New Years Eve in Prague

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Geo: 50.0878, 14.4205

My God! It's cold outside - it took some convincing to get the kids to even leave the apartment for dinner last night! -1 to -4 today - but with the windchill, it feels colder.

But the sun was shining, so we headed out to meet a walking tour. We found that we are 400m from the Charles Bridge, and not much further to the Astronomical Clock and main square. Takeaway coffees helped too! As soon as we turned off Liliova Street, we were in the midst of the throngs of tourists - apparently, NYE is the biggest weekend of the year for tourism in Prague. The Square was full of Christmas Market stalls - they continue until the Epiphany here - and we met our tour.

We looked at the Astronomical Clock, though we weren't there when it struck -perhaps not the most exciting event - then walked past many beautiful old buildings, including a concert hall where Mozart once played, a cubist building and the Gunpowder Gate. We walked to Wenceslas Square (nothing special, although apparently in 2 or 3 years, the museum will reopen and be wonderful) and over to the Jewish Ghetto - the Jews were forced to live within the ghetto for centuries, and then were nearly wiped out during the Holocaust. I'd like to explore this area with more time, next time. We ended near the Charles Bridge, with some funny stories about the kleptomaniac Czech president.

It was late (3pm) by the time we got to lunch in a little restaurant on Liliova Street - and getting colder by the minute, as the sunshine disappeared to be replaced with a dense fog. The crowds were getting denser too! Based on some warnings by our guide as to the likely behavior of the crowds tonight and the unlikelihood of securing a dinner reservation, Steven and I went to the Tesco to buy a pasta dinner for our New Year's Eve feast - including non-alcoholic "Finding Dory" champagne and "Robby Bubbles" for the kids. Then, a boisterous game of UNO with grandad.

We were all in bed by 10.30, but the noise from the city going off continued to grow in volume. At midnight, the city exploded! The walls shook and every window flowed with the fireworks being set off from highpoints all over the city - including our building and the building next door!!! Steven, Georgia and I watched from the comfort of our window in front of the radiator, whilst grandad and the boys slumbered on.

Happy New Year!!

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Comments

[Jane Reilly]

wow you really don't stop!How memorable......sounds and looks like a very exciting place.loving the photos.