Vltava River, Charles Bridge and Old Town (Tyn Church)

From Petrin Tower/Hill, we made our way up to the Prague Castle which was guarded by a fierce looking soldier. Actually, I think I saw him almost smile when I was lining up my shot… but he quickly resumed his stern demeanor before I could snap away! =)

Guard in front of Prague Castle

We quickly realized that the imposing towers of the Prague Castle that we’d seen from the Old/New Town were in fact, the towers of St. Vitus Cathedral, which has parts dating back to the 14th century but is a mixture of styles ranging from the Medieval to the Renaissance to the Baroque.

Front Towers of St. Vitus Cathedral

Inside St. Vitus Cathedral

Flying buttresses of St. Vitus Cathedral

Also within the walls of Prague Castle, we went down Golden Lane (which is free after 6PM!) and saw this little house where Franz Kafka once lived… for those who don’t remember high school literature… he wrote that wacky book “The Metamorphosis”. =)

By No. 22, the house where Franz Kafka once lived

Way on the other side of the Old Town, we also visited the National Museum located in the New Town.

The National Museum and statue of St. Wenceslas in Wenceslas Square

Inside the National Museum

Earlier, I had mentioned that we not only saw, but also heard and tasted what Prague had to offer… One of our evenings, we enjoyed a concert in the National Museum by the Bohemia Ensemble.

The Bohemia Ensemble in the National Museum

As for food and drinks, we somehow ended up at U Flecku, a local brewery/restaurant since 1499! Not sure what I was actually eating (other than the sausages) but it was pretty good! =)

Dinner at U Flecku

Anyway, that pretty much highlights some of what we did in Prague so I’ll just conclude this update with two nice photos of the Prague Castle skyline and the Vltava River at sunset. =)


Silhouettes of the Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge on the Vltava River

The Prague Castle on the Vltava River

So after three days in our eleventh city, we once again, packed our bags and headed off to the airport for our last two days in our final destination before heading home… Budapest, Hungary!