Priceless

We're getting ready to leave Prague. Sort of sad, since it's been music for the eyes. (And ears...)



Yesterday we happened onto the Czech National Ballet sort of by accident. They were performing in the Estates Theater, where Mozart conducted the world premiere of his opera Don Giovanni in 1787. (It's the last theater still standing where Mozart conducted.) It's Baroque and beautiful, and Steve and I had our very own little box to cuddle up and watch the ballet. It was fantastic. Just completed a few years ago by a Czech composer. Costumes, staging, etc. were just as creative (though on a much smaller scale) as Julie Taymor's Magic Flute or Lion King. Tickets to the Czech Ballet: $35. Seeing Steve love his first ballet: priceless!

A traditional Bohemian dinner in the Old Town after the Ballet: about $40. Walking along the streets of the Old Town at night and seeing the Prague Castle lit up from the Charles Bridge: priceless.

Two nights ago, we went on a pub crawl. First to the Monastery Brewery, of course. Second to a little pub as we walked down the hill to the Old Town. It had silly medieval murals on all the walls, a couple of little house pups that found their place on the lid of the upright piano in the corner, and a table of Czech people singing along with a guy playing the guitar. The beers we had there: about $2. The experience: priceless. I know now why they say pub "crawl", because it was rainy out and I fell on my rear walking to the third place. A fresh Pilsner Urquell is good for all that ails you. For my family and friends who don't know, this was the original pilsner type of beer, created by mistake in the nearby town of Pilsen by a man with the last name Urquell.

Sorry we're not able to capture the beauty of this place in pictures. If you ever had the opportunity, see this place for yourself. These days in Prague have truly been priceless, even in the cold and rain.