Our Prague Trip!

We got back late last night from Prague, Czech Republic. It was amazing!!

We left late Friday night (10 pm to be exact). The bus ride there was about 11 hours, and it left much to be desired. But what bus ride doesn't? We arrived in Prague around 9 am, and started our three hour guided tour. It was very informative and showed us around the castle grounds, along with around what they call "New Town" and "Old Town." 

After the tour, Arron and I, along with two of his friends (Hudicek and Talbert) went to lunch. We found a cute little pub that sold Czech cuisine. It was so good! I had goulash with bread dumplings and Arron had pork roast with mushroom sauce.

We did a little sightseeing until 2 pm, when the bus took us to the hotel to Czech in (get it? ha!). We got showers and about a 30 minute nap before meeting back up with Hudicek and Talbert to see the city. We left the hotel at 4:30 and didn't return until 2:30 am... you'll see why!

We walked to the Old Town Square, where the famous Prague Astronomical clock is located. It was designed in 1410 and is the oldest astronomical clock in the world that still works. Every hour, two blue doors open on top of the clock and the twelve apostles are seen in each window. Also, a skeleton representing Death to the right of the clock rings a bell as they pass.

Here's a really cool video of the 600th anniversary show of the clock. It's almost 10 minutes long, but the visual effects are stunning!

We did a bit of shopping Saturday afternoon, including a crystal vase, since Prague is known for it's "cheap" crystal.

This vase was 2,500 Czeck crown, so about $140. Considering Bohemian crystal is world-renowned and hand-carved (and gorgeous too!), it was just a matter of finding the perfect vase for us in the many crystal shops. :)

After sightseeing, what is the best way to get in with the locals? Why, pub crawling, of course! We hit up just about every bar we came across. I had the best strawberry mojito in a place called the Mojito Bar (I couldn't get anything else with a name like that!). It was made with fresh strawberries and a stem from a mint plant. Soo good!

While we were pub crawling, we got hungry, of course. So we were on the lookout for a hole-in-the-wall restaurant to have some more amazing Czech cuisine. Talbert found a restaurant down a dark alley, and we were afraid for our lives. We walked into the restaurant, which was below ground, and realized we had walked into a formal restaurant that was housed in a cave! Keep in mind, we were all wearing jeans and tennis shoes, along with sweaters or t-shirts and hoodies. But the restaurant owner/waiter didn't seem to mind, so we sat down to eat.

The last picture shows Talbert's appetizer, which is half a peach with chicken salad and whipped cream on top. He said it was good, but it just didn't sound appetizing to any of the rest of us...

Eventually we stopped at TGI Friday's to have drinks, and ran into another couple that was also on tour with us. They joined our group and that made 6 of us. :) Talbert talked the waiter into telling us the best clubs in the area "to find chicks" for Talbert and Hudicek. He directed us to the Bombay bar...

When we got there, the Bombay bar was dead. However, across the street was a bar that neither Arron nor I can remember the name of, but we called it the Rock Bar. After checking our coats and bags, we went downstairs to the bar to get drinks. While Arron ordered, another bartender who happened to be female was eating pineapple, and she offered me a piece. Success! The DJ was playing classic rock, like "We Will Rock You" and "Thriller," and we enjoyed dancing to something besides techno (what the Europeans love). After about two hours, we headed to our last stop of the night, a 5 story club that Prague boasts is the largest club in Central Europe. See for yourself...

We had a great time, although it was like a sauna inside. It didn't help that we were all dressed in sweaters to stay warm while wandering around the city!

After about an hour and a half in the 5 story club, we headed back to the hotel. We had been on-the-go since 9 am that morning, and by the time we walked back to the hotel and climbed in bed, it was 2:30 in the morning!

We woke up the next morning and ate breakfast in the hotel before checking out. The bus dropped us off at the center of town again around 10:30, and we were due to be picked up again at 2... which meant another lunch out on the town and a little bit more shopping to finish out the trip. Then we jumped back on the bus and got home at 1 am Monday morning!

To see the complete set of pictures, click here or here. I didn't want to overload this with pictures (since we took over 200), so feel free to look through them on my Facebook page. :)

On a completely different note, I figure I'll just use this blog to keep everyone informed of our life in here in Italy... our travels and whatnot. Any ideas on a new name? I can't really keep "Life at Home" since Arron's back... Right now I changed it to "Life in Italia" but that's so bland. Send me any suggestions per favore!