Praha

So as Elise posted, yesterday afternoon we got into Prague. I immediately went next door to the monastery brewery ("Klášterní Pivovar") and had an amber lager so amazingly good, it was as if I'd never had beer before. It was truly perfect. Malty, with a caramel note, but also bitter, a hint of hop flavor and the most amazing mouthfeel. It was truly tremendous. I couldn't believe how good it was.



We had a nice dinner at the hotel, and then walked up the hill to Petrín, which is a sort of mini-Eiffel Tower, where Elise took the picture above. Then, this morning, we walked down to Prague Castle and took the big tour: St. Vitus Cathedral, the old palace, the national gallery, etc. After about four hours of castle tours, we headed to a restaurant and got an "Old Bohemian Meal" which consisted of garlic soup, roasted pork, smoked pork, potato dumplings, roll dumplings, sauerkraut, red cabbage, grilled sausage, and coffee and dessert. It was awesome! I asked for a large pivo and was promptly rewarded with a liter of Krušovice. Yeah! Beer by the liter!



After we ate, we walked back to the hotel and dropped off our ponchos (it had rained all morning) and walked down through town to the St. Nicholas Church, and then across the Charles Bridge to meet up with friends of Elise's parents. Roger and Janice Capps have been living in Prague for several months, teaching at a Baptist institute outside of town. They took us to their place and then we went to a pub and had a grand dinner.



In our travels today, we rode the Metro, a bus, and the tram. I heard that public transport in Prague is rife with pickpockets, so I was quite on guard. I didn't see anybody who looked terribly sketchy, but I was hoping they'd pick my back pocket and make off with my dirty handkerchief.

Who knows what adventure is in store for us tomorrow?