And what a weekend it was!
Prague - a paradise for photographers and architects. A truly magical city filled with beautiful bridges, gold-tipped towers, plenty of cathedrals with one rivalling the Notre Dame in Paris. Tripadvisor rates Prague fifth in the top world destinations and also fifth in the city most visited following London, Paris, Istanbul & Rome - but, in my opinion, Prague was the prettiest European city that I've been to so far, beating London, Paris, Istanbul & Rome hands down! For a downright romantic like me, it was truly a fairytale city, and I can't wait to revisit it in winter (I had heard and read, and now I can truly believe that it will look even prettier in winter!)
Prague - a paradise for photographers and architects. A truly magical city filled with beautiful bridges, gold-tipped towers, plenty of cathedrals with one rivalling the Notre Dame in Paris. Tripadvisor rates Prague fifth in the top world destinations and also fifth in the city most visited following London, Paris, Istanbul & Rome - but, in my opinion, Prague was the prettiest European city that I've been to so far, beating London, Paris, Istanbul & Rome hands down! For a downright romantic like me, it was truly a fairytale city, and I can't wait to revisit it in winter (I had heard and read, and now I can truly believe that it will look even prettier in winter!)
Now, if you've read my earlier posts you would be well aware of the chaos that Manish and I face on our trips to the airports/train stations, but not this time. Oh no sir! Lessons learnt! No more morning flight and trains. I'm not a morning person (can't really say the same for Manish!)....but waking up in the morning is a nuisance and after the last couple of trips, I do not want to do it again. So...we avoided it this time. Unfortunately, lessons were not entirely learnt this time around as our flight back was pretty early in the morning...but definitely by the next trip, I would (hopefully) be able to call myself a seasoned traveler.
Getting to work and working on Friday was an absolute drag! All I could think about was getting out of office at 4 to make our way to the airport...well, finally the time came and I shut down and got ready to meet Manish & Priyanka at the DLR station. Achyut (who is currently doing a 3 month stint in Helsinki, Finland) was going to meet us at Prague directly. The three of us were booked to fly out on the Ryan Air flight to Prague - which meant only hand luggage allowed (unless of course one wants to pay for checked in luggage!). Though we were allowed 1 hand luggage per person, in the last one year I have learnt (from Manish) to travel a little lighter (than I used to!)
Getting to work and working on Friday was an absolute drag! All I could think about was getting out of office at 4 to make our way to the airport...well, finally the time came and I shut down and got ready to meet Manish & Priyanka at the DLR station. Achyut (who is currently doing a 3 month stint in Helsinki, Finland) was going to meet us at Prague directly. The three of us were booked to fly out on the Ryan Air flight to Prague - which meant only hand luggage allowed (unless of course one wants to pay for checked in luggage!). Though we were allowed 1 hand luggage per person, in the last one year I have learnt (from Manish) to travel a little lighter (than I used to!)
Another lesson learnt from this trip: I used to think that as it's a bank holiday weekend, the roads are going to be super crowded and its best to take the train in order to reach the airport on time. But, the trains are equally crowded or even more so, as I'm sure others are thinking the same! Best to leave half hr earlier and take a taxi instead!
After multiple train changes...DLR from Canary Wharf to Bank...Central Line to Liverpool Street...Stansted express (which seemed never ever ending) to Stansted Airport...we finally made it! Got visa checks done...past a super long line at security...and with no time to spare for a start of vacation tipple...headed straight to our gate. Besides a bunch of guys who drank 60 out of the 90 min flight ride it was a pretty uneventful flight and we finally landed at Václav Havel Airport in Prague. Airport transfers were booked and we had a grumpy old man waiting for us - I think he was just unhappy to be at the airport at 11pm picking up people on a Friday night.
The driver turned out to be an understudy of Michael Schumacher and we made it to our hotel in Old Town in record 20 mins. The worst 20 mins of our time in Prague - I think all 3 of us were praying silently to just reach our hotel in one piece.
Manish & I were booked at the Charles Bridge Palace hotel and what a splendid find it was. Achyut & Priyanka were booked at the Intercontinental which was just a few blocks away...8-10 mins walk. We checked in and then the four of us went out to really start the vacation....firstly, we were all a little hungry and secondly, no vacation for us has 'started' till we've had some light light delight :) What was amazing was that after a very long time we were in at a city which was buzzing with life even at midnight. Most of the bars/restaurants/cafes around our hotel were still open (turns out last order at most restaurants are at 1am)...so we got our game on!
