The night train was pretty bad. The beds had all been taken so we settled for seats. The train was old, we sat in compartments Harry Potter style. We didn't get much sleep.
Arriving in Prague, we felt dead. Got in at half seven and we decided to hit a McDonald's for the Wi-Fi to find our hostel.
We came to the decision to wander around town for a few hours before Czeching in.
My, my have I missed Prague. I genuinely think it's the most beautiful city I've been to.
The castle district and the Charles bridge were the first stops and were pretty as ever.
Saw a Salvador Dali exhibition. Flipping weird.
Food consisted of Trdelnik (wound sweet pastries) and yet more goulash. I'm beginning to wonder whether "authentic Czech food" isn't just another tourist ploy.
The Wenceslas Square was disappointing at first. The massive Marks and Spencer's and Debenhams put me off. It was only after returning for the second time that I appreciated it's scale.
We were contemplating going to a concert in the St Climent cathedral. On our turning away the ticket guy mistakenly thought we weren't interested and reduced the price by a hundred crowns. Unintentional haggle win.
It was magnificent. The seven piece chamber orchestra (Prague Baroque Consort) were fantastic. The excellent acoustics of the cathedral really set them off. The intro played on the cathedral's organ of Bach's Fugue in G
Minor instantly elicited a grin.
I will say that I found the chatty Italians to my right to be rather annoying. Lewys' heavy breathing/sighing less so.
We met an Australian, Mark, in a bar. Nice chap, had been traveling for six weeks before returning to study. He extolled the benefits of guided walking tours and of making international friends. A good end to the evening.
A word about Czech beer. Those of you who know me know that I like my beers dark and with plenty of flavor. Pilner, local lager, is refreshing but so pathetically light for my tastebuds. Even their ales haven't been that great so far. In fairness I've yet to find a bar that hasn't been tainted by tourist leanings.
Nashledanou!
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