Last time, my family was enroute to Europe. You could think of it as a once-in-a-lifetime vacation to celebrate Mom's progress against her cancer. We *almost* missed our plane from London to Prague, but it worked out in the end.
We arrived in Prague in the late afternoon. We could have run around town or gone to a restaurant, but instead we all slept. =) When we awoke, it was too late to go out, so Auntie Nancy made a dinner of tea, fruit and Clif bars. It was great. =)
As my sleeping schedule was already night-prone, I made use of it. After a short nap, I walked from our hotel to the Charles Bridge, before dawn.
The streets were quiet and calm. Love it.
The only people on the bridge were other photographers. =)
Charles Bridge has many statues along it. Many are of Jesus.
The Jesus statue from another angle. Do you see the massive buildings in the background? That's Prague Castle. We would go there later, and look down at this bridge.
On my way back, I found a subway. Oops, a Subway! I enjoy seeing familiar stores.
The entrance to our hotel, "
Alchymist Prague Castle Suites." I didn't really know what accommodations Mom and Mary had agreed upon, but this was basically a 5-star hotel. It's not a giant hotel building (only 11 rooms?), but it was spacious. The hotel even has a butler.
One good/bad thing is that the hotel has free brunch. I say good/bad because we didn't want to waste the brunch, so I'd eat it for breakfast and lunch. And then I'd be too full to try other place in town.
But actually, the brunch was great! It makes me hungry just seeing these photos again. Besides the ample spread, you could also order food from the waiter for free.
After brunch, we went up to Prague Castle. I walked there, while the others took a taxi since it was a bit far for Mom. The walk to the castle involved *a lot* of steps, but actually it was pretty awesome how many there were! And they were really wide, so it was different.
Mom and I resting in the castle complex.
Inside a church in the castle. I hope Mom enjoyed looking around. (Her vision's been a little poor.)
Auntie Nancy led Mom around most of the time. So glad she came. =)
I don't recall what they were looking at here, so this is funny to me. Weren't there only stained-glass windows?
The architecture was pretty amazing. You can see glimpses behind us.
The stained-glass windows were very nice.
This statue was interesting. Most of the important or distinguishing parts are gone, but they've still kept it here. Maybe the statue isn't as important as what it represents?
In another part of the castle, they have displays of unusual weapons. Really, I'd never seen anything like them! And I see a lot of weapons (in video games). For example, some of these are combinations of swords with guns.
From the castle, you can see the rest of the city. It makes for nice wedding photos. (Maybe that's where they met?)
I spied this view from the castle. What is that gray stuff? It makes me think of an army of terra cotta warriors, or cauldron born. Or zombies. Kinda scary.
As luck would have it, a friend would recommend we see this later, though I didn't know they were the same thing….
Charles Bridge! It's hard to tell from this angle, but it was a lot busier than at dawn.
We took a taxi to the castle entrance, but we had come out at the far other end. And there weren't any taxis there! Mom was willing to try walking down the steps (remember how I said there were a lot going up?). Long story short, we took our time and didn't rush, but we made it home without any accidents.
One tourist attraction per day was enough for Mom, so we took naps. Mary and Auntie Nancy went to explore the sights (and restaurants and spa).
What's this? It's a tiny bug in our room, near the window. I used to think bugs are bugs. But now I wonder: Is this bug the same species as one in the U.S.? Does it have relatives in the U.S.? Is it found only near Prague? You could spend your whole life analyzing its biology, or just its DNA.
People have told me that I think too much.
Next time: Day 4: More hotel brunch! Yes!
Wait, they're just photos....
