Praha!

I have to admit, Prague is the first place we have visited where I really felt far away from the US. Untouched by any war in the past six hundred years, the architecture in the city is unlike anything you would see back home. There is so much detail in everything from the doorways, the staircases, even the streets! Everything you see is absolutely beautiful.

The owner of the room we rented ended up being a great Prague ambassador for us. I had called to ask for directions to the house from the train station the day before, when I asked how much a taxi would be, he replied "I will pick you up, no charge". So when we arrived on Monday, there was big Mikael holding a sign with my name on it.

The room was in a beautiful building on Nerudova, which to me was the prettiest street in Prague. We had a large room with rooftop views of the city....fireworks even went off randomly one night, it was awesome!

Once Mikael had checked us in, he gave us the Prague 101. "Don't go to the currency exchanges on the street because they hike up the exchange rates, go to a bank. Never get into a taxi off the street, they overcharge. If you need a cab, I will call you a good company". And then he gave us the usual speech about pickpockets, etc. Then he gave us his phone number and told us to call him if we needed anything throughout the night. In a foreign country it's good to have a go to guy like Mikael, so if you are ever headed to Prague, I highly recommend his place. Check out the website, www.roomsinprague.com. Plus, rooms are only 45 euro a night!

The location couldn't have been more perfect. Up the street from us was Prague Castle, and down the street was the Charles Bridge. I can't quite say I'm a lover of Czeck cuisine either (Goulash?), but we found a great restaurant a block away called Cafe Neruda. For Prague, the restaurant was very modern and stylish (most just look like pubs) and had a really pretty patio. We had an amazing dinner and a couple beers each for $25.

As for sightseeing, we did Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, and walking around the city centre (saw a bunch of churches, can't remember all the names). Then on our last day, I dragged Matt up a moutain to a lookout tower. You had to pay something like 3 or 4 euros to go up the tower, but it was a nice hike and a good break from the city. Here's the view from the top...

We have already been to Austria and are in Paris now, so I will try to get a post on Salzburg up tomorrow (sorry, too busy enjoying the trip!) . Hope all is well back home!