Our last day in Prague dawned cloudy with yet another 90% forecast of rain. We began today’s tour at the Prague Castle – the most visited castle in the Czech Republic – the official residence and office of the President. We toured the castle grounds and St Vitus Cathedral and heard the history of the castle, which dates back to the ninth century. Situated atop a hill, one gets a panoramic view of the city below.

We then walked down the hill along a pretty little street which has retained so much character, including many homes with symbols over the doors (eg – swan, three violins) which was the way to give directions to your house prior to the numbering system we have today. At the bottom we crossed the historic Charles bridge which was completed in the 15th century. It is now a pedestrian only bridge and there were many stories about some of the more important of the 30 statues that adorn the bridge. We were also warned that this is the working place for many pickpockets.

The bridge joins the castle to the old town, which meant that we were back on familiar ground from the previous day when we arrived back in old town square. We said goodbye to our excellent tour guide and headed off on our own for lunch. As we were eating lunch the rain finally started and continued (just a light drizzle) for most of the afternoon. From lunch we walked to St Wenceslas Square, named after the patron saint of Bohemia. This is the centre of business and commerce in the new town and the traditional setting for demonstrations, celebrations and public gatherings. We wandered along one side of the broad street and then back along the other side, visiting some of the small Czech craft and crystal shops along the way. To fill some of the time until our bus came, George went back to the church we sang at yesterday to hear a youth choir from Leeds. He managed to talk his way in, even though the concert was in progress, but I wasn’t so fortunate. I went off on my own and bought a treat to share when he returned.

We didn’t have a lot of time when we returned to the hotel to prepare for our last night on the town. Ellison arranged for us to go to U Marcanu. This is a family run restaurant that has been in business for more than 100 years. What fun! Dinner included traditional Czech fare with unlimited wine and beer interspersed with traditional entertainment. The emcee spoke a number of different languages and welcomed everyone in their own language. There were groups from Canada, US, Australia and Russia. Over the course of the evening she had people up playing instruments, dancing and generally having fun. At the end of the evening they said farewell to the Aussies by singing Waltzing Matilda, to the Americans by singing Home on the Range, to the Russians by singing a Russian folk song that we all hummed along to, and to the Canadians by singing Alouette. Everyone returned in good spirits ready to pack and head home. The yellow bus folk had to be up and ready to leave by 4am. I suspect some of them didn’t even go to bed.

This has been a wonderful trip and a great introduction to three countries in Europe. I’m sure we’ll be back again some day. We’re glad we came early rather than staying after the trip. I think we’re very ready to head home.