Farewell Austria, Hello Czech Republic after a 340 km coach ride. Arrived in Prague and had to walk our luggage to our hotel as the streets are not wide enough for a bus. Hotel Mucha is within walking distance of the old town and pays homage to Alfonse Mucha a famous Czech artist of the Art Nouveau style so staying here is like being in a living museum with antique furniture in each of the rooms.

We barely scratched the surface of Prague and this city is definitely on my list for future visits. So much to see but so little time. Traditionally, Prague was called the Golden City, City of a Hundred Spires and the Heart of Europe. Prague is one of Europe's architectural gems built on the banks of the Vltava River.

Some of the sights we did see;
Old Town Square: Despite a number of foreign invaders, Prague's Old Town Square has remained virtually untouched since the 10th century. Today one can admire a hodgepodge of architecture — including the Rococo Kinsky Palace, the Gothic Tyn Cathedral and the Baroque St. Nicholas Church, to name a few.

The Astronomical Clock: This beautiful clock still works making it the oldest operational clock in the World and the 3rd oldest astronomical clock overall.

The elements of the clock may look confusing, but each one has very specific functions. The main part added in 1410 was the Astronomical Dial which shows position of the Sun and Moon in the sky with a mechanical clock in the centre of it. This dial will let you tell the current time, season, sunrise, sunset and much more. The 2nd element added to the clock was the The Walk of the Apostleswhich is filled with animated statues that come alive hourly peeking through the window. The 12 Apostles were added in 1865 and replaced much older statues from the 1600s. There are also a few side statues of Vanity staring at himself in the mirror, a miser with gold representing greed, a Turkish man bringing entertainment, and our favourite as Death is represented by a skeleton chiming his bell with the sounds from the tower. The last element to notice is the Calendar Dial added in 1870. The centre has the crest of Old Town Prague surrounded by the 12 Zodiac symbols of pre-2012 lining up with the days they fall on laying on the outer ring which has marks for each day of the year. The Dial rotates keeping the current day on the top.

Powder Tower: Also called Powder Gate, it is one of the most beautiful Gothic spires in Prague with an impressive history. The Powder Tower has been located here since the 13th century and it was one of the 13 entrances to the Old Town. Its foundation stone was set by King Vladislav Jagelonsky in 1475. The gate was a coronation gift from the city council to the Kings and it was built by Matěj Rejsek.

Church of Our Lady before Týn: Gothic church with the most magnificent spires that has been a dominant feature of Prague since the 14th century. Magnificently lit up at night, it attracts all the attention of photography enthusiasts

Josefov (Jewish Quarter) is a district that was established when two Jewish communities that lived in the region during the Middle Ages gradually merged. At the beginning, one community settled in the surroundings of the Old New Synagogue and the other was rooted near the Spanish Synagogue. The name Josefov is a tribute of the Jews to Joseph II, the ruler who integrated this community into the Czech society. During the 16th and 17th century, and due to the accusations of the Christians, all Jews were made to wear a yellow piece of clothing to distinguish them from the rest of the population.

Charles Bridge was commissioned by King Charles IV in 1357, Prague's most stunning bridge spans 16 arches and is lined with 30 Baroque statues of religious figures. The bridge's 520 m of cobblestone are used for wholly temporal purposes. We arrived at the bridge in the late afternoon and was fortunate enough to be here as the sunset. As we walked off the bridge we heard a familiar, but puzzling sound for Europe......a man was playing a didgeridoo!!!!

Sounds like Australia is beckoning us home.......