Prague Day 1

We arrived into Prague on a rainy afternoon. This city is unlike any other city because of the fantastic architecture. More about this later after my tours.

I have to talk about the FOOD. Last night, my foodie sister-in-law, Andrea suggested that we go to Pasta Fresca in the older part of town. We went down 3 levels below the street level. This restaurant is so authentic - full of Prague residents. We enjoyed fantastic food in a great relaxed setting. Pasta Fresca was reasonably priced with a great wine list from Italy. The restaurant is part of the Ambiente restaurant group and I would give it a 9 out of 10.

We woke up this morning, had a quick breakfast at our hotel, Hotel Augustine (more later) and off we went on a quest for comfy closed toe shoes. Prague is a city of cobblestones and in some places, VERY slippery cobblestones made from marble. After dodging puddles last night, I needed better walking shoes. Our quest ended at the Ecco store. After my successful purchase we went in search of the Astrological Clock. We arrived 10 minutes before noon. What a zoo of humanity! The clock must have given Disney his inspiration for "It's a Small World". Groups of people were dancing regional dances in costume - it was a blast.

Of course, being just past noon, we needed lunch. We needed to meet friends in 90 minutes and found a fantastic 10 out of 10 restaurant near the Augustine Hotel. Restaurant Tbilisi serves Georgian (not the U.S. state of but the country of) cuisine and this restaurant is a must. It was CLEAN, the menu was in English, the service was perfect and it was reasonably priced. Please put this on your list of restaurants to try as well.

We met up with our friends, Grant and Kathy who have been wonderful traveling buddies and our beyond amazing tour guide Peter for a 4 hour (ouch) walking tour of the Prague Castle and Mala Strana. Peter was a wealth of knowledge. We saw magnificent views of Prague from the top of the Castle as well as walked through gardens and even saw albino peacocks. We heard the history of the Czech people and how life was like during the Communist years.

Having a personal guide rather than a book (sorry Rick) made my experience more personal and in depth. My questions could be answered. Hearing someone else's life story is meaningful to me and will become a part of me. A book can only do so much and having Peter and his personal insight was worth every penny. Tomorrow, we will be visiting the Jewish Quarter with Peter in the morning then joining the AMA Waterways group for a visit to the Terezin concentration camp so stayed tuned..