Well, we're home and had a wonderful time on the Prague add on. One warning for those who have not ridden from Passau to Cesky Krumlov--the road is very wind-y and I got pretty queasy. Fortunately we had a lot of walking in the fresh air and that helped a lot! We went on hour long tour of the charming little city, then had about 2 hours on our own. DH and I went to a little strudel cafe attached to a hotel and it was very inexpensive and good. We then wandered around a bit and shopped for gingerbread and a something featuring Krtec the Czech cartoon mole character who is/was a beloved cartoon during the Iron Curtain days. We were able to watch a couple of them on the bus ride over, and both Stephanie and Kat spoke about their childhoods in that time period-so very interesting!
Comfort stop on the way to Cesky Krumlov
Photo down the lane...
Sun!!
After we left Cesky Krumlov, we were on the bus for a couple of hours. The guides played Tangled and I must've either slept or they skipped 2/3 of the movie
We were scheduled to have a comfort stop but the fog was so thick the bus driver missed the turn off. We got checked into the Prague Hilton (very large and busy). It was okay...functional but I would not put it on my "must return" list. I think I had believed we were going to the Marriott so the change threw me off a bit (not a bad thing, just expecting my usual Marriott). We walked to the Sarah Barnhart restaurant and the meal was nice. We had ordered ahead of time so the service was good. A relaxing meal with a wonderful lemon tart (mentioned by @mare123) that I'd been anticipating. We sat near the couple celebrating their 49th anniversary and they received a little cake that they shared with the table. It was excellent--so try to sit near someone celebrating
The next day was our full day in Prague, with about a 3 1/2 hour walking tour. Our local guide was very good and I enjoyed it until the point where I was so cold nothing was pleasant. After watching the noon show of the astronomical clock, DH and I headed back to the hotel and called it a day...we skipped the river cruise and closing dinner. I knew we were both too cold for hanging out on the river and having read many trip reports (thanks, everyone but especially @mare123) I knew the final dinner would not be worth the lost sleep for me. So early to bed, up at 4:45 and home safely even with a delay in Prague (fog, of course fog...).
Cute bows on the way to the castle
Christmas trees in St Vitus's Cathedral
Overlooking Prague from the castle...summer photos will have prettier vines in the vineyard I hope
Locks near little Venice area...my friend asked me if I saw hers...mmm, didn't know it was there but maybe???
Thanks again for reading! I summarized the cruise earlier but think of the entire time, Chesky Krumlov and Prague were my favorites. I wish I had been a little warmer for Prague, but I'm not too worried since it's on the approved Return List for DH. I did think the add on was worth it for the two of us and if you're on the fence, hope this helped a bit (just bring your phenergan/dramamine/bonine if you're prone to motion sickness for the drive)!
Now off to tackle laundry...
Fini!
Shay
