We started at the Velvet Revolution Memorial, just around the corner from where we're staying.
Sabrina led us north, roughly towards Republic Square, mostly from memory. We stopped to see the Cubist Lamp Post (apparently the only one in the world?) along the way.
We didn't have a specific destination in mind as we cut through the side streets and alleys, but Sabrina spent many days wandering around on previous trips, so I followed her lead.
As we skirted the northern end of Wenceslas Square, we could see the Powder Tower in the distance.
The Powder Tower is still looking pretty good, considering it's over 600 years old.
Next to the tower is the Municipal House, where we saw a symphonic concert on a previous trip. (I think that was 2010?)
As we looked around Republic Square, I noticed that the Czech National Bank was across the street, so we went in to try to trade an old 50 Koruna bill for a new coin, but were unsuccessful. (It's sort of a long story. Ask me in person if you want to know.)
As it was approximately lunchtime, we turned towards Old Town Square in search of a quiet place to eat. This involved more meandering, as usual.
We got distracted along the way, and decided to go to the beer spa instead.
Across the square from the marionety, we stumbled on a tranquil cafe just a few blocks from Old Town Square. I wasn't actually hungry yet, but there's always time for a cappuccino and some strudel, right?
After first lunch, we cut through the edge of Old Town Square and walked towards the river.
I don't think it was as cold as yesterday, but it was more damp and there was a slight breeze, so it felt much colder.
We had reason to believe that there is a (free?) hidden gem of a museum on one side of the Rudolfinum, so we attempted to investigate.
It's closed on Mondays, however.
It was colder and windier by the river, so we headed a few blocks back into the shelter of the dense buildings; the non-straight streets helpfully prevented the wind from following.
After cutting through the Jewish quarter for a few blocks, we arrived at the Convent of Saint Agnes, which allegedly contains some lovely medieval artifacts and artwork.
It, too, is closed on Mondays. Hey, ya can't win 'em all.
By then (2:45ish), I was getting hungry, and Sabrina spotted an establishment that was well-rated and nearby, so we stopped for second lunch at Lokál Dlouhááá.
I had a plate of Prague Ham with bread, and some sort of hot mead drink. Sabrina had more soup with bread, a side of bread dumplings, and a "hot raspberry soda". (We didn't realize the things we ordered came with bread.)
By then, the MoCo folk had finished touring the Prague Castle area, and were returning to the Old Town side of the river. We decided to wait for them to join us in the warm restaurant.
Shannon, Brenna, and another friend/colleague (let's call her Barb) joined us for hot drinks, and we ended up soaking in the lokál atmosphere for a long while.
Several of us needed to obtain some warmer clothing accessories (myself included), so we headed towards an area with ample shopping options, eventually ending up at the Palladium.
Upon successful apparel acquisition (no small task), we strolled in the direction Wenceslas Square, with the idea of going to Tesco again, perhaps? I wasn't really paying attention.
Our progress was thwarted, however, by an enormous political protest in and around the square.
Instead, we did an end run around the mob of people, back towards Old Town Square.
It was approaching 7:30 by then, so we wandered aimlessly, looking for dinner options. After application of a complicated selection process, we settled on a "BBQ restaurant" that happened to have live music. I think we would probably call it a "bar and grill".
After dinner, we parted ways with Barb and returned the apartment. We did some light planning for tomorrow, as the weather forecast includes snow and rain, possibly in that order.
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