The Prague Castle

Saturday was wonderful. Beautiful weather (we expected it to rain in Prague, but it has been terrific!) and lots of free time to explore more of the city.

After our hotel breakfast buffet we took the bus up to Prague Castle. The castle sits atop a hill on the other side of the city's river--The Moldau--and from the palace and cathedral one can see for many miles. Being a Saturday it was very crowded, and it took a little patience to stand in the lines and shuffle through each area of the complex. It was worth it for the history and art, however. Most of the students went back down to the old town for lunch and to do more shopping. A few of us diehards stayed at the castle for a few more hours, not sure when we'll ever have the opportunity to see it again. The pictures you see here are from the belltower at the cathedral.

Last night we had a great dinner--very sophisticated for some of our younguns! Duck, bread dumplings, red cabbage (served like a sweet sauerkraut), and apple strudel. We then went back into Old Town for a few hours of nightlife. The Czech Republic had their elections this weekend, so lots of locals were out celebrating (or drowning their sorrows depending on the results). It was nice to see everything lit up and the churches and river had an especially beautiful glow.

We took the subway (Metro) back to our hotel. This made it very clear that "we ain't in Kansas anymore!" Taking 40 high school students into a subway station at 10 PM is quite the adventure--trying to buy cards from a machine written in Czech, hopping on the subway and attempting to hear all stops. It was truly an experience I'm sure some of the kids will discuss for a while!

Today...on to Vienna!