I was exhausted but after 13 hours of sleep, I think I was on the right time and ready to see the city, not through a bleary-eyed haze. After a late start, I headed to the Castle, its grounds and basilica. Amazing stained glass windows and a choir singing made it worth while. I kept thinking I'd actually see a castle but the all the building on the ground are the "Castle" and what you see from afar and think is the castle, is the basilica.
Wandering down a side street were some open vistas overlooking the city, lined with the art nouveau glass lanterns. Walking back over the Charles Bridge I took some evening photos of the saints lining the bridge and then happened upon the lighting of the Christmas tree in Old Town and saw the famous Astronomical Clock. The Christmas markets were open and the square was packed to bursting.
I stopped in a little shop with wifi to grab a hot chocolate and ended up meeting a nice couple from Florida. We got to chatting and when they ordered their second pizza, I asked if it was good. They said yes, they were going to order a third to take back to their hotel. They offered me a piece and we chatted. When their third pizza came, they gave me another piece and wished me well as I tried to make an opera.
There was no opera, only Shakespeare and I didn't feel like listening to Iambic pentameter with a Czech accent, sooooo, I headed back to Old Town and took some more photos of the tree and tower. I offer to take photos of couples and then ask them to take one of me so I can prove I was actually here. There was a police presence in the square because of the crowd which was good because a fight broke out around 10:00 pm so I decided that was my cue to walk back to my hotel. Prague has very little violent crime and I feel safe walking around. However, I am smart about it and try to walk near other people, have an idea where I'm going before I start out, etc. The city is very walkable and has a good tram/bus/train system.
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