That brisk Vienna morning we gathered our belongings and loaded up our small car once again. We were so excited for Prague, but we had no idea how much enjoyment was still to come.

Since breakfast was not included with our hotel in Vienna, we decided to stop at a McDonald's on the outskirts of the city. Once again, it was fancy... Making American McDonald's look pathetic! (What the hell, McDonald's?!) This was longest leg of driving (almost 4 hours) that we faced and we knew we would need food because, without it, there could be murder.

It was probably one of the more dull drives. It was filled with simple sights of rolling fields that went on for miles or should I say kilometers. We passed through a few tiny villages, and eventually found ourselves on the outskirt of the massive city. Thankfully we did not lose our GPS signals on our phones this time, and had an easier time locating the Hotel Majestic Plaza, which was tucked back on a one way street.

Once we were there, we parked our car & brought our bags to the front desk, made arrangements to valet the car, got our room keys and headed up to settle in. However, our main mission was lunch. We headed back out right away toward Wenceslas Square, the main square. We wandered past many restaurants and shops along the way, but wanted to see what awaited us further ahead. There were several options, but I wanted vegetables (and a break from all the bread) & a familiar sense of home so we went to the Hard Rock Cafe since we stumbled upon it during our journey.

One decent cobb salad later & we began to explore the city again. We wandered through the small streets examining the small shops & restaurants, making notes of where we might want to return. I found a shop that I thought looked quite intriguing called Manufaktura (I would return there the next day!), and noticed there were several street vendors selling paintings.

All that aimless wandering really worked up an appetite within us. We ended up stopping at a cafe right next to Old Town Square (which features the beautiful Church of Our Lady before Tyn & The Astronomical Clock). I was able to get a delicious pasta dish filled with veggies which is exactly what my body had been craving. The food was exquisite, and our waitress was fantastic!

With bellies full and our energy levels replenished we were back on our feet and headed out to explore some more... We headed toward the river and walked along its edge for a while, taking in the beautiful lights and the magical views of the whimsical city. From the rivers edge we were able to view Prague Castle.

As we continued on our journey we reached Charles Bridge, and decided to cross. It's structure was hypnotizing, as we had never seen another like it. Large statues adorned each side staring down at you as your cross from one side to the other. An eerie feeling settle in with the light evening fog. As we approached the end nearing the castle we decided to keep going, but unfortunately, we reached a couple dead end, and didn't want to go too far as we were in uncharted territory. We decided to save it for the next day. We headed back across Charles Bridge and marveled at the beautiful tower ahead of us that we would pass through as we re-entered the heart of the city.

To our surprise, the streets became more lively as the skies continued to darken. There were men with large eagles, and one with a trio of tea-cup pigs that just melted my heart. I almost cried with excitement when I saw them & got to give them a little piggy treat. There were people playing music & some pretending to be statues, and others roasting tasty Czech treats like trdelnik (not our favorite thing that we tried). The spirit in the air was lively, more lively than any of the other cities we had been wandering through at night. Prague's winter night life did not revolve around a Christmas Market, something we found refreshing. We were completely beat. Rest was in order. We knew the next day was gonna be a doozy with so much on our agenda.

On our second day we awoke hungry and willing. We headed downstairs and enjoyed a complimentary buffet breakfast full of all the usual European options... eggs, deli meats, cheeses, fruits & veggies, breads, pastries, tea and coffee... We munched until we were satisfied and meandered back out into the chilly Prague air intent on visiting the castle.

All bundled up in our coats we head back toward the river to cross Charles Bridge. Once we crossed over we made the trek up the hill and towards Prague Castle. It was quite the winding adventure, as we made our way toward the stairs to the top which happened to be adorned with a Starbucks just off to the side. We stopped in for a quick bathroom break which required a grueling climb down a steep spiral staircase. Once that was through and we reconvened on top we took a moment to take in the astounding city view atop the Starbucks. Nearby, we found a grouping of "huts" serving up all sorts of delicious-looking snacks and some selling souvenirs and toys. We knew where we would be stopping on our way back!

We arrived in the front square which was a very small park or what was just a large plot of grass surround by interesting architectural buildings. After quick admiration we decided to press on through the gateway that led us to the palace grounds. We wandered through various structured palace walls until we reached St. Vitus Cathedral. A beautiful structure that reminded me of Notre Dame, as they both share in that same Gothic feel.

From the Cathedral we wandered through the village that sits on the Castle grounds. It was a magical area. Different buildings were painted in various colors. The area was lively with students & tourists. It was a morning of shenanigans. We didn't tour the palaces or any of the other tour locations because each came at a price, and we were a little burnt out on tours, so we just laid low on foot. We eventually headed back toward to the entrance, but we did find a fun spot. A small amphitheater. It was quite unusual. The acoustics were amazing! We had a lot of fun playing there for a few minutes, and it even got us interacting with other patrons.

