I remember when we were in New York with our children that I found the crowds overwhelming. The same could be said of our first day in Prague – so many tourists. Yes, I know we are tourists too!

My goal for our remaining time in Prague is to avoid, as much as possible, the crowds now that we have seen Prague Castle, the Astronomical Clock and Charles Bridge.

For Day Two, we had an early start
with a long walk along the river and across a not crowded Charles Bridge. It’s true, go to the bridge early and it’s a quite different experience. We even got to touch the statue of St John of Nepomuk!

Then we wandered through the streets of Mala Strana finding quite by accident a couple of places I really wanted to see, the Lennon Wall and the Water Wheel as well as an amazing blackboard which is definitely not in the guidebooks.

We had read that the John Lennon Wall was no longer a tribute to John Lennon, rather just an excuse for graffiti. That wasn’t really true, there were many tributes to Lennon. Its not quite the spiritual experience of Strawberry Fields or the Dakota Building in New York but still special.

From there we walked along the river, through some gardens and saw an amazing themed blackboard.

It was really thought provoking. Apart from the obvious comments about love, there were comments about making a difference and meaning something. What a great concept.

As we headed toward our coffee and breakfast destination, the famous Cafe Savoy, we found the waterwheel which I understand to be the last in Prague. More interesting were the padlocks signifying undying love.

We had seen these throughout Rome previously but never so many in one place.

After what was by now a late breakfast we decided on a trip on the Petrin Funicular which was a short walk away from the cafe.

Just before we got to the funicular we passed the Memorial to the Victims of Communism. A very striking memorial to a troubled time.

The funicular (what a great word for tram!) was fun and took us to the top of Petrin Hill and lovely garden with fabulous views to the castle and cross the city. The garden covers an enormous area and the long winding walk down the hill was relaxing and peaceful.

Once at the bottom more coffee, at the Slavia Cafe, looking across the river to the castle.

We continued our walk past many traditionally styled buildings to the Dancing Building, nicknamed “Fred and Ginger.” Prague architecture is a defining feature of the city. Prague was spared the bombing subjected to so many European cities during the Second World War because Hitler wanted it to become the capital of his empire.

Built many years later the Dancing Building is another example of Prague’s unique architecture.

From there a walk through some fairly seedy streets, better visited during the day, eventually to Wenceslas Square and for the first time in the day the crowds.

Before returning to the hotel we did a little shopping and had a drink at a new bar. Neither were that busy so we had a chat with the staff in each. Lovely young kids with a really good view of the world.

We finished the day with a fabulous dinner at Marina Grosseto Ristorante.

The food was excellent and the view…

Mission accomplished – a day without the crowds.

You have to feel sorry for this dog!