After multiple train changes...DLR from Canary Wharf to Bank...Central Line to Liverpool Street...Stansted express (which seemed never ever ending) to Stansted Airport...we finally made it! Got visa checks done...past a super long line at security...and with no time to spare for a start of vacation tipple...headed straight to our gate. Besides a bunch of guys who drank 60 out of the 90 min flight ride it was a pretty uneventful flight and we finally landed at Václav Havel Airport in Prague. Airport transfers were booked and we had a grumpy old man waiting for us - I think he was just unhappy to be at the airport at 11pm picking up people on a Friday night.
The driver turned out to be an understudy of Michael Schumacher and we made it to our hotel in Old Town in record 20 mins. The worst 20 mins of our time in Prague - I think all 3 of us were praying silently to just reach our hotel in one piece.
Manish & I were booked at the Charles Bridge Palace hotel and what a splendid find it was. Achyut & Priyanka were booked at the Intercontinental which was just a few blocks away...8-10 mins walk. We checked in and then the four of us went out to really start the vacation....firstly, we were all a little hungry and secondly, no vacation for us has 'started' till we've had some light light delight :) What was amazing was that after a very long time we were in at a city which was buzzing with life even at midnight. Most of the bars/restaurants/cafes around our hotel were still open (turns out last order at most restaurants are at 1am)...so we got our game on!
We called it a night close to 2am and considering none of the 4 of us are really morning people...we decided to meet up at the Charles Bridge at 10am!
The next morning Manish and I discovered the jewel of a hotel Charles Bridge Palace really was. Palatial set-up...low lit hallways...excellent décor...and super spacious rooms. Ours was overlooking the Vltava River and the views were brilliant in the morning and evening!
The next morning Manish and I discovered the jewel of a hotel Charles Bridge Palace really was. Palatial set-up...low lit hallways...excellent décor...and super spacious rooms. Ours was overlooking the Vltava River and the views were brilliant in the morning and evening!
After a lazy breakfast we all finally met up at the Charles Bridge. A little history: the first stone of this bridge was laid in 1357 by King Charles IV himself. The bridge acted as the first true connection between Prague’s Castle and Old Town. Charles Bridges, till 1841, was the only way to cross the Vtlava river connecting the Prague Castle in the Lesser Quarter to the Old Town. The bridge has beautiful Gothic style bridge towers on both sides, though I found the one at the Old Town end more impressive as it stands out more. The bridge is also decorated beautifully on both sides with statues...30 in total - each of which has some history (not researched yet). The originals of the statues were replaced with replicas in 1965 and are now on display in the National Museum.
We crossed the bridge and walked down to the Lesser Quarter square - a beautiful Baroque building surrounded by cobbled streets and were left to decide between 2 choices. Do we turn right and walk up around 200 steps to the Prague Castle or turn left and go up the Petrin Hill. Turning right meant climbing stairs...turning left meant taking the funicular up the hill. The weather was really nice and we convinced each other that the hill would be best! So, we turned left...and walked down the road....a wrong turn here...a right turn there and we were at the entrance to the funicular...however, there was at least a mile long line!
It was a beautiful day and the hill looked very inviting - We decided not to waste another hour standing in line and walked up the hill instead - I mean, how bad can a 360 odd meter climb be, right? Well, it really was not that bad a climb and the view at the end...simply breathtaking! To be honest, we never made it to the top of Petrin Hill where the mini Eiffel Tower structure is...nope! Just a level below is a beautiful bar offering Czech beer and panoramic views of Prague and beer...did I mention beer!?! Considering it was past 11am...on a holiday...and we'd not had a drink except the juice and coffee at breakfast....it was unfair to not stop by...especially when it's Czech Beer!
With each a beer down..the idea was to take the funicular from this level up to the tower as there was no line...but we were all a little hungry, so we decided to head down instead.
Hilarious moment #1 happened when 'certain' people convinced everyone not to take the constructed path but hike down instead. Everyone had their 2 cents to add in to the hike down...keep your feet at 45 degree angle...angle yourself and put your weight on the back...slowly steadily we went down...till...one was suddenly not visible as they had fallen on their behind...and pretty bad! The rest of us...instead of asking whether they were okay...kept laughing...and laughing...and laughing! Horrible..horrible...group of friends (but I think it was the beer effect!)
Anyway....we finally made our way down and then tried to figure out places to eat. Considering my 'around me' app was not helpful as everything was in Czech...we decided to head towards the Lesser Town square and see if we can find something on the way. We landed outside a beautiful church...I didn't go in as the corn on my foot had started to hurt and I decided to rest outside on the stairs...but from the photos it looks absolutely gorgeous (though bits of it were under renovation).
