Czech-ing out Prague

Is there any better way to relax on a Friday afternoon than putting your feet up and enjoying a cold German beer? Thankfully, the fabulous train system here allows you to do just that en route to any European destination. This Friday, Patrick and I packed our dinner and drinks and hopped over to Prague for a quick getaway to see the the largest city in the Czech Republic.

There is so much to see in the city that it is a bit overwhelming for a weekend trip. Patrick and I decided to take a walking tour to soak in as much as we could and revisit the highlights the next day. The mood in the city  was a little down since the Czech Republic had just been eliminated by Portugal in the EuroCup, but the weather was fabulous for walking and taking in the picturesque city. 

Below are 8 facts about Prague we found particularly interesting: 

#1: This city is old. The oldest building in the humongous Prague Castle (above) was built in 870. The country had its own university in 1348 - before Columbus even discovered the US!

#2: Prague still shows signs of its roots in astronomy, magic, and alchemy. The Prague Orloj is the world's 3rd oldest astronomical clock and it still works 602 years later. At the top of every hour, the clock comes to life with a automated figures, which brings me to...

#3: Puppets are huge in Prague - I expected to see several musicians on the streets of Prague, but I was pleasantly surprised by the puppet street performers and marvelous puppet shops with intricate, wooden puppets that looked like they came out of a child's dream.

#4: There is a sign on the Vlata river warning people of sharks. Patrick pointed it out - interesting since the river is only 9ft deep?? It turns out one of the tour boat captains found a small dead shark in the river, and though he believes it was a carcass thrown out by a restaurant, he put the sign up anyway.

#5: St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle was actually not completed until 1929, though construction began in 1344 (almost 600 years!!).

#6: You can buy Absinthe fro-yo in Prague (although I'm sure this is true of other European cities, this was our first encounter). 

#7: The real Iron Man lives in Prague - he is a ghost that haunts the city every 100 years looking for someone to kiss him to free him from his spell (he killed his wife when he thought she cheated on him while he was at war). There is a statue of him in the Old Town.

#8: The Beatles inspired students in the 1980s to rebel against the communist regime by writing Beatles lyrics on a certain wall in Prague. Now, the "Lennon Wall" changes every day as citizens and tourists write all sorts of messages on it, painting over those of the people before them. I like to think that this "(I wanna) hold your hand" written on the cobblestones has been there since the beginning!