We did stop off at the huts for an amazing snack break. We feasted on mushrooms, a pasta thing, and perhaps a meat dish??? It was soooo delicious!!! A true taste of the Czech Republic, and it was like eating a reward.

We headed back down the stairs to the heart of the city & took in the gorgeous view once again before we crossed the bridge & headed back into town. We were still hungry so when we reached the main square we grabbed some schnitzel & fries from one of the food stands. SOOO GOOD!!!

No longer famished after gorging on fried foods, I found it... one of the fun shops I read about. The egg shop. They had many beautiful hand-painted eggs in all different sizes. I wasn't sure if wanted to dedicate my attention and funds to eggs since I still had my heart on a painting. So once again, we were on the hunt for the spot I had found the day before, but on my second glance, there as nothing for me.

We ended up finding our way back to Manufaktura. I was so excited! I spent some time wandering through & found some great Christmas goodies (one of which is a beautiful painted wooden angel, that I am certain I will love until the day I die).

After some light shopping, Brad wanted to try to different breweries... I'm not a big drinker, so I was interested in a minor pub crawl, but we did find one gastro-pub that seemed interesting. We both ordered our beer and a couple small dishes off the menu & decided to just relax for a bit. It was a nice time relaxing with my favorite man-friend (J.K. I only have one).

When we were ready, we ended up back in the Old Town Square & got to admire the architecture in the day light. We watched the Astronomical clock as it did its hourly performance, then walked through the small church across from the Cathedral. It was a great spot to grab some photos.

We pressed on still to find a very small synagogue, The Old New Synagogue which I believe was the first synagogue in Prague. We were curious and wanted to check it out, so we found the ticket counter a little ways away. The tickets were rather pricey, but we thought we understood what the ticket was for. We thought we were getting a great tour plan, especially for the price. …but we thought wrong. I think Brad considered this to be one the greatest heists of the year because it turns out the only other synagogue we could tour with it was on the opposite end of town, and it would have been difficult for us to get there. In other words, we felt jipped. Jipped by the Jews… and we can say that. Brad’s best friend is Jewish…

When we did the tour of the Old New Synagogue, we went through a tricky-to-operate old wooden door, once through, an elderly woman took our tickets & suddenly it was as if we stepped back in history. It was such a quaint space that I could not help but find it intimate & intriguing. The best part of this tour was this picture of my wonderful husband. It easily makes the top five . The tour was quick since the synagogue was so small, and since Brad was really irked about the ticket prices, we decided to walk it off. I was a little annoyed, but also laughing on the inside.

While on our journey we had the pleasant surprise of finding a performance of traditional dance & music in the Old Town Square. It was fun to watch for a little bit as other patron observed or passed through. We were right by the Christmas Market, and there and much was happening all around us. We eventually branched off into the small streets near by to explore the shops, one of which was an old fashioned toy shop with tons of beautifully crafted wooden toys and puppets. I loved playing with things that I hadn't seen in years. It kept us entertained and warm for a little bit.

As we stood in the toy shop, Brad began craving a beer, so we ended up going into an old fashioned pub-style restaurant near by. The type where they serve up pig knuckles on a wooden cutting board. We got some light food to share and hung out until Brad was ready to go once again. We decided to take the long way back towards our hotel and walked along the river once again. It was a beautiful time to oversee the city in the dense evening air. It was probably one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen.

We were cold and tired, and I could shake the feelings I was having for painted eggs, so we routed our direction toward the main square and made our way into their beautiful courtyard through their french door once again. I quickly perused over the option and settled on 2 beautiful pieces. (This shop is must if you are in Prague. Its a great way to enjoy a Czech tradition.)

Eventually, we did end up back at the hotel. We dropped off all the goodies, and rested for little bit. However, trying to get back up and out of the bed seemed impossible for me. I was exhausted after a long day of exploration and shopping. I knew we needed to eat, so Brad suggested Indian food. A culture food I had yet to try and was hesitant about. (Apparently, they have Indian restaurants in the DRC, who knew...) Indian it was, I wasn't feeling overly hungry, and I knew it would make Brad happy. A dish of chicken korma, basmati rice, and garlic naan; we were satisfied & it was a great surprise for me how much I enjoyed it! That was the night that Indian food became a major craving for me.

The next morning it was time to go. …and off to Nuremberg we went!

ISSUE 12: Prague, Czech Republic 2015