Hilarious moment #1 happened when 'certain' people convinced everyone not to take the constructed path but hike down instead. Everyone had their 2 cents to add in to the hike down...keep your feet at 45 degree angle...angle yourself and put your weight on the back...slowly steadily we went down...till...one was suddenly not visible as they had fallen on their behind...and pretty bad! The rest of us...instead of asking whether they were okay...kept laughing...and laughing...and laughing! Horrible..horrible...group of friends (but I think it was the beer effect!)
Anyway....we finally made our way down and then tried to figure out places to eat. Considering my 'around me' app was not helpful as everything was in Czech...we decided to head towards the Lesser Town square and see if we can find something on the way. We landed outside a beautiful church...I didn't go in as the corn on my foot had started to hurt and I decided to rest outside on the stairs...but from the photos it looks absolutely gorgeous (though bits of it were under renovation).
We continued walking till we saw a Spanish place in a side street and went in to explore....that didn't look too appealing but there were signs of cafe ahead...walking and more walking and more unappealing cafes led us to the John Lennon wall...This used to be a normal wall till the 1980's...but since then it has been filled up with graffiti and song pieces...and sayings..and writings from the Beatles...Supposedly, it is a symbol of freedom and rebellion against the communist regime of the 1980s. After the death of John Lennon, the young in Prague decided to have a symbolic burial place for the man they admired for his fight for equality, peace and freedom for all. It's said that the secret police tried to whitewash the wall numerous times but could not keep in clean. Students would come and write their grievances on the wall which then led to a clash between the students and the police. This movement of students was described as 'Lennonism' giving the wall its name.
A little further we crossed the bridge of locks (just like the one they have in Paris...though much smaller)..and landed outside The John Lennon Pub. By this time...we were famished...tired of walking...and honestly...really thirsty! And, what a quaint pub this was....from the inside it was entirely British and plastered with Beatles memorabilia! The entrance to the bathroom was thru a red phone booth door!!
Satiated...we continued our walk towards the Prague Castle...Google maps showed it to be only 0.8 miles away but we all knew that it was going to be horrible as half of the distance is up a hill with over 200 steps to climb.
Up we went....the steps are very even and nice with a platform to rest every 15 steps....and the climb didn't seem like much for the first couple of minutes. But halfway thru, it gets to you and unfortunately there's no way out. I mean, one can be disappointed and climb down or just suck it up and walk all the way up ... somehow ... slowly...steadily...you rest a couple of times...and pull yourself together to make it all the way up! (Btw..we did not know this at the time but, tram #22 that takes one right up with a stop which is just 5 mins away from the castle entrance).
Up we went....the steps are very even and nice with a platform to rest every 15 steps....and the climb didn't seem like much for the first couple of minutes. But halfway thru, it gets to you and unfortunately there's no way out. I mean, one can be disappointed and climb down or just suck it up and walk all the way up ... somehow ... slowly...steadily...you rest a couple of times...and pull yourself together to make it all the way up! (Btw..we did not know this at the time but, tram #22 that takes one right up with a stop which is just 5 mins away from the castle entrance).
We did it! Walked all the way up...and...what a view! The red roofs on the buildings looked fabulous! But, more on the view later...let's get to the castle! Prague Castle is over a 1000 years old and has been constructed ... reconstructed ... renovated as per the time and style of who was ruling/governing. The structures within the castle are a mix of Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance style. In earlier times the Kings of Bohemia used to rule from this castle and currently it houses the office/residence of the President of the Czech Republic.
The castle was in a damaged and dilapidated state till the second half of the 18th century during which time a lot of restoration/renovation was done. In 1918, after World War I and the formation of Czechoslovakia due to the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the New Royal Palace and gardens were renovated and became the office/residence of the President of Czechoslovakia.
It's surprising how the buildings have survived the massacre of World War II. History has it that the Czechoslovakian President at that time suffered a heart attack during the negotiation with the Nazi's and the Germans strong armed themselves and took over the nation. Hitler is also said to have spent a night at the castle which was later used as the headquarters of Reinhard Heydrich, the "Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia".
Post World War II, the Prague Castle housed the the offices of the Communist Czechoslovak government till the Velvet Revolution in 1989 ending the communist rule and subsequent Velvet Divorce - the dissolution of Czechoslovakia into Slovakia & Czech Republic - in 1993.
