Praha, Lurking Aussies and Hot Wine!

The train to Prague (Praha as the Czech's call it) was uneventful I think because I cannot remember it! The Czech Republic was one of the countries I was most excited for and had heard great things about Prague from other people who had travelled there. Going from a huge city like Berlin to a small city like Prague was great...we were able to walk the city without taking public transport at all.

We stayed at Prague Square hostel, which was clean, in a great location, had free internet and met some kool travelers there as well. Oh, by the way, Europe is crawling with Aussies. They are lurking in every corner. I mention the great things about this hostel now because, for the next couple of weeks of our trip, our accommodation takes a turn for the worst. Cliffhanger!!!

Prague is a beautiful, medieval looking city with the Vltava River running through it and the Prague Castle perched up on the hill overlooking the goings-on. A highlight of Prague is the Charles Bridge (which dates back to the 1350s, holy sh!t that's old!) where there are local artists selling their jewelry, paintings and odds-and-ends all day long. I bought some super kool earrings and a watercolor painting, which I am stoked about. Actually, Jeni and I both bought paintings, and since Prague, we have been hauling around a cardboard tube thing wrapped in a large, orange plastic bag to protect our art. Also, on the Charles Bridge, there is a statue of a saint (both J-Sak and I cannot remember which saint it is at this point on our journey) with relics along the bottom of the statue that everyone rubs. There is a loooonnng line up to rub the relic of a woman on her knees (which is supposed to bring good luck and fertility) and no line up to rub the other relic: a dog. So Jeni and I, thinking we are too clever for words, bound up to the dog relic and rub the shit outta it, getting pictures and what not. Later, on our walking tour of Prague, we find out from our guide that rubbing the dog is BAD luck. Genius.

Old Town Square

The Astronomical Clock

Prague Castle

Me scoping out the goods on the Charles Bridge

To all you Vic Symphony readers out there (Sandy, I know you are a faithful follower!) Dvorak is from Prague and I got a nice pic of his statue. I thought it was pretty kool!

One delicious thing I found popular in the Czech Republic was hot, mulled wine. It is sold on every corner and everyone is drinking it! It is delicious and because I am not too roasty-toasty on my travels, I certainly take advantage of this hot wine situation and drink it fairly often while traveling around the CR.

Weiner & Wine!

 3 days in Prague and now off to a small town in the south: Cesky Krumlov (pronounced Cheskee Krumlov)...this town has been deemed a UNESCO World Heritage site...

A bird's eye view of Prague