River Vltava and Prague Castle.
We took a night bus to Prague (aka. Praha or Prag) and spent the Easter holidays in the beautiful heart of Czech Republic. To me, the Czechs are best known for two things: they make delicious beer, and produce highly skilled ice hockey players sporting mullet haircuts. Unfortunately the "hockey hair" (or "tsekkitukka") seems to be out of fashion (and hipsters are in), but the beer is as good as ever!
The city was a positive surprise; it is marvelous with its old Gothic churches and Art Nouveau / Jugendstil houses. Prague is quite affordable compared to some other Central European cities, and it is safe for tourists (who were present in huge numbers). The public transportation is convenient and cheap. We got some rainy weather, but it didn't really matter; the old city center is relatively small, and there is plenty to see and do indoors.
I am easily swayed by good food, so it is not a surprise that I fell in love with Czech. The local cuisine is quite heavy but very tasty: lots of meat and yummy sausages, and the portions are big. The Czechs have the highest consumption of beer in the whole world per capita, so I felt obliged to blend in and go with the flow.
My next trip will be reading Kafka while sipping Absinthe.
Horsing around at the Old Town Square.
This is a "párek v rohlíku", a Czech hot dog.
Trdelník is a Czech donut. Good stuff.
Pilsner Urquell - the original pilsner lager. Tank trucks bring this good stuff and pump it directly into restaurants with a hose. How cool is that!
We did a day trip to Kutna Hora. Once upon a time this town was stinking rich thanks to these guys, the silver miners, and competed with Prague.
Bone chapel of Kutna Hora, Sedlec Ossuary.
Yes, they are real human bones.
The ossuary contains skeletons of between 40,000 and 70,000 people.
Very human art.
Back in gloomy Prague.
Inside the majestic St. Vitus Cathedral.
Guard of the castle.
St. Wenceslas Chapel in St. Vitus Cathedral.
Mozart's Don Giovanni in the National Marionette Theatre. I don't always go to opera, but when I do, I prefer singing puppets.
Philosophical Hall of the monastery.
I was hoping to catch the sunrise on the Charles Bridge but it was too cloudy. Sakra! Overcast weather is good for close-ups, though.
My souvenir. Turns out that real Absinthe connoisseurs would snub these cheap substitutes, but for me it is the first encounter with the Green Fairy.
Na shledanou, Praha.