Prague

My friend Caslin was getting ready to move back to Singapore from Frankfort. There were a few cities she wanted to see and so we planned two girls' getaway trips for two successive weeks.

First on the itinerary was Prague. A short train/bus trip found us entering the city and heading for the train station.

A short taxi ride later and we were in Old Town Square at the U Prince Hotel. It is one of the most charming places I have ever stayed. The hotel is perfectly located in the center of the Old Town Square of Prague. There are 15 rooms reminiscent of a time gone by.  

The view from our room was perfect.

There is even a rooftop terrace with a welcome champagne upon arrival.

Prague (Praha) sits astride the Vitava River and is the largest city of the Czech Republic. It is also the historical capital of Bohemia and its historic center is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. For us it was love at first sight.

For our first evening we had dinner reservations on the Waterfront at Kampa. To get there we needed to cross the river and what better way than to walk across the Charles Bridge. Construction began on the bridge in 1357 with its completion in the beginning of the 15th century. It was the only means of crossing the river between Prague Castle and old town until 1841. There are three bridge towers and 30 statues decorating the bridge. It is also where you can find local artisans selling their wares.

As we neared the far end of the bridge we could look down on our restaurant for the evening.

We decided to eat indoors on the lower level with a beautiful view of the Charles Bridge and the swans.

Dinner was wonderful, the Czech wine was very tasty and the leisurely pace was perfect. We strolled back across the Charles Bridge taking in the late night sights of Prague.

We found the usual haunt in any large city.

And we had our first close look at the Old Town Hall Astronomical Clock (more on it later).

With a final look out our "window on the world," we settled in for the night.