Prague from the Inside with Sylvia

Another big old breakfast under our belt and we are off again. Today we had a private tour guide that Katie arranged for before we left. To Katie's relief, our guide Sylvia, arrived right at 9 am and we piled into her van. She drove us all over Prague pointing out various architectural styles and putting them in their historical context. We saw some absolutely gorgeous buildings, the exquisite interior of the Imperial Cafe, the huge communications tower that can be seen from all over Prague, a Jewish cemetery, buildings of the communist era and so much more. Trust me when I say we have PLENTY of pictures to show you if you are interested. 

Our time with Sylvia came to an end. We asked her to leave us at a monastery that sits on a hill even higher than the Prague Castle. Once again an absolutely amazing view. We had lunch up by the monastery so we could sample the specially brewed beer. An hour and a half later (clearly they want you to eat and drink for longer than we want to stay) we set off downhill towards the Charles Bridge. The view was incredible so much so that Keith was looking at it and not the treacherous cobblestones below his feet. I had just said to Mike we have to really watch where we are walking when I hear a scream from Christy and Keith is pirouetting down the hill, into the wall, one more turn, miraculously he is still on his feet. I can't imagine how he is going to feel in the morning. 

Per Sylvia's instructions we veered off the main path to see the Lennon Wall. Our assumption is that it as originally painted as a memorial when John Lennon died and has been added to over the years...IMAGINE!

A little further down the path we got to the water wheel bridge. Lovers have put padlocks on the railing to show their love will be there forever. We continue on and reach this little square where this man is roasting pig. It looked delicious but we were still stuffed from lunch. 

Perfect timing it is 3:20 pm and we are at the river's edge. Lets take an hour ride to see the city from the river. Hmmmm...all the boats are leaving at four. Okay this guy says his goes at 3:30. Katie, not trusting him, says we will pay when we get on the boat. So there we are 3:30 no boat, 3:35 no boat, 3:40 no boat...ok the guy was a liar the boat isn't leaving until four. Off we go very happy Katie had saved us a bunch of euros. Up on the Charles Bridge was beautiful. There were people selling jewelry, paintings and photos, artists drawing caricatures and the most gorgeous photo ops. 

We made it across the bridge.It was time to head back to the hotel for a short rest before dinner but how do we get there? We opt for the subway. Unfortunately the ticket lady speaks no English so it takes some time to figure out which ticket to buy and how many of those silly Czech crones it will cost. With tickets in hand we head down, down, down the escalator from the green line to the yellow to our stop at the Florenz station. Yea! we made it thanks to the supreme guidance of Mike Palmer. I would have been lost forever!

7 pm rolls around and it is time for another meal. Off we go armed with better directions and a better sense of where we are. Tonight's restaurant is Cafe Argentina, a steak house. The restaurant is huge and packed with people. We are escorted upstairs to the no smoking nautical themed room. After a lot of pork, it was nice to have some beef. During dinner the salsa dancers came up to entertain us! We couldn't decide whether to clap or give them a score. Obviously we have been watching too much Dancing with the Stars. We actually order dessert...cheesecake, vanilla ice cream coated in pistachios on top of grilled pineapple (sounds terrible, tastes good) and chocolate truffles that were on the menu with some note about them being an aphrodisiac. You can only imagine the comments. Especially after a few bottles of wine. We pay the check and begin our trek back to the hotel. The fog has come in and it is pretty chilly like 30 degrees. We pass one of the many Erotica stores. They are all over and have brought a chuckle each time we have seen one. Now it is bedtime. I am hoping Keith will be able to move in the morning.