Whirlwind Tour + Teahouse!

Hello from Prague!  Today we woke up to another overcast and chilly day in Prague.  Although this weather is a bit of a downer, it seems to complement the architecture and feel of the city well.  We started off the day with a bite of breakfast from the hotel's free breakfast buffet.  We have found these free breakfasts to be quite extensive with lots of selection of meats, cheeses, breads and pastries.  The one today even had egg options!  It's great to be able to grab a roll and some fruit to pack for the long days of exploring.  After breakfast, we headed around the corner from the hotel to check out the famous Astronomical Clock.

This 500 year old clock seems to be quite the tourist attraction, but seemingly for good reason!  It tells time time two different ways, as well as the phase of the moon, where the moon and sun are in the sky at any given time of day and year, what time the sun will rise and set, and also tells you stuff about the zodiac!  It is so involved that even our two engineering brains couldn't figure out how to read it!  It is an amazing piece of engineering that still works after five centuries.

After quickly checking out the clock, we headed over to meet up with a FREE tour of Prague.  The three hour tour featured many of the sights of Old Town, New Town, and the Jewish Quarter.  It was a great overview of the city and gave us a good idea of the things we want to explore further in the next couple of days.  We snapped a few pictures along the way, but as usual they don't seem to do it justice...

The Estates Theater (the only remaining European theater where Mozart performed one of his operas!)

Wenceslas Square (the building at the end is the National Museum)

One of the few remaining original city gates of Prague!

A beautiful view of the Prague Castle and the St. Vitus Cathedral from afar!

The only example of "Cubist" architecture in the world (the Cubist Museum or the Black Madonna)

After the tour was completed, we headed out to explore one of the sites featured on the tour, the St. James Church.  This church is considered to be the most beautiful church in the Old Town of Prague, and features a bit of a gruesome story... According to legend, a thief attempted to steal a gold necklace from the bejeweled Madonna Pietatis at the altar of the church.  However, his hand was "frozen" the moment he touched the statue, leaving him trapped for the clergymen and monks to find the next morning.  In order to free the man, the monks had to cut off his arm, which they then hung from the ceiling of the church as a warning to any other thieves that might try their "hand" at stealing from the church!  The decomposed arm/hand is still hanging in the church to this day.  However, no pictures were allowed inside the church, so you'll have to take our word for it!

After visiting St. James Church, we headed into the New Town in search of a Rick Steves' recommended tea house.  The tea house was warm, cozy, and quiet after a chilly morning exploring Prague.  We enjoyed some white tea (one of the hundreds of tea options on the menu!), along with some pistachios and tea biscuits.  Yum!

Next we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and make plans for the rest of the evening.  After much debate, we decided on a vegetarian restaurant in Old Town.  The food was awesome (according to BOTH of us!).  We may have to go back again to try some of the other things on the menu!  On our way back we snapped another picture of the St. Vitus Cathedral from afar.  We are planning to check that out first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds.

Tomorrow looks to be (another) busy day with lots more sightseeing.  Better get some rest!

Dobrou noc!

Love, 

Matt and Kim