Prague

A little behind on blogging, but better late than never.

We spent 5 nights in Prague, probably a few days too many but it was nice to take our time and walk the city. Since Steven had previously been to Prague, he played tour guide for Stephanie.

The main square:

On the hour, hoards of tourists gather in the main square to watch the astronomical clock on the Old Town Hall Tower - two small trap doors open above the clock and small figurines representing Christ and disciples go around in a circle. Not extremely impressive but considering it was constructed in the 15th century, we'll say it's noteworthy.

Goulash is a must in any central European country and Steven definitely had his fill, accompanied by typical dumplings.

We also enjoyed some hot chocolate and these cinnamon bun things - a welcomed treat since it was about 50 degrees outside. BRRRRRR!

After a few days of walking around the city, we figured we should take a day trip and explore another part of the Czech Republic. Karlovy Vary, a cute town known for its hot springs, was a short bus ride away and seemed like a good choice.

The town has about 20 mineral springs and everyone carries these funny-looking porcelain cups sipping mineral water. We each took a small sip with our hands and decided people were nuts for consuming such large quantities of something that tasted and smelled like rotten eggs. But it's a good marketing ploy and whoever thought of it is laughing all the way to the bank.

One of the small springs:

The largest spring:

The suckers, err, tourists, with their cups:

The Grand Pupp Hotel, located in Karlovy Vary, was used in the James Bond film, Casino Royale:



Another interesting tidbit...Karlovy translates to Karlsbad in German and the California city of Carlsbad is named after this city in the Czech Republic.

We ended our visit to Karlovy Vary with a traditional wafer - it looks, and tastes, like cardboard.

Back in Prague, we spent our last day visiting the famous Prague Castle. But first, we had to walk over the Charles Bridge. Fortunately, it's a pedestrian-only bridge - it would be a mess to try and maneuver around massive crowds with cars and trucks.

View of the castle in the background - please note it took 7 tries to take this picture.

We hiked to the top of the hill and finally arrived at the castle. Probably the most notable part of the castle is the cathedral so inside we went to admire the stained glass.

And we had to climb the 287 steps to the top to admire the view of the city:

We walked back down the steps and hobbled back to our hotel with our jelly legs.