We arrived in Prague in the late afternoon and got cleaned up before heading out on the town. Prague's compact city center made it simple to explore the tight cobblestoned streets and grand squares. As the sun was setting, we began to get hungry, so we stepped into a nearby pub on a popular square. We soon realized we were the only non Czechs there, always a good sign. We were seated at a table in the dining room that resembled an old vaulted cave, and two huge 1/2 liter pilsners were slapped down in front of us - good introduction to the land of beer! To accompany our incredibly smooth beers, we ordered off the Czech menu, not knowing what we would end up with. We had hit the mark, though, and filled ourselves on traditional meat with knedliky (bread dumplings), smothered in sauce. Yum, and super cheap too!

The next morning we wandered over the famous Charles Bridge, built in 1357. Even early in the day, it was packed with tourists, jewelers, and artists. We crossed the bridge and hiked up the hill toward the Prague Castle, a dominating edifice jutting out from the skyline high above the city. The castle itself is huge, with its central showcase the Vitus Cathedral. The beautiful gothic cathedral took almost 600 years to complete!

Vitus Cathedral, in the last picture you can see the Charles Bridge

We wove our way through the throngs of tourists, exploring the rest of the castle, ducking into small alleyways filled with soap shops, cafes, the dungeon complete with torture devices. From the breathtaking views from atop the fortress, we could see how this would be a sensible place to build a castle. Below are pictures of the royal residences, including the great hall, as well as a side room decorated in coats of arms.

Very old books

The following day, we spent most of the time exploring the Stare Mesto, Prague's Old Town. The Tyn Church lit up at night is an incredibly magical and romantic sight. Just adjacent the church is the Old Town Hall's clock tower. Each hour, as the bells toll, the astronomical clock clicks into action with an animated ditty. It seems very cute now, but I can imagine that when it was first built in 1410, it must have been quite an amazing mechanical feat. Now, as the hoards of tourists gather to simultaneously gawk at the clock, it serves the sly pickpockets well!

The Tyn Church and the clock tower

In the evening, we got tickets to see Mozart's Don Giovanni opera. It was housed in a magnificent old opera house, decorated in heavy velvet and gold trimmings. After our high-cultural exploits, we headed out to the pub for some more great Czech beer. We found a very traditional ale house complete with giant pretzel bar snacks. A good end to our Prague experience.