Czeching out the Sights - Day 2

We had such high hopes for how we were going to begin our second day in Prague...however, absolutely exhausted, we made it out of the hotel by 10:30 in order to just make our 11am walking tour of the Prague Castle. The Old Prague Hostel gets an absolute 5 star rating from me - they give you breakfast AND sandwiches. This is so essential when you're staying in a hostel because there is nowhere to keep food and it just makes the mornings so much easier.

We had just enough time to catch the second most overrated tourist attraction in Europe - the clock chiming on the hour at the Prague Clock Tower - before our walking tour started. Unfortunately it was pouring all day so I didn't have my camera out for much of it, but here are some pictures I managed to capture. 

The Prague Castle is quite a funny place because the majority of the rooms are completely empty. They're trying to do them and turn it into a National Gallery of sorts (I think) but for now, in some places, you can see right through the windows to the other side...and there's nothing in between. The castle isn't just one building either - it's a collection of buildings that have been plonked on top of a hill. The president of the Czech Republic, Milos Zeman, works in part of the castle and he commutes to work every day. He's quite strongly disliked by the public, funnily enough - apparently a bit of a drunk. The chapel is the iconic building on the hill (what most people think is the entirety of the castle) and the stained glass windows inside are stunning.

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through Prague - we got lunch at a traditional Czech restaurant and while I had the only allergic reaction I have ever had in my life to food (I think the paprika didn't agree with me), the rest of the food was incredible...including the three desserts we had. Crepes, apple strudel and a traditional Czech dish - delicious!

We'd been tossing up the whole day with the idea of going on a bar crawl in Prague. So many people had recommended it to us and hey, Europe's nightlife is known for being absolutely fantastic. However, the level of enthusiasm between us for a night on the town was fairly below bar, and we eventually all admitted that we'd rather do something different.

And that, my friends, is how I ended up seeing Swan Lake in the middle of Prague, for the equivalent of about $35AUS. They say the best evenings happen when you're spontaneous, and, at least with this one in mind, I 100% agree.