Prague - Day 5

This was the day we lowered our expectations and just went with the flow.

After our standard hotel breakfast, we headed out to Old Town to visit the Municipal Library.

There's the astronomical clock again

We only went into the entryway of the library, because we were there to see the book tunnel. On the outside, it's just a column made of books (still cool to see). On the inside, mirrors make it look like a neverending tunnel.

After a quick round of pictures and a near death experience (okay, that's a little dramatic; I only slipped on the stairs and almost tumbled down holding Clara), it was back to wandering.

The stairs that almost killed me

We made our way to Josefov, the Jewish Quarter, because I wanted to see the Old New Synagogue (Staronová Synagogue). This building, completed in 1270, is the oldest active synagogue in Europe. There were several tours going on around us, so I wasn't able to get the best pictures.

Next we headed toward the Old Jewish Cemetery, which I had read a bit about while researching for our trip. When space ran out in this cemetery, the Jewish community wasn't permitted to expand; instead, a new layer of soil was added, and a retaining wall was built to hold it all in. According to Wikipedia, some areas of the cemetery are up to 12 layers deep!

When we arrived at the entrance, there was a massive queue. The kids were starting to mention being hungry, so we didn't get to do the tour. Here's the one picture I got of the outside.

We walked around looking for a restaurant, and of course the kids wanted to eat at a waffle cafe. The food was really good, too. We had waffles there and got dessert to go.

Black cherry

Ham and cheese

Strawberry and syrup

Salmon

We wanted the kids to relax before dinner, and on the way back to the hotel we let them pick out souvenirs.

After a much needed rest (and German Nickelodeon), we headed back out to take the kids to surprise dinner.

The restaurant we chose was in a part of the city we hadn't explored yet. As we walked, I had my phone out to follow directions, and when we found our destination Matt told me an interesting story.

I was pushing the stroller, and Matt walked several feet behind me with the bigger kids. And he watched a group of pickpockets who were watching me. As I walked by with my phone in hand, one man stepped out of his "spot" and tipped his umbrella toward me. This prompted another man to walk near me, checking out my phone over my shoulder. He must not have been impressed with the goods, because he left it at that. Matt told me the story once we stepped inside the restaurant, and it did leave me feeling a bit vulnerable.
Once we were seated at the table, I went for my phone to take pictures. And it was gone. I knew that I'd had it when Matt told me the story, but I couldn't find it anywhere. I was honestly panicking a bit, thinking that those pickpockets were really good. Thankfully, after a few minutes I found the phone under Clara's highchair, and we tried to laugh about it. (This story is much better when Matt tells it in person.)

Back to dinner. When I found a recommendation for Vytopna online, I knew the kids would love it. The tables are set up amongst train tracks, and small locomotives deliver your drinks to you.

When you finished a drink you'd just pop the empty glass on the next train going by. Naturally, the kids wanted to keep ordering drinks the whole time. It was worth it just for the novelty, but the food was delicious as well.

Chips and dip

Meat appetizer

Chicken schnitzel

Pork with potatoes

Overall it was a really enjoyable meal, and I would definitely recommend it.

As we walked back to the hotel, it was starting to get dark. With young kids, we're not used to being out after dark much on holiday.

We stopped at the Easter market on the way for a quick beer, and put the kids to bed so Matt and I could get organized for our departure the next day.