"Czeching" out Prague!

So, May takes the cake for being my favorite month in Berlin (so far...let's be fair to June - September, which we have yet to experience!) . First off, the weather has been fabulous: 70's and sunny, and the days are becoming longer and longer (it is not getting dark until after 10pm!). But the best part of May is the excessive number of long weekends; 3 out of the 5 weekends in May have been 3-4 days long. It's fantastic!! Last weekend, we decided to take the train to the city of Prague, which we have heard so much about. We left Berlin Hauptbahnhof early on Thursday morning, and quickly learned our first travel lesson of the trip: RESERVE SEATS!! We did not select the option while booking the tickets a few weeks back, not knowing that we would end up STANDING (or sitting on the floor, when room) for almost the entire 5 hours of travel. Oops! Needless to say, we were glad to arrive in Prague by early afternoon. The next 3 days were full of sightseeing and relaxing. Prague is undeniably beautiful. It was largely untouched by war, so stood constantly in awe of the buildings and castles that oozed with beauty and history. After long days of being tourists, we were a little let down after trying (unsuccessfully) to find local pubs or cafes off the beaten track to relax and experience the "real" Prague. We couldn't escape the Americans either....!! Maybe we didn't look hard enough? Or maybe we have become a little spoiled with all of the great spots in our un-touristy neighborhood of Berlin. Regardless, we were glad to return back to Berlin but did enjoy the many things Prague had to offer (for me: the castles; for matt: Czech beer!)

St. Vitus Cathedral, part of the Prague Castle

Atop Prague Castle, looking over the city

The famous Astronomical Clock.
Every hour the Apostles make an appearance for the hundreds of tourists watching below.

On Petrin Hill, watching a nasty thunderstorm roll in over the castle.

Taking a funicular ride to the top of Petrin Hill

The Old Jewish Cemetary dates back to 1439, and contains over 12,000 tombstones!
They experienced a lot of overcrowding, and ended up adding new
earth to pile more graves on top of the old ones.