Prague

Prague, you guys. It's a pretty WOW sort of place.
(WOW as in a synonym for amazing, incredible, awe inspiring. Not World of Warcraft. Just wanted to clarify.)

Prague did not get bombed during WWII. And then spent many years under communism. Which means that the place doesn't look overly modernized. The old world charm is still abundant. So every time we turned a corner my jaw would drop because it was just that amazing, incredible and awe inspiring.

I mean, just look at this! Am I right or am I right?!

But it's crowded. Prague is not one of your best kept secrets anymore. The tourists have descended en masse. Or maybe it's just because we were there over a weekend? Well, regardless....people everywhere. Somehow this didn't bother me as much as I would've thought. Maybe because I was too busy saying, "Wow!!!"

Prague Castle is apparently the biggest castle complex in the world. And we got there right in time to see the changing of the guards. And okay, it's not quite as elaborate as the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace in London....but it was still pretty cool.

Do you think these guards are more entertained or bugged by tourists taking their pictures in front of them all day, every day? Or do they just roll their eyes behind those sunglasses and consider us to be ridiculous?

(Funny side note: After I got home from Europe I started reading a book that took place in Prague. The main character was an American girl who was doing some historical work in Prague Castle. It was kind of fun reading the descriptions of the setting considering I had just been there. A mention was made a few times of this statue....the character called it "the sexy stabber." Which made me laugh because when I saw him and took his picture, I thought he looked a lot more menacing than sexy. But to each her own, yes? Side note over.)

Prague Castle is being used today as the presidential offices so when we went in, we were only allowed to tour about 10%...mostly just the ballroom and the throne room.

I was near the back of our tour group and right behind me was a family with two small children. They didn't speak english...but I saw the little girl point to these crown jewels...the scepter, the orb and the crown while excitedly speaking to her parents...and heard the words "Elsa!" and "Frozen!" It made me smile.

In the Castle Complex was Golden Lane...where the goldsmiths and alchemists had once worked and lived. Now it's more of a museum/souvenir shop area but still rather charming.

St. Vitus Cathedral is also part of the Prague Castle complex...but more on that later.

Eventually we made our way out of the Prague Castle complex, out into the surrounding city and onto the famous Charles Bridge.

On our way up to the Charles Bridge we passed the love locks. I had heard of this in France but apparently there are many cities throughout Europe that have something similar, and Prague is one of them...where padlocks are attached to some famous bridge by sweethearts who then throw the key into the river below to symbolize their everlasting love.

We were warned to watch for pickpockets on Charles Bridge...or more specifically, watch our wallets, purses and cameras seeing as pickpockets are so sneaky we probably wouldn't even notice them. And we were all appropriately wary after Linda had her wallet nicked in Venice a few days earlier.

We walked over Charles Bridge (where I determined that we were moving far too fast and started making mental plans to return another day to really take it all in) and into Old Town Square....

Those towers are called the Adam and Eve towers...the taller one being Adam watching over and protecting with his shade, the smaller Eve tower.

And that grey building in the middle? That was where Albert Einstein lived when he taught at Charles University.

We stopped at the Astronomical Clock Tower....as did hordes of other people. Built in 1418, it still works and does the "walk of the apostles" every hour. Considering the crowds I expected it to be a bit...well, more. But our guide did warn us that it was overhyped. And still, it was pretty fun.

But this is my favorite picture....all the tourist with their cameras up in the air.

We decided on dinner in the Old Town Square piazza before heading back to the hotel for the night. Yummy food, but trumping even that...wow, what incredible atmosphere to be enjoying while sharing a meal with friends.

 Yes, that was my own personal pizza in front of me. And no, I wasn't able to finish it.

And then of course we had to get our gelato in for the day...

More Prague soon....