The Adventures of JAHLON: PRAGUE

In the movies, nothing good ever happens on a train. Convicts being transported escape through a bathroom ceiling hatch, men on horseback rob the passengers, a murder mystery unfolds...

Maybe that's why I was so nervous with my stomach in knots. Or maybe it was because Dex-man woke up with a fever and I felt like the worst mom ever for not taking him straight home.

Whatever it was, once we boarded the train and took off, I calmed down. The ride was a little rough, but kind of neat too. It was our first distance train ride.

Dexter learned the word choo-choo and said it over and over.

It was about a 6-hour train ride, but we finally got to Prague. We found a pharmacy at the train station (the train stations in Europe are all like malls) and got some Czech brand children's fever reducer. I was much happier once Dexter had some meds working for him. We pulled some Czech money out of the ATM and hiked across town to find our hotel on this road:
It was a recommendation from my friend Shana, and it was great...inexpensive, perfect location, and spaceous too!
Mahlon and I had our own little room separate from Dexter. Munich had been so cramped. We loved this room.

Here are our Czech crowns. We were lucky to get to use these, next year they're converting to the euro. Carrying 2000 bills around made us feel like high-rollers! (2000 crowns is about $100)

Can you guess what our first stop was? Hard Rock, of course!
It was a cool one, too...5 stories!
Dexter preferred his menu to the pasta.
After dinner we found the old town square around the corner. It was beautiful. So many people were out too. There were all kinds of food and vendors set up in the square, which I guess happens every night?
There were some protesters blocking the square, but we avoided them and went in.

Here's their famous astronomical clock:

It was a beautiful night, but we were pooped. We headed back to the hotel to crash.
We only had one day in Prague, so we decided just to walk around to see all the most important things. Since Jaromir Jagr is from the Czech Republic, I put Dex in his Pens jersey.

The astronomical clock during the day:

We walked along the waterfront to find Charles Bridge. Here's the entrance to the bridge, which leads to Castle Quarter:
Can you see the man in red at the top? He's playing a trumpet.
Everything in Castle Quarter is guarded.
Here's the pretty bridge, lined with painters and other vendors. There are lots of street musicians too, which I love, since I always thought there should be people following me everywhere playing music as sort of a soundtrack to my life.
There's Prague Castle in the background.

We met a nice couple from Austin, TX on the bridge. We each took pictures of each other.
Once we had crossed the bridge it was a pretty big hike up a hill to get into the castle. But the views up there were terrific!
The entrance to the castle isn't very inviting!
Inside the castle grounds there are a couple cathedrals, shops and restaurants. There's also the official building where the Czech President works.

Dexter threw a tantrum I'll never forget in the castle square. I don't know what was wrong. He had a cookie in his hand and everything.

After the castle we stopped in this little side street tavern for lunch where I had my first goulash. It was delish!
What's the difference between someone who grew up in an Italian family and someone who didn't? The Italian knows how to use her bread!
We didn't do much else that day. We took naps. Then we walked around and tried to see more of the big stuff. We went to this restaurant on Shana's recommendation too. I had the exact sandwich she recommended and it was stupid good. I cried a little after the last bite.