An Easter celebration in Prague, Czech Republic!

     Prague was one of the places on Stephen's European checklist, so when our trip to southern France fell through, we decided to book a plane ticket that night from Milan to Prague.  Even though low-cost flights are pretty easy to come by with airlines like RyanAir, WizzAir, and EasyJet, the dates aren't always the most ideal.  This is how we came to spend four nights in Eastern Europe.  Our small apartment was only a thirty-second walk to the Old Town Square and the church attached to it, Church of Our Lady of Tyn.  While we were there Easter markets lined many of the larger streets, including its main component in the square.  Each of the small booths sold foods, decorations, wines, or trinkets.

     The next morning we woke up and starting seeing some of the main sights in the city including the astronomical clock that is on the other side of the square.  We walked to the top instead of taking the elevator and we got to see a lot of the history and makings of the clock before reaching the top.  Later in the weekend we were able to see the clock in action--on the hour the two doors at the top open up and mechanical men rotate around--representing the apostles.

     When we got to the top of the tower we were able to enjoy a beautiful view of the entire city, including down upon the square and across the river.  This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip, just as the top of the Eiffel tower shows you so much.   

     We also walked across the river, past Charles Bridge where they were preparing for a marathon the next morning.  On this side of the water there were several beautiful places to admire the city including a park on top of one of the hills.  We were able to watch locals walking their dogs and there was a Lamborghini car show going on down next to the River.  After having a nice lunch, we headed back to our side of the river. 

     The next day we went to another part of the city across the river where we walked up to the Prague Castle where there was a whole little city inside.  After taking some pictures and enjoying the day (cold, but it was not snowing or raining like it was supposed to!) and not to mention catching our breath after the hike up the side of the hill, we got tickets into St. Vitus Cathedral, the basilica, and the palace of the castle.  It was a lot of fun, and afterward we went back down the hill and hiked up the big hill next to it!  On the top of Petrin Hill is the Lookout Tower that resembles the Eiffel Tower--even though it does not even come close to the grandeur of its Paris sister.  

     Overall it was a really fun trip and we got to see some really neat stores, restaurants, and we walked across all the different parts of the city!  Now we can check Prague off the European travel list!