The castle was in a damaged and dilapidated state till the second half of the 18th century during which time a lot of restoration/renovation was done. In 1918, after World War I and the formation of Czechoslovakia due to the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the New Royal Palace and gardens were renovated and became the office/residence of the President of Czechoslovakia.
It's surprising how the buildings have survived the massacre of World War II. History has it that the Czechoslovakian President at that time suffered a heart attack during the negotiation with the Nazi's and the Germans strong armed themselves and took over the nation. Hitler is also said to have spent a night at the castle which was later used as the headquarters of Reinhard Heydrich, the "Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia".
Post World War II, the Prague Castle housed the the offices of the Communist Czechoslovak government till the Velvet Revolution in 1989 ending the communist rule and subsequent Velvet Divorce - the dissolution of Czechoslovakia into Slovakia & Czech Republic - in 1993.
It was also post the 1st World War that the construction of one of the most dominant structures of the castle grounds (as well as Prague) was finally completed. The construction of the Basilica of St. Vitus finally completed in 1929 almost six centuries later! This beautiful Gothic structure is an absolute delight to visit and gives the Notre Dame Cathedral seriously strong competition. There are beautiful engravings outsides and amazing stained glass windows inside.
Hilarious moment #2 of the trip happened at the toilets outside St Vitus Cathedral - someone locked themselves in one of the stalls and could not figure out how to come out. After an intervention from the cleaner where neither understood what the other way saying...it was determined that you turn the lock counter clockwise to open it!
Anyway...from St Vitus Cathedral we then headed to the Old Royal Palace. Though the Palace lays bare currently, it does have one of the most spectacular vista points - one gets one of the most amazing views of Prague from the balcony of this palace. The red roofs were a delight...the crowd on Charles bridge absolutely mind boggling ... and the TV Tower...a little spooky!
We walked around and saw the various structures within the Castle and finally decided to make our way down. All of us were getting tired having walked a considerable amount...not to mention the sun was shining way too brightly for the Londoners. We decided to make a pit stop at one of the various parks/gardens. While Manish, Priyanka, and I found solace in the shade....the British expat based in Helsinki was seriously low on Vitamin D!
With our aching legs rested a bit, we decided to cross the bridge back into Old Town and make our way back to the our respective hotels for a bit of rest. We decided to meet in a couple of hours for dinner. I think all that walking and beer and sun required a siesta and what followed was exactly that. I don't normally do afternoon naps as I get cranky after that - but this one hour nap was pure bliss. I woke up all refreshed with my game on once again!
Manish and I made our way to the Intercontinental which is located right next to a bridge that is second in parallel to Charles Bridge. From their hotel we made our way down towards the Old Town square in search of a decent place for drinks and dinner. We walked down a street which was a replica of Champs de Elysée in looks and 5th Avenue in terms of brands!
The street led us straight into the Old Town square and what a beautiful square this was. By the way, this the same place that the movie Bang Bang was shot - remember the watch tower in the movie that Katrina sees? Unfortunately, we could not really experience the charm of this place as it was being readied for the mini marathon on Sunday! But, we did end up accidentally in front of the Astronomical Clock - none of us knew how it actually works and the history behind is yet to be researched!
Manish and I made our way to the Intercontinental which is located right next to a bridge that is second in parallel to Charles Bridge. From their hotel we made our way down towards the Old Town square in search of a decent place for drinks and dinner. We walked down a street which was a replica of Champs de Elysée in looks and 5th Avenue in terms of brands!
The street led us straight into the Old Town square and what a beautiful square this was. By the way, this the same place that the movie Bang Bang was shot - remember the watch tower in the movie that Katrina sees? Unfortunately, we could not really experience the charm of this place as it was being readied for the mini marathon on Sunday! But, we did end up accidentally in front of the Astronomical Clock - none of us knew how it actually works and the history behind is yet to be researched!
Even though the Old Town Square had a lot of restaurants, it was quite crowded and looked really commercialized. So, up and down we went on the various side streets looking for a nice place to eat. My 'Around Me' app again was of no help. Achyut finally recollected reading/hearing about a pub called James Joyce...Google map showed it not to be too far away...so off we went.
James Joyce turned out to be a really pleasant Irish pub with good atmosphere...friendly staff...nice outside seating....and 'Sexy Curry'! Yep, this pub actually has 2 different kitchens - one that serves traditional Czech and Irish dishes, and another that does Indian, Thai and Malaysian dishes. Not including breakfast, we had had 2 meals in Prague and the curry menu with tarka daal was very tempting (esp for the expat in Finland!). We ordered from the curry menu and it was not disappointing! Satisfied....we called it a night! Manish and I enjoyed some lovely Prague night lights during our walk back - the city, I have to say, is very romantic!
