Normandy Adventures: Prague Day 2: Prague Old Town

Norm:

Today was a beautiful day in Prague, the perfect day to go around and absorb the scenery and sights of the city. We started our journey towards the Charles Bridge and on our way, ran into a quaint little market in the square just south of Palladium Mall. There were all kinds of fruits, wares and cool foods being served. I saw a grilled cheese kiosk and could not resist. Mandy got some cheesy potatoes with shallots and pickles. Also delicious.

Cheese makes everything taste more delicious.

Cheesy potatoes in front of beautiful scenery

Having refueled, we walked through Old Town towards the Charles Bridge. I was really impressed about the beautiful architecture - it is truly unique compared to everywhere else I've been in Europe. On the walk there, we passed the City Square, along with the Astronomical Clock. Only thing about Prague is that there were SO MANY TOURISTS. Not that I blame them as Prague is a beautiful city, but it does make it a little more difficult to appreciate what you see around you. At the Charles Bridge, there were again a massive number of tourists, but there was a great view along the river and the western part of the city. Intricate statues adorned the sides of the bridge and you can tell there was a great deal of history there.

Ominous towers with slightly ominous clouds

Tick tock, Astronomical Clock

Charles Bridge, with the Prague Castle in the distant

After crossing the Charles Bridge, we went to the Church of St. Nicholas. The Church is known for the beautiful murals painted on the ceiling as well as the statues. From then, we checked out the Prague Castle. It's a massive castle from the 9th century atop a hill. Famous landmarks in the castle include the St. Vitus Cathedral and the St. George Basilica. Like the Church of St. Nicholas, statues decorated the the halls of the church. Differing from the St. George Basilica was that there are beautiful stained glass windows. We also checked out some smaller exhibits where we saw medieval full body armor, explored some old dungeons and torture devices and had some target practice with a crossbow (made me think of Game of Thrones). We were beat afterwards.

Me looking pious at St. George's Basilica

Long walk up

Mandy looking pious at St. Vitus Cathedral

St. Vitus Cathedral from the outside

Mandy practicing to kill some wildlings

From then we had a quick (disappointing) lunch and then continued our hike. We walked towards Petrin Tower and on the way enjoyed some beautiful sights of Prague from a higher elevation. After thoroughly hiking ourselves, we headed back home in anticipation of eating at Sansho. We heard many good things about the restaurant. It was pretty good, however, I think we came in with expectations that were too high. Overall still a delicious meal. From then, we went to sleep and got ready for the next day.