May 3, 2013 - Day 3 - Prague Castle

We visited Prague Castle yesterday with a guide. We hired a guide here who specializes in disabled access tours - a great idea. Lea, our guide, led us around and through the castle - which dates back to the 10th Century (foundations), with the oldest buildings dating back to the time of Charles V (14th Century) in the time when Prague was the centre of Europe and the seat of the Holy Roman Empire. The castle has been add to and modernized many times, and there is very little of the original structures evident. The main cathedral - to St....

May 3, 2013 - Day 3 - Medieval Feast

We went to a medieval feast in Prague last evening. It was staged in a cavernous hall in the basement in Old Town. Lots of stairs (32) but they were wide and a good handrail so Linda could do them - with a lot of help. Great show - drums, bag pipes, mandolin, belly dancers, fireshow, snakes, pirates, good food, and beer. It doesn't get much better. A 2 & 1/2 hour show staged in between the 5 course meal. I have video that I will try to post to Facebook as it was plugging up the system trying to load it here.

May 1, 2013 - Day1 & 2 - Prague Walk-about

We arrived into Prague yesterday around noon after an uneventful flight over from Calgary with a quick transfer in Amsterdam. Flights were on time and everything went as planned. We were met at the airport by our bus driver. This was the first time that we had arranged a private transfer - usually we just take our chances with taxis or shuttle buses. But this time we arranged for a transfer to our hotel in advance for around the price of a taxi. We are staying in the Liberty Hotel in the centre of Prague, only a block one of off the main...

Apr 17, 2013 - Prague

Our story begins with flight from San Diego to London on British Airways. The departure was slightly delayed but the trip was smooth and pleasant. For the very first time I actually slept on a plane. We landed in London the next day and were exhausted after reaching our hotel. 𯘴 Arriving in Prague we were surprised to find the temperature about 75 F since it had been cold and windy in London. Very nice taxi driver found our hotel easily. Our hotel is small but our room is quite spacious. 𯘊 Getting around town is very easy with great and...

Dec 29, 2012 - Prague

Apres avoir passe Noel en famille, Vinz et Virg s'accordent quelques jours a Prague (3,5 exactement) loin de leur progéniture, qu'ils adorent, certes, mais qu'ils aiment aussi de loin de temps en temps. Bahia, Aloe et Marin ne sont pas mécontents de rester et d'épuiser Papoupa et Mouty. Prague est encore plus belle qu'on nous l'avait décrite. Son histoire et son architecture ne peut laisser indiffèrent. Le quartier juif nous ramène a un passe poignant et douloureux. Son Palais nous laisse imaginer une époque révolue, et ses orchestres et...

Dec 26, 2012 - Last Day in Prague

Today is our last day in Prague before we fly out to Lyon, then on to Chamonix. The weather looks like it will be fine so we decided to do a tour of the Prague Castle, on of the major tourist attractions of the Czech Republic. Prague tram system was a bit difficult to unravel, so we opted for a taxi up to the castle. Julie thinks we got done over by the taxi driver - he charged us about $20 bucks for a 10 minute ride. Probably cheap by Australian standards, but by Czech standards, we think we got taken. The Castle isn't so much a castle,...

Dec 25, 2012 - Christmas day

Merry Xmas to all. Hope you all had a great day with family and loved ones. Had a pretty casual sort of a day. Cooked up a storm in the kitchen for lunch. Throw in a couple of bottles of wine, a scotch or two, and pretty soon we were getting into the spirit of the day. Lots of people out and about during the evening. The Xmas markets were in full swing. Restaurants and bars were full. Quite a festive feel to the city. Sam & Emily partook of a romantic horse and buggy ride around the streets, then it was off to find a suitable place for...

Dec 24, 2012 - Almost Christmas

Well, it's almost Xmas. As I've said previously, the Czechs do Xmas eve as their celebration of the season. But being sticklers for tradition, we're doing our thing on the 25th. Today we headed out for a lunch to celebrate Sam's birthday. And a slap up affair it was too. Not as slap up as the one we did in Paris a couple of years ago, but pretty good all the same. Went walking after lunch. Seems like half of Prague is on the streets. Maybe it's because today was the first fine day in a while. Or maybe this is what they do at Xmas...

Dec 23, 2012 - Cesky Krumlov

Sunday 23, Monday, 24, Tuesday 25 December We were greeted in Cesky Krumlov by a guide ready to take us on a walking tour of this special UNESCO World Heritage listed baroque town situated in Southern Bohemia on the Vitava River. No snow, but the weather has been ideal for walking around the cobbled streets. This part of Europe seems to be having a heat wave at present - occasionally up to 10 degrees. The Christmas Markets (our ninth) were spread around the town square. There was also a stage for the performance of the Christmas story....

Dec 23, 2012 - Prague

Flew out to Prague on 19th December. Dropped the car off at the airport, caught the shuttle across to the terminal, checked our bags in, then settled down for a four hour wait before our flight left. After watching the horror stories you here about budget airlines (in this case Easyjet) we weren't sure what to expect. Cancelled flight? Overbooked? Lost bags? But all went well. Even the pickup driver was where he said he would be. Met up with Emily and Sam at the arrivals gate (no passport control here so no new stamp in our passports)....

Dec 19, 2012 - Pilsen

We passed over the Czech Republic border and what a welcome change from the old Communist days. We didn't have to produce our passports and there was no close scrutiny of our luggage or the bus. And, to top it off, there was snow at the border. We stopped for lunch at Pilsen, a non tourist town, but famous for its Pilsner Urquill Beer. Here were more Christmas Markets (our fifth market), but so different to the German ones, with more focus on handcrafted items. The food stalls seemed to contain a lot of blood sausage but the main...

Dec 19, 2012 - Prague

Wednesday, 19 December and Thursday, 20 December What a delightful city Prague is. Our accommodation was in the old city fronting onto Wenceslas Square. We climbed high to the castle with magnificent views over the old city and the River Vitava. The castle is listed as the biggest castle in the world and its history stretches back to the 9th century. This encompasses the St Vitas Cathedral which has an impressive interior. It was a cool day and we were able to meander across the Charles Bridge without the wall to wall people. The...