Prague was much awaited for us. For Em because it has always been somewhere she has wanted to visit, for me because once we had been to Prague it might stop Em saying "Prague this... Prague that..." We arrived via bus from Vienna, another pleasant journey of only two hours or so. Em, in all her wisdom, had booked over the internet a little apartment for us to live in for 4 days, rather than sharing one more dormitory nightmare. The little apartment was just perfect, it had everything in it that any traveller could want and what's more it was no more expensive than a dorm! The view from our windows overlooking a lush green garden with a big old oak tree just out of reach of an outstreched arm, was ever so charming.

We ventured out into the subtly warm air of the Prague evening after an afternoon nap to see for the first time the much awaited Prague centre. Blessedly Em was awed and thrilled by her first visit, which says something for the city considering that Em's expectations were sky high. We spent the evening wandering the new cobblestone streets that sprawl into the big common squares. These are contrasted by the enticing little laneways with dark hidden bars and mini passages. This beautiful city was thankfully spared throughout the two great wars and according to guidebooks and historical buffs it is rare that a city still has preserved examples of dwellings from most, if not all, periods of its history, as Prague does. Prague, must be regarded as a resilient city, because not even the following 40 years of oppressive communism has hindered the cityscape nor the Czechs themselves.

The next day Em and I spent the hours either side of noon wandering the Prague Castle, rumored to be the largest ancient castle in the world. Following that, to escape the crowds, we headed into Mala Strana to wander through the beautiful emptiness of the national parks that encompass Petrin Hill. We slowly walked the afternoon away, taking our time to rest on benches and grassy knowles and appreciate the sounds of bleeping sirens of Polizei vehicles contrasting with the city tower's church bells. At about 7pm we rushed to catch a cheap indian restaurant in the city centre, which we both wholy enhailed and then went out to enjoy the evening lights and sounds of Prague. Little did we know...

Just after 9pm, Em was saying to me just how much she loved Prague. She loved Prague, she loved me, she loved the world - all was in harmony. 15 minutes later Em was hit by a car as she was crossing the road. It was a violent and scary incident that involved a car rear-ending another car and catapulting the rear-ended car into Em's side at a pedestrian crossing. She was thrown over the bonnet, but thankfully avoided any head injuries. Remarkably, after a night in hospital, some painkillers and numerous xrays and ultrasounds she was cleared of any serious injury. She was battered and bruised, could scarcly walk let alone cough or sneeze, but she was going to be okay. A great relief. Needless to say this 'little' incident had a bit of an impact on our travel plans. We delayed our trip to Berlin where we were scheduled to catch a flight to Palma de Mallorca, Spain (also known as Majorca), and I spent the next several days trying to negotiate the Czech Republic hospital and police systems in order to get our health insurance to cover the costs of Em's. Both sets of parents were welcome comfort to both Em and I through this ordeal, so thankyou to Phil and Jenny Treb and my folks (Mum and Dad). After a week in Prague dealing with all the dilemas of insurance and recovery we had discovered a theme song for Prague/Czech Republic, a song by Camera Obscura called 'Let's Get Out of this Country'. We both still loved Prague, but it had become the city of errands for us in the wake of the accident, so the song was adopted as the theme song.

Eventually, Em even managed to get out of our apartment to see a little more of Prague. Two special outings included a visit to the National Prague Theatre to see an arch-typical play (in Czech) called 'A Walk Worthwhile'. Our final night in Prague we booked a lovely restaurant by the River with views of the Prague skyline and Charles Bridge to celebrate 'Em stilling being alive'. It was a lovely little pleasure for us both to put Em's accident behind us and do something nice and a little pricey - stuff the budget for once!

Prague rarely evokes searing excitement in many travellers who ponder the idea of visiting it, indeed many yobos, tarts, crazy drunken hens parties and ignoramuses visit the fabled city for no more reason that they have been told they should visit it. And this is evident daily, with the crowded streets and sights in Prague. I was guilty of being apathetic towards Prague, apathetic at best, but after I had visited and witnessed the beauty, the passion and the mystery of the city I would recommend strongly that even the most daring thrill-seeking travels (of which I am not) should visited this the 'Mother of all Cities'.

Onwards now to Berlin to head straight out to the airport to sleep the night before an early flight to Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Back on the road, just a little behind schedule that's all.