Day 6: 30,000 Steps and a few scary stories

Anytime you are on one of these trips and you return to your hotel at 11pm, you know it's been a good day.  Today was no exception.  First, let me tell you that European weather forecasts are no better than their American counterparts.  For all we heard of snow, and freezing temperatures, and miserable students...none of that appeared.  At the end of our night, at the feet of an old church in Prague's Old Town, there were nothing but smiles.

Our ghostly guide at the end of her spooky tour.

We woke at the Iris Hotel Eden a little earlier than the first few days of this trip and slowly made our way downstairs for breakfast.  Like most European hotels, especially the ones we've visited on this trip, the Eden had a nice spread out for us.  There were four or five different stations on their buffet.  Most of the items were not new to us, but there were a couple of surprises.

This morning's breakfast.

Today, I selected a couple of options not usually found on American breakfast menus...and a couple that are.  First, you probably recognize the sausages.  One looks regular...the other looks burnt, but it is not.  They both tasted great.  Real bacon also made an appearance.  Unlike the fake, hotdog looking bacon in Veinna, this was great.  The new items on my plate included couscous and chicken and rice.  I'm not a fan, typically of couscous, but I didn't mind this version.  The chicken and rice was amazing!!! I am hoping it is back tomorrow.

After breakfast we departed for Prague Castle.  It was a short bus ride through the city and up a hill on the other side of the river.  We met our guide Eva and passed through a security checkpoint.  Prague Castle is huge.  It also currently hosts the seat of government.  The flag flying above the castle lets us know if their president is in the country or not...he was in the Czech Republic, but we did not see him.

Eva was a great guide.  She walked a little faster than the kids expected, but she knew every little detail about the castle, the cathedral, and the Golden Lane.  Throughout it all, we kept a keen eye on the sky to look for rain clouds...and while a few drops fell, we stayed dry throughout the morning.  Eva's tour lasted nearly four hours.  Most of us FitBit users hit our step goal before noon!!!  I took so many pictures that I am only going to post a few tonight (It is almost midnight).  I will post the rest to Facebook (in the morning) and hopefully you will see how beautiful the area is.  Here is the link for the album:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10156023851350760&type=1&l=83a2ab00ef

I am also skipping some commentary on the pictures because of the time...and how much of the day was left. After leaving the castle grounds, Eva took us down to the Charles Bridge and Old Town.  We had a few great spots for pictures along the way.  She told us about some of the legends surrounding the leaders of ancient Prague and the floods that ravaged this country in 2002.  The breadth of knowledge was impressive to all.

Prague is the City of a 1,000 Spires...you can see many in this picture!

Locks on bridges are common now.  It symbolizes the permanent devotion one has for another (or something like that)

This is us on the Charles Bridge.  It gets very busy.

Another glimpse of the many spires of Prague.

Legend has it that rubbing this statue will bring good luck and fulfill your wishes.  Jenna must have wished for good weather.

After Eva left us, we watched the Astronomical Clock and its vivid display.  For over 600 years, the clock has had a special performance on the hour.  I posted a Live video, but my connection was not too strong.  I should have recorded it and posted to YouTube.  Sorry. :)

We then broke for lunch.  Some of the kids went way out of their comfort zone and tried items like Duck and Rabbit.  Others went with common, but local items, like Goulash and Ham.  A couple of the kids, who are becoming more and more adventurous, went with something more familiar, but not fast food.  We look for growth in kids on tour...not by leaps and bounds, but by baby steps...as long as they are moving forward.  I had a sampler platter for lunch.

Ham, Sausage, Dumplings and Sweet Sauerkraut.  

We spent the next few hours traversing the city, some grounds familiar and some new.  I put a challenge out to the kids to take the coolest photo possible and submit it to me. I will be posting them all to Facebook soon.  The one who submits the "coolest" will get a dessert provided by yours truly when we are in Germany.  I found a perspective that I thought was nice and want to share it with you.

Prague Castle is to the left and the Charles Bridge spans the water in front of the photo to the right.

We met for dinner at a restaurant that serves healthy options...and most of us needed it.  We've been dining on Easter Market snacks and Ice Creams.  I forgot to take a photo of the restaurant, but I did grab one of our dinner. It was a basic, but well seasoned chicken breast, with corn and potato wedges.

After dinner we walked back to the Old Town.  We met Sally, our Ghost Guide.  She was originally from Vermont, but moved to Prague a year ago.  She is a lover of super natural phenomena and welcomed us to the spooky world of Prague.  With a humorous tone, she told about 7 different stories of ghastly occurrences and how those who perished may still lurk the crooked streets of Praha.  The kids were a little scared, but Sally mixed in a lot of laughter too.

Old Town at Night...a site to be seen!!!

Sally telling us a story about a Nun who haunts this Abbey.

The courtyard of this church sometimes bears witness to spectral images.

We then walked to a tram station and rode back to the hotel.  We had originally left at 8am and we returned at 11pm.  We walked an average of 30,000 steps and many of us hit 14 miles today.  Needless to say, we are all exhausted.  Our feet hurt, but our spirits are high.  The day turned out to be much better than expected.  As we rode back to the hotel, the kids were mostly quiet.  They weren't really complaining about their legs burning or not having time to hangout before going to bed.  They have been so good on this trip. I really count my lucky stars every night.  There are 20 of them!!!

Tomorrow, we leave Prague and the mood of our tour changes.  We have spent so much time in Budapest, Vienna, and Prague...the three jewels of Europe.  These three cities share so much history.  They have a distinct feel to them.  Tomorrow, we head to Munich. There are similarities, to be sure, but our experiences will be measured by a trip to Dachau.  We've spoken to the kids about what to expect.  We know it will be tough on some.  As we've seen all along, however, I think the kids will be fine.  There are only two mote cities on our itinerary and then we head home.  It has taken forever for this trip to arrive and it is going by so quickly.

I was hoping for a more substantial post tonight, but I am very tired, lol.  We have a long bus ride and I will try to post more photos for you. I appreciate everyone commenting on the pictures that have gone up and the positive feedback I've received about this blog.  If you have the time, and would like to, please leave a comment.  Every once in a while, when the politics of work become a little too heavy, I hope on here and read through the posts...and comments...and things feel better.

Mr. Lavoie, currently sitting in another hotel lobby with an empty snickers wrapper and a bottle of water.