Kristina's passion for Prague was infectious. Kristina ran the hotel we stayed in. She welcomed us with an enormous selection of tea and sat down with us to make sure we knew that Prague was the greatest city in Europe and showed us the best way to spend our three days there so that we'd agree by the end of our visit. Turns out she was a pretty smart lady.
In the Old Town we saw beautiful buildings with so much decoration it is clear that the builders an architects were artists. The streets are old and decorated, souvenir shops are some of the prettiest we've seen and the smell of freshly cooked tredlnik is everywhere. The main square showcases the most wonderful clock that was confusingly crowded with people, until right on the hour magic happened: puppets came out of the clock tower, automated figures danced causing bells to ring and a trumpeter leaned out of the top of the tower to play for us all. The square had buskers singing and playing, a man blowing enormous bubbles for kids to dance under and a puppet show had elderly couples lining up for photographs. Along the old bridge with statues at regular intervals were many stall holders selling jewelry and art. We picked up some very funky enamel earrings of fish and the Prague skyline.
On day two we explored Lesser Town. We walked up and down hills in a beautiful park, following the old castle wall to the top. At the top we climbed the 299 stairs to the top of the Eiffel Tower replica and looked out at fantastic views of the city. We again walked on the uneven roads and marveled at the beauty in every building. The Castle sits at the top of another hill and looks over the city. We saw the (outside) monastery where they charge exorbitant amounts to see the oldest library in Europe. Inside the castle walls is St Vitus Cathedral which is surrounded very closely by other buildings which makes it feel so special. We saw puppets and slingshots in toy shops and watched the castle guards being terribly serious. On our way home we enjoyed more of the river scenery.
To complete our love story we visited the magic center of the city. On top of yet another hill with beautiful views we walked along the old city walls, saw a gorgeous wooden playground and a surprisingly pretty cemetery beside the church that sits in the center. As Kristina promised, we did feel some magic here.
Oh, and on our way home we found KAKADU: Sydney Store which provided much giggles!
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