Czech out our visit in Prague.

Prague, Czech Republic - Our second major weekend trip, and our second new country! It was also a celebration of Penny’s birthday. Prague is a bit further away (a whole 6 hrs! Required a train & plane combo), but we are still amazed and loving how easy it is to get to whole other countries! Overall, even though we were still relatively close geographically, it is very easy to see and feel the distinct differences these countries represent.  Prague felt distinctly eastern european. It looked different, the people were different, and the language was definitely different. That said, we loved it. Prague was beautiful, easy to navigate, and very interesting.  

Other thoughts about the weekend (from Penny):  Those that know me know that I LOVE celebrating my birthday. While it was great to be in a brand new country with amazing things to see on my birthday….it did not at all feel like my birthday.  Scott did his very best to make me feel special, but was just another day on holiday.  I really really missed my friends and family, and being able to celebrate with them.  Note to self - always make sure you are home for your birthday!!  

The detailed account of our weekend is below…..

Prague Castle view from hotel room

Charles Bridge

Our first night in Prague was spent walking around in Old Town a bit and then across Charles Bridge. This is a 14th century stone bridge with 75 statues on it that connects Lesser town to Old town. It wasn't too busy in the evening as we walked across, but we could instantly see the appeal. It is an amazing bridge with great views of the castle and the city and only open to pedestrians.

We walked through Old town on our way to the Prague Beer Museum, a pub with 30 Czech beers on tap. It wasn’t ideal with all the smoking inside, but we couldn’t pass it up with the choice of beers. Scott couldn't just have one, so had a five taster.

Scott's 5 taster and Penny's Wit

30 beers on tap!!

As we got back to our hotel we had a great view of Prague Castle lit up for the evening. It looks quite amazing.

Prague Castle at night.

Saturday (Happy Birthday Penny!!!) was started off with something called Mindmaze. We went into a room with a puzzle about finding the alchemist's stone. We had 60 minutes to successfully find our way out. There were clues and extra stuff in the room, which helped (or hindered) us figure out how to get out of the room. We had a walkie talkie to ask for clues if we got stuck. We had to ask for 3 clues to successfully complete the task. We had to use keys to open locks, which led to other keys or locks that opened drawers or cabinets. It was quite fun and we highly recommend it to anyone who goes to Prague.

From here we walked around Old town starting with the Powder Tower (Prasna Brana). It gets it name because it was the tower where all the gunpowder was stored in the 17th century. Next to this is the Municipal House.

Powder Tower

Municipal House

We then walked over to Old Town Square, which has the Old Town City Hall which has a viewing tower and the Astronomical Clock as part of it. We went up in the tower for the views. The last part of the climb up was a short spiral staircase and interestingly - it had a stop light, letting you know when you could safely go up or down without running into traffic from the other direction. What a great idea!

Stop Light for Spiral Stairs

Church of Tyn

Old Town Hall

Church of St. Nicholas

Astronomical Clock

There were a couple of churches in the square, a palace, and a monument. We happened to be there on the day they opened their carnival, so had some extra festivities going on as well with people wearing masks, playing music, dancing, and singing. Great atmosphere even without being able to understand the songs.

Old Town Square from above 

Band playing Czech folk music

We were told we needed to try the goulash and dumplings in Prague, so gave them a try in a Prague restaurant. Not exactly what I expected as I envisioned more of a soup for the goulash and noodles rather than bread for the dumplings. Still good!

Goulash and Dumplings

We walked around the Jewish Quarter, but didn’t go into any of the synagogues as they were all closed on Saturday. On the outside they don’t look to be spectacular buildings, but are supposed to be ornate inside.

Penny's Birthday Dinner

Sunday we went to Prague Castle. The Golden Lane actually reminded us of a castle. Basilica of St George was an old church which was not renovated, so you could see where the paintings had faded. The Old Royal Palace had a massive exhibition hall and rooms with the coat of arms for the various land and office holders of the region. St. Vitus Cathedral was quite nice and had several lovely stained glass windows.

Basilica of St. George

Window in St. Vitus Cathedral

Old Royal Palace

Gates to Prague Castle

We went to Petrin Park to go up in Petrin Tower, made in the likeness of the Eiffel Tower. Excellent views of Prague and the castle.

Petrin Park

Petrin Tower

Prague Castle view from Petrin Tower

Charles Bridge and Old Town view from Petrin Tower

Monday we took a 40 minute train ride to Karlstijn to see the awesome Castle there. It was closed, but read the inside wasn’t as nice as the outside. Penny thought we might be able to get in if she knocked on the door, but they couldn’t see her through the peep hole.

Karlstijn Castle

Penny knocks to get in!