Prague: Day 1--Into the thick of it

Central Germany is a convenient location for travel. It's a little over a four hour drive to Prague from where we are. You might recall that we had planned to go to Prague in January. But a huge storm over Europe canceled our travel plans, and not just ours.

But a couple of weekends ago, we hit the weather just right and made the trip.

We left Germany on Friday morning.

It's a long drive, so the kids enjoyed a little leg-stretching at an Autobahn gas station.

At the gas station, we saw several signs advertising the sale of "vignettes." We couldn't figure out what was meant.

Well, this, we found out, is a vignette. Anyone who isn't familiar with these highway permit stickers will find out at the very latest at the Czech border, where the option is to purchase the sticker and continue on the highway to Prague or turn around and drive back to Germany.

In Prague, we parked our car in our hotel's underground garage, with the intention of leaving it there until the end of the trip. Prague has few places to park, a lot of walking zones, narrow streets, you know, the usual for a European metropolis.

But, of course, Prague has an excellent public transportation system. So we took trams and subways wherever we wanted. The trams were such an enjoyable way to see Prague's beautiful architecture. The line that ran from our hotel into the heart of the city crosses a bridge and gave us a beautiful view of the Charles River every time.

First stop: The beer hall, U Medvidku.

This is the home of good food and unreserved waiters.

Alan: What kinds of beer do you have?
Waiter: We have many, but there is only one I can recommend.
Alan: OK, then!

Grandma Grace: I think I'll try this beer ice cream you have advertised on the card.
Waiter: Ehhhhhhhh.
Grandma Grace: Is it not good?
Waiter: No, not really.

But the food we did order was very good.

Next, we walked to Old Town Square. This is the astronomical clock. At the top of the hour, after the mechanisms marked the time, a bugler played from the top of the tower. The people in the square looked up and cheered.

The kids took in a fun street performance. This lady was very entertaining. Sadly, the next day, we saw the cops were moving her along for performing without a license.

Next, we took a swing around downtown in a horse carriage. A nice way to see the city around sundown.

After leaving the square, we headed across the Charles Bridge.

The spires up on the hill behind us belong to St. Vitus cathedral.

Prague really is a stunning city.

But our first day was long, and we were happy to get back to our hotel at the end of the day.

Next up: Storming the castle.