Ah Prague! How we have adored you for the past four days!

We awoke on a grey Berlin morning, boarded a bus and arrived four hours later in beautiful Prague, Czechoslovakia When we arrived in this storybook land, we were met by Christine, a Canadian expat. She was sent by our AirBnB host to show us how to get around, escort us to the apartment, and give us some local tips. It was a very nice touch! This apartment, while cute inside, was in a serious Communist era building. We didn't have much of our day left, but we headed out to a Czech Brewery and then walked along the river Vltava. The banks are filled with art and memorials. The artist, David Cerny's work is abundant and evocative. (See photo of faceless baby sculpture, Franz Kafka, and Mary Poppins), We were lucky that night; there was a beautiful sunset which we watched from the infamous Charles Bridge. (Named for King Charles IV)

We woke up in the morning and, unfortunately, Steve was not in tip-top shape. Oh no! Was it the Czech food from the previous night's dinner? We weren't sure at first, but it seems most likely that he picked up an unwelcome virus. We managed to get out to breakfast at The Globe, a buzzing little expat cafe. Then, home to rest. (Stomach bugs are a b****). We were back out at 3:00 for a tour of the Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock Tower. This clock, complete with moving large figurines of the apostles, has been running almost without pause, for 600 years. Only five people in the world know how to fix it; four live in Czechoslovakia, and one in Denmark (in case something goes terribly wrong in Prague). We dined at a charming cafe, and while Steve supped on beef broth, and water, I enjoyed a lovely pasta dish, and some wine. (Why should we both suffer? :)

On our third day, Steve was feeling a bit better. We breakfasted at a Boulangerie/pasticceri. Delicious croissant and lattes. We spent a large part of the day at Prague Castle, which was founded in 918 AD and is a sprawling campus which includes, St. George Basilica, St. Vitus Cathedral & Tower, the Royal Palace and a history museum. Frankly, while it was awesome, we didn't see everything and began to tire of the throngs of tourists, We did get away from them for a bit, as there were a limited number of people who were willing to climb up 300 steps to the top of the St. Vitus Tower. The views were spectacular and we were almost alone, We lunched at the Palace cafe, and finished up with The Golden Road, where the minions, who helped the royal family, once lived. Later, in fact, Franz Kafka lived there for a time in 1916 and wrote his books away from the clamor of the city.

On our final day in Prague we walked across the river to board a cable tram (Funicular) to summit Petrin Hill, a large green space full of gardens. At the top stands a miniature replica of the Eiffel tower. So we climbed it. It was up 150 meters on cold, windy, rainy day, and frankly a bit scary. Great views, and again, fewer people at the top.

Twisting our way down the streets, we arrived at the "Lennon Wall", a tribute to peace. It was started in the late 60's after the Berlin Wall went up and communism and repression had set in. Painting on the wall was contraband, and the authorities kept whitewashing over it, to no avail. When Lennon died, the wall also became a memorial. And in 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down, the wall became a testament to democracy. (See photo)

We finished out the evening by watching the Apostles do their hourly rotation through the Astronomical clock with hoards of others, and getting some drinks at Cafe McQueen, an homage to actor Steve McQueen. (Pretty Random)

We dined around the corner at a well reviewed Italian Restautrant (via yelp) While the dinner was delicious, the highlight was a couple we met, Liron and Noa, who were visiting from their home in Israel. Liron asked us - "Are you happy to be Americans"? What a great question! We have many reasons to be happy we are Americans, but there are also struggles. This lovely couple invited us to their home outside of Jerusalem, and shared their joys and struggles of being Israeli.

Our Take: Prague is like a fairytale, with some modern touches. We really feel there are more treasures to be discovered here. Highly Recommended.