James Joyce turned out to be a really pleasant Irish pub with good atmosphere...friendly staff...nice outside seating....and 'Sexy Curry'! Yep, this pub actually has 2 different kitchens - one that serves traditional Czech and Irish dishes, and another that does Indian, Thai and Malaysian dishes. Not including breakfast, we had had 2 meals in Prague and the curry menu with tarka daal was very tempting (esp for the expat in Finland!). We ordered from the curry menu and it was not disappointing! Satisfied....we called it a night! Manish and I enjoyed some lovely Prague night lights during our walk back - the city, I have to say, is very romantic!
The next morning...it was our last day in Prague...unfortunately, a mini marathon was also happening. There were a lot of diversions and not to mention tonnes of people! So, we decided to take it easy. Kept my phone in my bag and decided to explore the city the old fashioned way. Picked up a free map from the hotel which pointed out the touristy spots and decided to take circuitous route to get there and explore the little little lanes - well, not really circuitous and could not manage without technology thruout the day, as the first spot on the map was closed and right next door to our hotel and we were meeting Achyut and Priyanka on spot 2 and I had already hit a dead end in the first 5 mins!
Past some gorgeous street as well as a bit of the marathon route... we finally made it to the 'Powder Tower'. The Powder Tower is a Gothic tower and was one of the original 13 city gates - it now separates the old town from the new town. The name comes from the fact that in the 17th century, the tower was used to store gun powder.
The Powder Gate/Tower is 65m high and has 186 steps (which we did not know at that time) that one can climb up to get panoramic views of Prague. However, it's a steep spiral staircase and after my experience at the Belfort Tower in Bruges, there was no way I was going to climb up and funnel my way down. I had already had panoramic views of Prague from Petrin Hill and Prague Castle and did not feel the need to climb another tower for the same view... While the others went up, I enjoyed a nice cappuccino and a not at all nice apple strudel at a cafe downstairs!
From the Powder Tower we decided to make our way towards the river and head to the National Gallery. A marathon route here and a wrong turn there...we ended up taking a wrong turn and what we thought was the National Gallery actually was the National Museum (realized only after reaching there and checking the map!).
We weren't planning on going into any of the museums or galleries, but fun fact: The embassy shown in Mission Impossible (the very first one) is actually the National Museum. The same location was used as the grand lobby of the 'Venetian' in 007' Casino Royale. Well, we didn't make it inside, so I guess will have to see the movies to check out what it looks like!
We weren't planning on going into any of the museums or galleries, but fun fact: The embassy shown in Mission Impossible (the very first one) is actually the National Museum. The same location was used as the grand lobby of the 'Venetian' in 007' Casino Royale. Well, we didn't make it inside, so I guess will have to see the movies to check out what it looks like!
We turned around and tried to find our way to the National Gallery - the shortest route was still 0.9 miles away :-( Thru the turns of the various roads we ended up at a very interesting structure. It seemed so cool at that time, that we had to stop and take a video! Unfortunately, I cannot attach the video here, but it was metal structure in the shape of a face which turned 30 degrees every 15 secs and re-arranged itself in the face shape. What we found in front of the structure was even more exciting!
Beas Dhaba turned out to be a saviour! Though we were okay to have traditional food for lunch, the aroma from the dhaba was too tempting to pass. This was a self service dhaba where the food was sold by weight! Simple food...seemed home cooked...and very delicious. The best of the lot was the sooji halwa / sheera that they served for dessert - lip smacking..finger licking good!!! Yummm....
Anyway after a nice meal we continued our walk and landed at the river thinking we would take one of the river cruises from there. The Vtlava River has numerous dams so the cruises have only specific starting points. There were 2 sets of dams where we were and no cruise start point!
Anyway after a nice meal we continued our walk and landed at the river thinking we would take one of the river cruises from there. The Vtlava River has numerous dams so the cruises have only specific starting points. There were 2 sets of dams where we were and no cruise start point!
Super tired as we had done quite a bit of walking already today ( and had still not recovered from yesterday's walking)....we contemplated the best way to get to boat cruises. One option was to suck up and walk another mile....or take the tram! The tram won! (as if it had any competition) - #17 would have dropped us just a 5 min walk away from the cruise start point. What we didn't realize when getting on the tram was - (1) the tickets are to be bought before hand at stations or news points and there are only validation machines on the trams, and (2) it was marathon Sunday and trams were diverted. The tram we took landed us right where we had started! 9 mins walk away from the National Museum (note, not Gallery) Metro station!
