Sat., 7.21.18 And Off We Go to Prague, Czech Republic!
- Jul 21, 2018
- 2 min read
The bus ride to Prague lasted almost four hours, but went very smoothly. We were not able to check in to our rooms, so we took a little hike into town.
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The first square we came upon was bustling with tourists, some of whom were watching a group of traditional bell ringers (two giant bells slung around the neck with a leather strap) and a whip performer. Two of the performers had cigarettes dangling off their lips for the entire show. Behind us was the smell and heat of a wood fire in a food truck selling "Trdelnik," an ice cream dessert. The pastry wrap (like a cone at home) was being cooked in the truck.
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We chose a lovely restaurant across the street for lunch. It looked quite nice and the three course lunch was only 499 korunas. The room was amazing,with magnificent Art Deco decor. The food was beautifully presented by a very attentive waiter. First, onion soup (sweet), then a small serving of goulash with a tiny walnut sized portion of mashed potatoes decorated with a row of crunchy smoked sweet potato slivers, and then, a beautiful little dessert. We also had water and beer.
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If you look really closely on the left, fourth table from the bottom, you can catch a little glimpse of John's right arm with an orange sleeve. Until a few more tables filled up, we really had the place to ourselves!
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When the bill arrived, the total was 3,800 korunas. Imagine our surprise when we found out that this converts to $180.00. We did the conversion math wrong before entering, thinking we were getting an amazing bargain lunch (I even thought that we needed to be super generous with the tip because, well, how do they do it?!? It was so cheap!).
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Thankfully, we are traveling with a very easy-going group who can find the humor in just about anything! We all laughed it off and felt very grateful that the food was so good and the experience so special. The waiter engaged us in a bit of politics (after being paid of course), suggesting that the Czech Republic president was an idiot too, but at least his stupid decisions don't effect the rest of the world.
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We walked back to the "Hotel of Hilton" and got ready to head to the castle for dinner. Here are some images from the castle property:
We were unable to find a restaurant that was open for food at the castle, so we commenced the descent to the area below with cafes and stores. We found an outdoor cafe and ordered Pils beer and a goulash dinner. The table overlooked the cobblestone street which was still bustling. The air was delightful, and the conversation lively. What a magical night!
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