Day 5: Prague

 We started out our day today in Prague Castle - the largest compound in all of Europe with an active President's office still !  We did a tour with a tour guide and learned all about the castle and surrounding area.  After the morning tour, our group went up to a nicer restaurant and enjoyed some local flavors and a healthy lunch!

 

The Coronation Hall which was also used for Knight tournaments!  They even had a separate staircase just for the horses with a cut out in the molding for the King's crown!  

St. Vitus Cathedral

The Good King Wenceslas is buried in the cathedral!  Of course, the kids had no clue who that was!

One of the interesting things we saw on the tour was a monument set up by the Prague firefighters in memory of the NYC firefighters who lost their lives in 9/11.  It is always so nice to see how other countries memorialize things that are important to us!

A few of us hung around to see the clock strike 12 this afternoon.  The astronomical clock was built in 1410 and still works with 75% of its original parts!  It rings at the top of every hour, and the blue doors open to see a little "carousel" of the apostles spin while the bells ring.  It is amazing that it can still work after all those years! 

Then, we took a river cruise on the Bitava river. 

 After the river cruise, our group decided to enjoy a little ride around Prague in the "old Prague car".  It was a nice breeze, didn't require walking and allowed us to see more of the city!  

Crossing the street with 45 people is no small feat!  The "walk" sign does not typically stay lit long enough for everyone to get across, and pedestrians are not really a top priority here!

 We all tried the Trdelnik which is a local treat!  Chase and I had one filled with Nutella, but you can get them empty or filled with ice cream, too.  It was a type of toasted cinnamon bread.

I did not get to visit the candy store, but the kids apparently had a blast with all the unique types of candy!  Chase enjoyed a 6 ft gummy worm!

 We also visited Europe's oldest active synagogue which was completed in 1270. 

It was a busy day with lots of information and over 17,000 steps in the book!  We are now back at the hotel and ready to pack our bags to move on to Krakow tomorrow.

 At dinner, we tried a local dumpling that disappointingly tasted like Mrs. Baird's white bread.  It was not what we thought of when we think of dumplings.