The Magic of Prague

Okay. I will admit that I am a bit of a snob. I like good things, good wine, good friends and chips and salsa. What a surprise to find the first and last one is Prague of all places.
Last week, I was wondering if we should really go. The tickets for the overnight train were expensive and everyone kept telling me how awfully cold it is there and I wouldn't sleep on the train. There are two things I don't tolerate well at all: being cold and being tired.
I also wondered if I would miss Thanksgiving dinner. Last year, we went to the club on base and then left for our trip (what a memory that is with JDW throwing up all over the place as we walked in).
But we went even though Julia had had a 104 fever the day before! We drove 15 minutes to the Pordenone train station and hopped the 9 o'clock train to Udine where we took the 11 o'clock pm train to Praha/Prague. Our steward was fabulous and brought the girls souvenir tickets. He was from Vienna. A friend of mine warned me the cars were dirty, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was glad she suggested pillowcases and blankets as the pillowcases were lacking the blankets scratchy. The car really was clean - just old. We also received 4 bottles of free water. WOW. I truly deserved a whole case after what we paid plus dinner, drinks and b'fast, but alas, we didn't get any of that. The girls quickly conked out, but Michael and I were up as Julia coughed most of the night.
The next morning we arrived in Prague around noon with the sun shining! Yeah. The lady whose apartment we were renting sent her driver to pick us up at the train station. This was so much better than figuring out public transportation after no sleep. Our apartment (found through Rick Steves) overlooked the River in the Jewish Quarter. Jacqueline quickly spied the ice skating rink also in front of the building. Lidia walked us over to a sandwich shop for lunch. It was hard getting use to their currency since lunch cost 500 crowns (100 = 5 dollars). As you can see, food wasn't cheap. Lidia was stunning - She had long dark hair, slimly built and tall with a stunning red coat on. I know my mouth was hanging open when she came out of the door. I expected someone who looked German.
We came home after lunch and slept. It felt so good. We then headed up the street to another Rick Steves recommendation: Bohemian Bagel. Now, I know we should have eaten Czech food, but we didn't. After eating as much pizza and pasta as we do, we craved American food. I was absolutely thrilled to see a turkey sandwich with stuffing and gravy on it and a side of cranberry sauce. Hallelujah! I had my turkey in Prague. It was so decadent with the stuffing on the sandwich. There was also a playroom for kids. Michael and I also got to have a conversation along with him eating a Philly Cheesesteak (surprisingly good). Whoo Hoo! We sat near some Americans who just moved to Prague and we spoke with them a bit about living abroad. Oh. And I had Bailey's cheesecake for dessert. It melted in my mouth. I want to go back just to eat here again.
The next day we toured around Old Town and Wenceslas Square (which isn't a square) and yes, had a coffee drink at Starbucks. We happened to sit down by some Texans from Katy. We just wandered around the city looking at the sights and walked along the river. Jacqueline and Michael went ice skating that evening.
Okay, so we had to finally get a move on the next day. We hit the Castle Quarter - on a hill in Prague you see a church standing out above the city - it is a magnificent sight. I really enjoyed the architecture of Prague and all the windows dressed for Christmas (especially Louis Vitton as it had crystals suspended from the ceiling with the purses dangling in between). It was kind of like being in NYC to look at its windows as many of the stores are the same.
We also saw a wedding at the Town Hall. The girl was wearing a 1980's wedding dress - pouffy for miles and miles and miles. We also enjoyed watching all the barely there mini-skirts and lepoard jackets and fur coats (my gosh, I couldn't believe the number of furs).
Back to Castle Quarter, we walked over to catch the tram up to the castle. Well, we got on the tram going the wrong way. We didn't get off either as Rick Steves said this tram was a good way to see the city for cheap. Well, he was right, but I don't recommend it! We saw the suburbs and everything in between. I do have to say it was worth it for one thing. As we changed trams there was a drunk guy on the tram behind us. The conductor got on board and literally drug him down the stairs by the lapel of his coat. His head went thwap, thwap, thwap against each step. We all just stood there with our mouths hanging open aghast. Jacqueline asked me what was wrong with him. I told her he was drunk and explained to her what that was. She looked at me shaking her head and said "I am NEVER getting drunk." I will forever reminder her of this story.
We really enjoyed the church and the quarter once we got there. I can't imagine what Prague is like in season. It was pretty crowded out of season. It was interesting seeing the tomb of Wenceslas as I love that carol. We also loved the Loreta church with the frescoed courtyard. It also helped that the organ was being played.
We walked back down the hill to our apartment as there was a Mexican food place across the street from where we were staying! The chips (very salty) and salsa were terrific as was the guacamole. I had nachos while Michael had a burrito and the girls a quesadilla. The food was all good and plentiful. I washed it all down with a margarita, of course.
After our dinner, we went to Bethlehem Chapel for a concert by the Royal Prague Symphony. The girls lasted 30 minutes, which was great! I didn't bring anything for them to do or else they would have lasted longer. I wanted this Chapel to be beautiful, but it wasn't. It was a white square with some frescos. Prettier on the inside than out.
The following morning the kiddos and Michael went to b'fast at Bohemian Bagel. I ran over to St. James Cathedral. Absolutely incredible fresco's again. The hanging hand was a nice touch. I went over to the Mucha Museum too. I gathered the troops and we watched the Astronomical clock chime on the hour. We then headed over to Little Quarter again to take the funicular up to the Perin hill where there is a mini Eiffel tower. The view was incredible. The weather was warmer on Sunday and we had blue skies. We also hit the mirror maze. JDW and JLW loved it, but it only had two rooms and was short - we were there maybe 15 minutes. We headed back down the Hill, picked up some artwork and walked across the beautiful Charles Bridge as the sun was setting. What a sight. It will forever be ingrained in my head since my camera died.