We drove to Prague, through Bratislava, on a Friday ev
ening and went right to the Courtyard Marriott (about a five 1/2 hour drive from Budapest). We rested up to ensure we had the energy for the full day we spent on Saturday around what has to be the most beautiful city in Europe (for sure top 5!). We took a subway from the hotel to get to Prague Castle, which is, of course, on a hill. We went up A LOT of stairs (carrying the stroller) to get up to the castle district, where Katie had to point out Cinderella’s bedroom. The castle district was large and charming, as was the gothic St. Vitus cathedral, which we didn’t go into because the line was so long. It was high tourist season in Prague, so there were a lot of people, which kind of pilfered a little bit of the ambiance. The view of Prague and the Vltava (Moldau) River was breathtaking. From the castle we walked down a hill that led to the Charles Bridge, which was named for King Charles IV during the 14th century glory days. Even the view from the bridge of the beautiful
architecture up the hill to the castle is remarkable. 36 Baroque Saints line the bridge’s sixteen-arched crossing. On the other side of the bridge we walked to the beautiful green Estates Theater, where Don Giovanni was performing. And a highlight of the day in Prague was the Old Town Square. There are tons of outdoor cafes, musicians, mimes, and beautiful stores (many selling amber and crystal). Heather and Katie climbed to the top of the 200-ft clock tower, in the middle of Old Town Square, which had an amazing view of the “City of One Hundred Spires”! Then we met up with them again downstairs on the outside of the clock tower, where every hour on the hour the 600 year old astronomical clock has a procession of apostles and allegorical figures. We missed the end of it because an elderly lady in front of us fainted and kept grabbing Heather’s leg, speaking to her in some language she didn’t understand (fortunately she didn’t need to understand it because the woman had family there with her who helped her). It was a full day for us in Prague, but the day wasn’t over. We got in our car and drove to a littl
e Czech town three hours south (thanks to our GPS) called Cesky Krumlov. We didn’t have a hotel reservation here, because there were no chain hotels in this romantic little town. It was here I finally decided in my head that the chains, although nice for a last resort and comfort, don't provide the same European experience the pensions/bed&breakfasts do. We found a room in a pension that had four beds and was quite large. It was getting later in the evening, but we went out and ate dinner in a Chinese restaurant before going to bed. Going to bed was tricky in our room because there were no curtains on the windows, and it was light outside until 9:00 so the girls would not settle down.
There was also no air-conditioning so we had to leave the windows open, which would have been fine if there wasn’t a discotec next door that had music blaring until 2AM! Other than a bad night’s sleep, we loved this town! Cesky Krumlov is this fabulous fairy-tale river town. The Vltava River meanders through the town, and the castle sits up on the hill. Krumlov (Schwartzenberg) Castle is the second largest castle in the Czech Republic, after Prague’s. For 300 years it was the residence of the Rozenberk Dynasty, which was the powerful noble family that ruled southern Bohemia from 1316 to the 16th century. We spent all day exploring the castle grounds and gardens, and walking through the twisting cobblestone streets of the village. It was an easier drive back as we just kept driving South in Czech Republic before running right into Linz, Austria, which put us back on the motorway all the way back to Budapest (via Vienna, this time). It was a very, very fun weekend.
ening and went right to the Courtyard Marriott (about a five 1/2 hour drive from Budapest). We rested up to ensure we had the energy for the full day we spent on Saturday around what has to be the most beautiful city in Europe (for sure top 5!). We took a subway from the hotel to get to Prague Castle, which is, of course, on a hill. We went up A LOT of stairs (carrying the stroller) to get up to the castle district, where Katie had to point out Cinderella’s bedroom. The castle district was large and charming, as was the gothic St. Vitus cathedral, which we didn’t go into because the line was so long. It was high tourist season in Prague, so there were a lot of people, which kind of pilfered a little bit of the ambiance. The view of Prague and the Vltava (Moldau) River was breathtaking. From the castle we walked down a hill that led to the Charles Bridge, which was named for King Charles IV during the 14th century glory days. Even the view from the bridge of the beautiful 
architecture up the hill to the castle is remarkable. 36 Baroque Saints line the bridge’s sixteen-arched crossing. On the other side of the bridge we walked to the beautiful green Estates Theater, where Don Giovanni was performing. And a highlight of the day in Prague was the Old Town Square. There are tons of outdoor cafes, musicians, mimes, and beautiful stores (many selling amber and crystal). Heather and Katie climbed to the top of the 200-ft clock tower, in the middle of Old Town Square, which had an amazing view of the “City of One Hundred Spires”! Then we met up with them again downstairs on the outside of the clock tower, where every hour on the hour the 600 year old astronomical clock has a procession of apostles and allegorical figures. We missed the end of it because an elderly lady in front of us fainted and kept grabbing Heather’s leg, speaking to her in some language she didn’t understand (fortunately she didn’t need to understand it because the woman had family there with her who helped her). It was a full day for us in Prague, but the day wasn’t over. We got in our car and drove to a littl
e Czech town three hours south (thanks to our GPS) called Cesky Krumlov. We didn’t have a hotel reservation here, because there were no chain hotels in this romantic little town. It was here I finally decided in my head that the chains, although nice for a last resort and comfort, don't provide the same European experience the pensions/bed&breakfasts do. We found a room in a pension that had four beds and was quite large. It was getting later in the evening, but we went out and ate dinner in a Chinese restaurant before going to bed. Going to bed was tricky in our room because there were no curtains on the windows, and it was light outside until 9:00 so the girls would not settle down. 
There was also no air-conditioning so we had to leave the windows open, which would have been fine if there wasn’t a discotec next door that had music blaring until 2AM! Other than a bad night’s sleep, we loved this town! Cesky Krumlov is this fabulous fairy-tale river town. The Vltava River meanders through the town, and the castle sits up on the hill. Krumlov (Schwartzenberg) Castle is the second largest castle in the Czech Republic, after Prague’s. For 300 years it was the residence of the Rozenberk Dynasty, which was the powerful noble family that ruled southern Bohemia from 1316 to the 16th century. We spent all day exploring the castle grounds and gardens, and walking through the twisting cobblestone streets of the village. It was an easier drive back as we just kept driving South in Czech Republic before running right into Linz, Austria, which put us back on the motorway all the way back to Budapest (via Vienna, this time). It was a very, very fun weekend.
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