The lazy days of summer...

The last couple of days have seen some rather late starts. In fact this morning we didn't get out of bed until after 11 am which is almost unheard of for me, but thanks to the very thick curtains and comfortable beds of the Marriott, sleeping in does not seem to be a problem!

During our concious moments we have been seeing the sights of Prague. As I mentioned in my last update, Wednesday, was spent wandering around the city and included lunch by the river. What I forgot to mention was that with lunch we had a bottle of water, which came in a very nice shaped bottle and tasted like, well, water! You can imagine my surprise when the bill came and I realised we had just paid £6.50 for the water, which was more than I had paid for my rissotto!!

Back across the river we ascended the tower overlooking the Old Town Square, which thanks to the marvels of modern science is equipped with a lift! More ancient monuments should have these facilities in my humble opinion, spiral staitcases being over rated! The views were stunning but sadly the sun was behind the castle which has meant the photos we took were not that great.

Yesterday, we bought tram tickets and headed out of the city to Divorka Sarka, which is a national park containing an open air pool. The sun was very hot which was a blessing as the water was very cold! As not only is the pool unheated but it is feed by a stream that runs down the mountain. Andrew tells me the temperature is similar to the Solent, in October, in which he paddled with his girlfriend Imogen.

After lying in the sun for a couple of hours (minus socks!!) we headed back into the city having committed the cardinal sin of the tourist, by purchasing a drink from McDonalds. Our only defence being we were parched and there really was no alternative.

After dinner on the Old Town Square, we were treated to an hour of classical music by an ensemble from the Prague Royal Orchestra, Pachelbel's Canon in D, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and some bits by Mozart!! The Smetana Hall was very imposing and the music was excellent.

After our late start this morning we returned to Prague Castle to 'do' the inside bits. I always find ancient places fascinating from the point of view of the ordinary people. I like to imagine what might have been going on in Prague Castle in say, 1781, which, as far as I know was a fairly ordinary year. Yet the the walls of the Castle and Cathedral have stood for over 600 years and have seen many things in their time, if only they could speak!

Tomorrow is our last full day, though the weather is forecast to change to rain, either way our plan is to hire a pedalo on the river, there will be more news after that, Inshallah...