My Month in Europe, part 2: Czech Republic

Prague
I traveled to Prague on another train.  A bachelor party happened to be going on in the next train car.  They brought a case of beer on board with them and they were certainly having a great time.  As we were arriving in Prague, we were warned ahead of time to be mindful of pickpockets.  Prague is overly crowded and pickpockets thrive there.  Adding to the tone of the city is the abundance of beer as Czech is the country that leads the world in beer consumption.  So, Prague is a large city with beautiful old buildings, crowded streets, with buzzed people wandering about its streets. Once again, I was met with snow.  I toured the city and and saw the Jewish quarter, Charles Bridge, the beer museum, the astronomical clock, the castle, and old town square.  Charles Bridge was my favorite part of the city because of the great statuary that lines the bridge.  As in Venice, this astronomical clock also had the Sun revolving around the Earth.  On Easter, I attended an English-speaking fellowship.  It is great to be able to come together with other Christians in a foreign country and be able to worship in a language that is understood.  Prague was my least favorite city that I visited.  It was just too crowded and boozy for my tastes.  My only regret in Prague was that I didn't have enough time to eat in the restaurant that has standard gauge model trains rolling all throughout the restaurant. I'll be back in Prague in September so I will make it my priority at that time to eat there.

Karlovy Vary, Czech
Karlovy Vary was my next destination.  It is a beautiful hillside town in eastern Czech.  It is the home of ritzy hotels and high-end shopping.  It is also home to the Grand Hotel Pupp which is a favorite filming location for movies.  James Bond's Casino Royale and Queen Latifah's Last Holiday were both filmed there.  These are two of my favorite movies, so I splurged and stayed one night at this magnificent hotel.  This was definitely a new experience for me.  They had a doorman and an elevator operator.  I never had to life a finger to do anything inside of the hotel.  I visited the natural warm mineral water pool inside the hotel.  The hotel's restaurant was as posh and amazing as the rest of the hotel.  I indulged myself with a once in a lifetime meal there. The appetizer was roasted quail with pumpkins, chestnuts, and a shallot sauce.  My main course was roasted saddle of venison, potato confit with thyme and red wine puree. Dessert was three flavors of creme brulee...vanilla, pistachio, and chocolate with raspberries.  I ate every bit of it to the delight of the servers.  The hotel gave me a parting gift of spa wafers, which I ate on the train.  I wish I had known beforehand how decadent they were because I would have bought an entire box to take with me.