Happy New Year from Prague

---

Geo: 50.0845, 14.4165

We started a lot earlier than the majority of people in Prague this morning, and consequently the Charles Bridge was almost deserted when we crossed it at 9am on our way to the Castle. We caught the tram up the hill from the other side of the river (we would have bought tickets but the meschine was broken!) and arrived at a good time for 10am Mass, even seeing the Garuda walking out for the (minor) Changing of the Guards.

Mass was a good way of visiting the cathedral, otherwise it couldn't be visited until after midday. But God didn't expect us to attend a High mass in Czech, we are sure, and the church was so cold - spectacular, but close to freezing - so when the Liturgy of the Word hadn't ended after 55 mins, we took this as our cue to exit.

We toured the rooms that are open to the public - much of the Castle is closed as it is still the home of the Czech president. They were good, but not as spectacular as the Cathedral - the absolute highlight. The soaring roof, the stained glass by Mucha (Czech Art Nouveau artist), the sumptuous tombs of St Wenceslas (Good King Wenceslas, killed by his younger brother who tried to redeem his own soul by canonizing his dead brother!!)

We walked down from the Castle, back to our apartment, after a very mediocre meal at the restaurant around the corner from us. Half-cold meals and charging us per slice of bread that we ate from the table!

An afternoon sleep was necessary to restore good humour.

That evening, we walked back to the main square so that the boys could see the Astronomical Clock, then back to the excellent place we are the first night. A great farewell to Prague - Prost!!

---