Our First Night in Prague!

Leaving rainy London
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Remember how a few days ago, I woke up to a rainy just-wanna-stay-in-bed-in-my-pjs-all-day day? Well, today was another one of those days, only this time I had to get up. Kent and I would soon be on our way to Prague! Because we hadn't gotten to bed until 1 that morning, we woke up early to pack. We took a bus to the tube to a train, and then we arrived at Heathrow.

With plenty of time to kill before our departure, we grabbed a table at Wagamama and ejoyed a leisurely breakfast while doing a little internet surfing about Prague. Most of our research was regarding the nearby city of Cesky Krumlov. A coworker of Kent's had mentioned this place, just an hour from Prague by train, was worth a visit. There's a castle there with, get this, a bear moat! We were both so very excited by this and claimed it a must see on our trip. Bear moat!!

Flying into the sunset
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When we got to our gate, boarding had already begun. Got our seats (Kent let me have the window seat) and got comfy for the 3 hour flight. The ride was a bit rocky, and the passenger in front of me had obviously forotten his deoderant that morning, but ithe than that the flight was an uneventful one.

We arrived safely and on time, and after picking up my luggage we left the terminal and were greeted by our driver. Kent had arranged for a car to pick us up and take us to the airport. Classy! As we slid into the leather seats, we smiled when heard the radio playing The Eagles' "Hotel California". Not long after getting on the freeway, we could see fireworks in the not too distant distance. This only made us smile more. What a welcome!

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We arrived at our hotel, Pachtuv Palace, 20 minutes later and man was it fancy! The Palace was on the bank of the Vltava river, right in the heart of the city. After we checked in and were led to our deluxe room, I was even more impressed. Our new home for the next few days was huge! In addition to the bedroom, we had a huge bathroom, a seperate living room, a kitchenette, and a powder room, all with high ceilings and hardwood floors. The glass chandeliers and heavy embroidered curtains enahanced the rooms' romantic elegance. And what was beyond those curtains you ask? An unbeatable view of the river, the Charles Bridge and the Castle, all dramatically lit up for nighttime. It was an amazing sight. Even more amazing was the allure of the city and we were both so anxious to explore it. We walked a block from the hotel and reached the tower house of Charles Bridge. This 600 year old bridge is the most famous of Prague's bridges. Its popularity is owed to the 30 ornate statues lining the bridge, each one a different religious figure leading to St. Vitus' Cathedral that looms in the hills above ("leading the masses to mass" was the clever guidebook expression). Most figures are various saints and touching certain ones is said to give good luck, or ensure a return trip to Prague. Because the south part of the bridge is currently being undergoing restoration, half of it was closed off to foot traffic making the passage across even more congested than normal. We glanced at the statues through the crowds and quickly made our way to the other side. From the bridge we noticed a few restaurant on the river. As we realized it was dinnertime, finding that retaurant became our new mission. After a few false leads (many places are below street level) we finally found Kampa Park on what we would later learn was the manmade Kampa Island. We were seated in the heated patio area, on the riverbank with a view of the bridge. As we glanced over the menu we realized we had stumbled across a very nice place. As a girl who had survived off of pasta and various squashes for the past 2 weeks, I suddenly had to choose between the only two vegetarian dishes offered: A black truffle souffle with buttered spinach, parmesan fondue and pine glaze or wild mushrooms risotto with garlic foam. At the recommendation of our waiter, I went with the risotto while Kent ordered the steak and potatoes. A bit wary of my decision (not a huge fan of mushrooms), I gobbled down the fresh bread and butter that was brought with our drinks. Little did I know, I had nothing to worry about. As Kent and I took the first bites of our respective meals our eyes widened in surprise. Delicious! Even the mushrooms were good!! We spent the whole meal raving to each other how good it was. Luckily, we weren't too full for dessert. I don't quite remember what we ordered, but it was a variety of sweets, including a chocolate shell filled with cream, a toasted marshmallow and pumpkin flan. The dessert was just as fantastic as the main course and we both agreed it was one of the best meals we'd ever had.

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Afterwards, we walked to another bridge and found Old Town Square. We navigated through the crowds and gawked at the buildings, but it was so chilly that even with a glass of mulled wine, we didn't last long. We headed back to our fancy pants hotel, made some tea and watched some tv (including a German-dubbed South Park) before heading to bed. It had been an exhausting day, and it wasn't long til we were both snoring.