We fell in love with Prague.

We love the food, the beer, the architecture.

It’s magical, even in the bitter cold of late November.

Everyone speaks perfect English. Even the little bit of Czech I rushed to learn and the app I downloaded didn’t matter. I didn’t need it.

We arrived in Prague Thanksgiving evening.

We stayed at Hotel U Medvídků Brewery. It was absolutely delightful. Complimentary mug of house beer upon check-in! The keys are mini beer barrels. The kids stayed in an amazing loft room. The breakfast buffet was the stuff of dreams. We parked our minivan right outside and paid the hotel desk clerk each day. There were also parking garages available.

First night:

We went straight to the bridge.

We trekked across the Charles Bridge several times during our weekend. It’s so beautiful!

We walked across the bridge since that seemed to be where the crowds were going.

We were cold, tired, and hungry after a long day of being in the car.

We came across the 3+3+3 restaurant and had delightful, simple Czech food – schnitzel, pečená kachna (duck leg), this crazy delicious walnut chicken.

I much prefer Czech cuisine to German! I love the schnitzel and sauerkraut in Prague!

The kids crashed back at the hotel and Aaron and I tried the brew pub at the hotel and went to bed.

Prague is the birthplace of beer.

I had a lovely special 25th anniversary edition beer (For the 25th anniversary of the Prague Spring). Aaron had the 1466. We didn’t especially care for that one.

Second Day:

We walked across Charles Bridge again in daylight and took lots of pictures of all the saints.

Then we walked back to Old Town Square.

We saw the Astronomical Clock. It’s a bit disappointing.

A lovely British couple took our family picture.

We walked through the Church of Our Lady in front of Týn. It was just gorgeous.

So much to see in Old Town Square!

I love the Jan Huss monument.

I absolutely LOVED the Jewish Quarter.

We toured museums and synagogues. Pictures weren’t allowed. It was very emotional to see the names of people in the camps during WWII. One room showed an exhibit of children’s art from Terezin. The ancient Jewish cemetery was really interesting.

The clock is in Hebrew and moves backwards:

The synagogue where the Golem legend began:

The girls loved the windows and said the building looks like it’s watching us:

We had a lovely meal at Café Lamberty. The best spinach soup ever!

We took a rest in the afternoon. We walked a lot and were so exhausted. We ventured back out. It got dark about 4:30, so that didn’t help our bodies feel very awake.

Alex’s favorite part of the entire trip? The pretty Erpet Crystal store. We did love all these art tea sets.

We happened to time it perfectly to witness the tree lighting for the grand opening of the Christmas market!

We all fell in love with chimney cakes!

We dropped the kids off at the hotel and ordered them some dinner from the accompanying restaurant.

Then we took off to explore.

Aaron and I absolutely loved the Pivovar U Fleků. We sat in the Velký sál (Large Hall).

They leave a little tab on the table and mark it with how many beers and shots you get. Good thing we walked!

I had beer cheese. It was ah-may-zing!

Aaron and I wandered around Wenceslas Square and admired the Christmas market and statue of St. Wenceslas.

Last day:

We took the street trolley up to Prague Castle. We were much more cheerful without having to hike all that way.

St. Vitus Cathedral is breathtaking.

The lighting was so dim inside the palaces and some didn’t allow photography.

The kids loved the armory and The Golden Lane. We bought some lovely Christmas ornaments as souvenirs.

On the return trip, we got off the trolley at St. Nicholas church, before the Charles Bridge.

Katie and I really loved the graffiti at the Lennon Wall.

We had fancy traditional Bohemian food at the Pension U Tri Houslicek (The Three Fiddles).

Liz got lamb and I got venison. Tori got the delectable Svickova na smetane (Beef in Sour Cream Sauce).

We walked back all over the Jewish Quarter to find this one little antique shop where I had seen this lovely crystal set.

And Aaron bought it for me.

After we dropped the kids off to bed, Aaron and I finally found Kafka.

Then we trekked down to see the Powder Gate. We found the Café de Paris.

Loved the art deco and history at Café de Paris! I imagined I was chatting with artists and writers.

We did a lot in a weekend! I’d love to go back and see more. And eat.

The kids talk about going back to Prague in the summer. We all just loved it and made wonderful memories!

Tip: Don’t bother going to U Zlatéhp Tygra. They don’t really like tourists. They blocked our entrance and waved at us and shook their heads “no” until we left.

 

We drove our minivan and parked outside the hotel. It’s about 5 hours from Ramstein and bout 6.5 hours from Spangdahlem.

Linking up: Chestnut Grove Academy, Makeovers and Motherhood

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