Prague exceeded our every expectation. I’d been here for one day (long story) back in 1993, and I knew it was a unique city. But man, did we ever enjoy our four days in the Czech capital.

We stayed at the Hotel Cloister Inn, a three-star place near the Charles Bridge that used to be a monastery. We also discovered that for almost 30 years during the communist era, it served as a station for the secret police (along with numerous other buildings on this street: Convictska (which translates to ‘Convict Street’). We recommend this hotel to anyone who comes to Prague. Great location, clean and friendly. Plus it has free wi-fi and a fantastic breakfast buffet that we took advantage of every day.

We hired a tour guide for a day-long walking trip. Eva is a Prague native who pointed out the major attractions, churches and monuments, but also gave us a great rundown on the city’s history. She had historical photos that really gave us a good idea of what the old city used to look like. This was especially true in the Jewish quarter, which has been totally re-done as a shopping district. The old Jewish town hall still stands, as does a 700-year-old synagogue (apparently the oldest such building still in use in Europe).

After seeing the old and new town, we crossed the river and had a magnificent lunch at a traditional Czech restaurant (no English menus). Then we trudged up the hill to some magnificent gardens adjacent to the American embassy, and on up to the castle district. Prague’s skyline is dominated by a gigantic castle, which surrounds a cathedral. It’s a huge castle complex and houses the presidential office. We actually skipped the castle and wrapped around the backside of the castle district in favor of an old monastery. We did that because Eva told us the monks brew their own beer that you can drink at a hillside cafe. Oh man, was she ever right.

So Ann and I enjoyed a couple cold St. Norbert amber ales. Magnificent. Then afterward, we strolled back to our hotel via a hillside route that offered unobstructed views of the Prague skyline. Red tile roofs as far as the eye can see.

See my YouTube channel for several videos of our Prague walking tour.

On Saturday we had a lazy day before walking back up to the castle district for some last-minute souvenir shopping. Then we dined on a roasted pork knee with some cold Pilsner Urquells. More pictures to come on that one. It was deeelicious.

Today we’re heading to Vienna. We’re just going to stay the night before jumping on a EuroCity train to Munich. This is just so we can ride through the Alps, which Ann has never seen. Our route will take us through Linz and Salzburg before winding up in Bavaria. We’re also meeting some friends of ours - David and Catherine - who are wrapping up a vacation in Slovenia. We plan to share a strudel tonight in Vienna.