"Prague. Praha. The name actually meant "threshold". Pollina had said the city was a portal between the life of the good and...the other. A city of dark magic, Alessandro had called it." ~ Magnus Flyte, City of Dark Magic

Prague likes its dark cozy spots,

and cavernous cafes can be stumbled upon down winding alleys,

but rarely found when you are looking for them.
Trust me on this.

Easier to locate but not one to stumble across and be guaranteed entrance 
was on Ren Man's to-do list. 

Reservations are strongly recommended at the Hemingway Bar…
 where a set of rules had me at hello...

and paled only in comparison to my Old Cuban… 

a cocktail Hemingway would be proud of.
Ren Man did suffer through bar rule #5.
Quite amusing.

He was on a roll, 
and knocked it out of the ballpark 
with his other must-do while in Prague.

Our team of three had to find our way out of this jail cell 
at the creative adventure of Mind Maze.
I was very happy to have the other two along or I would still be sitting there.
This also requires reservations and they fill up fast.

Another Prague must, requiring some strategic timing, 
is a visit to the official residence of the President of the Czech Republic…

referred to as Prague Castle…

where soldiers of the elite Prague Castle Guard watch the comings and goings of each visitor 
to the largest ancient castle in the world.

The structure most visible from afar is the St. Vitus Cathedral…

where lines often wrap around the structure…

offering plenty of time to amuse yourself 
while waiting on the line filled with tour groups
 to dissolve to a reasonable wait time!

Meanwhile, once inside, 
the calm hush is the perfect soundtrack for the stunning artistry.

Also within the walls of the castle…

the oldest surviving church building,

St. George's Basilica,

now houses a Bohemian art collection 
and serves as a concert hall.

Our stroll down the hill from the castle... 

led us to another, less hectic trip across Charles Bridge…

for a closer view of the sculptures lining each side of the bridge as we made our way back to Old Town.

My scant posts can not give Prague its due.
It is a special place.
Our last morning we woke to a dusting of snow…

placing an exclamation point...

firmly at the end of our Prague story.

Of course, only Prague would even have an exclamation point
 just hanging around.