Praha

In Praha we met a computer programming Russian who we stayed with for two nights. He drank a lot of beer and was very pleasant. His interests included competitive ballroom dancing and figure skating football and beer.

Julia and I had one day and praha and felt obliged to make the most of it. We went into town early and hungry. It was a good day. There was plenty to see and plenty to eat.

Our first restaurant was in the main square amid a sea of tourists and tour groups. The service was poor and the information on the menus misleading in regards to prices and hours in which breakfast is served. Breakfast is very important to us. So we did not stay at this restaurant. And while two hungry women in search of food can have a negative effect on the mood of a day, our determination to make the most of our traveling experience by not settling for tourist trap cuisine was in the end most rewarding. We first found a simple juice and sandwich stand, which was far cheaper than the first restaurant, and surely better quality. It was just enough to get us in a better frame of mind as we set out to explore the town. Much to our surprise our next restaurant stop was just around the corner from the main square. An adorable little courtyard eating area served by a decadent bakery and delicatessen. If ever you plan to go to Praha you must visit this restaurant. www.augourmand.cz The crepes were fantastic and so were the chocolate chip cookies that we purchased to share with our Russian host later in the day.

The rest of the day went similarly, good sights, followed by good food, followed by more sights and food and great service. We finished in the evening with a visit to the theatre to see Swan Lake. It was mostly to see the building and less so about seeing the ballet. Both Julia and I found ourselves rather bored through the performance with only a few notable scenes that keeping our attention. I came to the conclusion that the quality of the ballet was not very good. It seemed to me that the points that seemed most polished and refined kept my interest without any trouble while the rest of the performance may have been terrible but I can't be sure because I really didn't pay attention.

Praha was a great city to visit, and I felt that a day was enough to take it in. It seemed just as touristy as Paris however, and I again found this element a bit exhausting. Damn tourists.

On Thursday we wished our host the best and headed back into town to catch the train to Nuremburg and the bus Wien. Would you believe that between Julia and I we had exactly enough Czech money in coins to buy our subway ticked into town. And not a penny or cent or whatever they call it in Czech.