It's Always An Adventure

It is hard to believe but we are almost finished the first part of our European adventure, visiting the incredibly beautiful city of Prague. We have had an absolutely fabulous time exploring this historical gem in the Czech Republic. Made even better by the fact that our main purpose to visit the city was to see our good friends Marta and Allen get married. Not a bad way to start off my first ever visit to Europe.

We started our adventure on Friday evening when we arrived after approximately 36 hours of travel. To say that we were a wee bit tired was something of an understatement. I had managed to get very little sleep on our trans- atlantic flight as I made the mistake of taking dramamine. While it makes the rest of the world sleepy and anti-nauseaus, apparently it makes me throw-up. Lets just say, lesson learned and I now know more than I ever wanted to about the toilets on a plane. The trip on the way home can only be an improvement 😉

All this was soon forgotten when we arrived at our hotel in Prague. From the moment we walked into the Aria Hotel  we immediately fell in love with the beautiful decor and the extremely friendly and hospitable staff. Pavel greeted us, told us to leave our luggage as everything would be taken care of and offered us a guided tour of the hotel. He told us about the history of the hotel and showed us the extensive music library, the exquisite dining room, elegant common areas and best of all the garden of the hotel that lead to a breathtaking view of Lesser Town and Old Town. The tour ended with a complimentary drink in the lounge where Pavel offered sight seeing suggestions and answered any questions that we might have had. I really have no complaints about this hotel, our stay has been perfect. Our room is modern, comfortable and nicely appointed and the attention to every little detail by the hotel staff is beyond exceptional.

The view from the garden bench at the Aria Hotel

On Friday even though we were tired, we were beyond excited to actually be in Prague after all of the hours of travel, so we quickly showered and then headed out to explore the area surrounding the hotel. Within 10 minutes we bumped into our friends who were also in town for the wedding. At this point the festivities began and they have not stopped!

On Saturday both Ron and I awoke bright and early (damn jet lag) and took advantage of our new found energy to make our way to the Charles Bridge and into Old Town before heading back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding. The good news about being up early is that you avoid the crowds that clog the bridge later on in the day and we had a lovely stroll over the bridge with lots of opportunity for pics.

Entrance into Lesser Town from the Charles Bridge

View from the Charles Bridge

View of Charles Bridge, St. Nicholas Cathedral and Prague Castle

Ron and I on the Charles Bridge

On Saturday afternoon it was Allen and Marta’s wedding. They were married on the grounds of the Prague Castle. To say that the setting was spectacular would be an understatement. It was breathtaking. The whole day was wonderful. The couple was stunning, the ceremony was moving in both English and Czech and the dinner and dance were lots of fun. It was hard to believe that we were watching our dear friends get married, that we were surrounded by other cherished friends and that we were all together in Prague on the castle grounds!! Did I mention that while the couple were getting pictures taken the guests were taken on a once in a lifetime private tour of the castle not open to the public. Yes, I am still a bit in awe about it. We capped off the evening with a very long walk back to the hotel (we may have taken a few wrong turns) which would have been a lot easier if I wasn’t in heels. Kel- I did not sacrifice fashion for practicality, you would have been sooo proud 😉

Marta and Allen- Congratulations!!

Ron and I all dressed up 😉

Heels and Cobblestone, NOT a good mix!

The last couple of days have been spent wandering around the city itself, we have enjoyed good food, the company of friends and the adventure of being able to explore an incredible city. There have been many unforgettable moments and I am really excited to continue our fun when we land in Rome tomorrow. Right now, I guess I should be practical and start packing my bags and getting organized. I leave you with some of my favorite pics from the city. It is hard to choose, as there have been soo many picturesque opportunities. Happy summer my friends!!

View from the Prague Tower (with the Astronomical Clock)

Street View

Graffiti

War Monument

Choco Cafe- YUMMY!

Delicious delights at the Choco Cafe

Ron, Donovan and Marta

Nicola, James, Megan and Allen

Out front of the Medieval Pub 😉

YES!