Prague

Prague has been one of my favourite cities recently. It delightfully balances the irrisistable charm of the old world with all the modern comforts of the new. It's fresh, clean, bustling and safe.

We stayed for 3 nights at the quiet Camp Dana in the suburb of Troja, a short tram ride across the Vltava River into the city.

The main city square was a hive of activity thanks to a wine festival and markets. An amazing aroma filled the square- a combination of open wood fires roasting pigs on the spit and the sweet cinnamon smell of freshly made donuts. All around old buildings that have been perfectly preserved rose elegantly to the sky, now housing swish restaurants and 21st century shops.

Adjacent to the square is the Prague Astronomical Clock which, installed in 1410, is the third oldest astronomical clock in the world and oldest working one. Matt explained in detail how it works but I have since forgotten.

We then wandered along the old pedestrian streets peeping through the shop windows of store after store filled with handmade wooden puzzles, chess sets, children's toys and marionettes. I've never seen so many puppets!

We next crossed the Charles Bridge, a mighty stone structure which traverses the river. It was 'Black Fashion Week' in Prague and we spent some time watching a French team of models pose for the camera in front of the city skyline and their entourage follow them around.

We then wandered to a place called Námêsti Míru (translation: Square of Peace), sat outside a church and watched the world pass us by. This is one of my favourite things to do - find somewhere nice to sit, watch and think. Autumn leaves were cascading to the ground all around us and we spent some time trying to capture pictures of the leaves mid flight. This proved futile and we resorted to staging the photos by throwing leaves in the hope of scoring a decent photo. We failed at that too.

We then descended into the metro via Europe's longest escalator and headed home. Matt is in the process of applying for some jobs back home so we take advantage of the early sunset and chilly conditions to get some work done in the evenings.

The next day we set off for another day in Prague. We started off with a visit to the Dancing House, a bizarrely shaped building. It's supposed to look like two figures dancing, but it looks more like the building has warped in too much sunlight.

That afternoon, after a lovely lunch at a very rare food court, we headed off to the cinema to see Spielberg's 'The Adventures of Tintin- The Secret of the Unicorn'. You kiddies in Australia will have to wait till late December to see it :) It may be an animation but it's a great watch. Thankfully it was in English but the Czech ads at the beginning and subtitles throughout provided great entertainment. How they can have that many consonants without vowels is beyond me.

It was almost dark when the movie finished. We took the Funicular up Petrin Hill and caught a tiny lift up the 64 metre observation tower at the top. The tower greatly resembles the Eiffel Tower, having been commissioned by The Club of Czech Tourists after they visited the World Expo in Paris in 1889. It, like its inspiration, provided great views of the city and, although chilly, we watched the thriving city sprawl out below us.