This morning I woke up at 7:15AM.  It’s been a regular occurrence that I sleep later than most people in the hostel, and wake up earlier than most people.   I always feel bad entering and leaving the room while people are sleeping, because it usually takes a few minutes for me to gather my things and leave the room.

At about 7:30AM, I left the hostel to Divoka Sarka, a cute, low-key nature park on the outskirts of Prague.  The park consists of a lake, numerous rivers, public swimming pool, restaurant/bar, and meadows.  I had low expectations for the park, which were probably barely surpassed by my experience.

After a 30 minute tram ride, I returned to the area of Little Quarter and started heading toward the Mala Strana park south of the Little Quarter.  I entered the park at Hellicova and started walking/hiking my way up to Ruzovysad, an observation tower/deck overlooking Prague from way up on the mountain.  The view was beautiful and so was the walk down.

I then continued south until a local, cafeteria-style restaurant in southwestern Prague.  The food was extremely authentic, lower quality, and the clientele were 100% working-class Prague-ians who didn’t speak any English.  I ended up ordering a veal stew with a spinach side, a dumplings side, and a vegetable salad with feta cheese.  The food was average but I’m glad I was able to experience a local, working-class Prague meal.

Next, I continued south for a bit before crossing the bridge to Eastern Prague.  I noticed a modern architectural building which was specified as an attraction on the Prague city map.  I entered the hotel and they directed me to the glass rooftop bar.  I ordered an Americano, enjoyed the view, and headed over to Old Town Square for the 2PM walking tour.

The walking tour was guided by Terry, a local pride-filled Czechoslovakian.  The highlights of the tour were as follows:

• Explanation of the Jewish Cemetery and how/why there are 12 layers of bodies. (Prague city government refusing to provide land)
• Explanation of holocaust markers in front of buildings in the Jewish quarter (specifying Jews who perished in the holocaust and lived in the buildings)
• Explanation of Prague citizens demonstrating and attaining democracy for their country in 1989

After the tour, I walked over to the Little Quarter and had a vegetable pizza (spinach is an amazing topping on pizza; almost as good as extra cheese).

After dinner, I showered and got ready and went to a bar crawl.  It was mostly guys and there were no English speakers but it was a decent night.  One of the highlights was when this song “Take me home… West Virginia” came on and everyone started singing along.  After looking up the song online, I realized its a John Denver song which makes me like it even more.

 

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1vrEljMfXYo