Tram done - the train enthusiast in my husband got all excited to go on the Metro. We didn't have any change for the ticket machines so found a news stand which could give us 30 mins tickets - one can take as many journeys as one wants within 30 mins from the time the ticket has been validated. We were going only 2 stops! We got off the stop....headed to the river and took the first boat cruise that was available. The cruise on the Vtlava can surely be avoided or at least should not be the last thing one does. They do point out the monuments...but we had done most of it on our walks barring the Metronome and the government official building...and a hospital!
Anyway...after the 1 hour cruise, our legs were still tired, so we decided to refuel with some light light delight ammunition at a river boat cafe. Our table was the very first (or last) ...right at the bow of the boat. It was a very nice setup they had - the boat had glass doors with retractable roofs that converted a section of it as an indoor cafe during the evening when the chill in the wind increased.
The final hilarious incident of the trip happened here - the glass door was open when someone went thru to use the restroom. On their way back, they did not realize that the door was closed and banged straight into it. Everyone inside was shocked at first and then started laughing later...people stood up to see what had happened. The 3 of us sitting outside had no clue what had taken place. Dreading that we were going to take their case, they were amazed that we didn't even know of this incident. They then told us what had happened and we all cracked up...laughing out loudly...even the waiters joined in...of course only after confirming that everything was okay! After the incident...every single person going thru the door was extremely careful ensuring that the door was actually open!
After the drinks we all went to our respective hotels to rest. Achyut and Priyanka rested by continuing to drink. We decided to meet at a Mexican place near the Old Town Square and by the time we met each other....these 2 were nice and happy...wait wait...Super Happy!!! The food at the Mexican place was strictly okay - the starters were nice, but the chicken dishes were quite bland. What made up for it were the cocktails...Fabulous! We were all nice and happy by the end of the evening with just a hint of depression kicking in for the inevitable flight home tomorrow!
This was it - the end of another holiday! :-( All in all....a fabulous holiday. Prague is giving Istanbul serious competition for becoming my favorite city. It was a wonderful time with great friends and I hope we get to do this again - maybe with a little less walking next time!
Tram done - the train enthusiast in my husband got all excited to go on the Metro. We didn't have any change for the ticket machines so found a news stand which could give us 30 mins tickets - one can take as many journeys as one wants within 30 mins from the time the ticket has been validated. We were going only 2 stops! We got off the stop....headed to the river and took the first boat cruise that was available. The cruise on the Vtlava can surely be avoided or at least should not be the last thing one does. They do point out the monuments...but we had done most of it on our walks barring the Metronome and the government official building...and a hospital!
Anyway...after the 1 hour cruise, our legs were still tired, so we decided to refuel with some light light delight ammunition at a river boat cafe. Our table was the very first (or last) ...right at the bow of the boat. It was a very nice setup they had - the boat had glass doors with retractable roofs that converted a section of it as an indoor cafe during the evening when the chill in the wind increased.
The final hilarious incident of the trip happened here - the glass door was open when someone went thru to use the restroom. On their way back, they did not realize that the door was closed and banged straight into it. Everyone inside was shocked at first and then started laughing later...people stood up to see what had happened. The 3 of us sitting outside had no clue what had taken place. Dreading that we were going to take their case, they were amazed that we didn't even know of this incident. They then told us what had happened and we all cracked up...laughing out loudly...even the waiters joined in...of course only after confirming that everything was okay! After the incident...every single person going thru the door was extremely careful ensuring that the door was actually open!
After the drinks we all went to our respective hotels to rest. Achyut and Priyanka rested by continuing to drink. We decided to meet at a Mexican place near the Old Town Square and by the time we met each other....these 2 were nice and happy...wait wait...Super Happy!!! The food at the Mexican place was strictly okay - the starters were nice, but the chicken dishes were quite bland. What made up for it were the cocktails...Fabulous! We were all nice and happy by the end of the evening with just a hint of depression kicking in for the inevitable flight home tomorrow!
This was it - the end of another holiday! :-( All in all....a fabulous holiday. Prague is giving Istanbul serious competition for becoming my favorite city. It was a wonderful time with great friends and I hope we get to do this again - maybe with a little less walking next time!
Well...that's a wrap, folks! The journey back home was painstakingly long and horrible. Lessons learnt - best to book a cab home and avoid public transportation, esp when one has had holidays with avg 18-20 kms walk daily!