Picked Cass up from the airport and started a crazy week. We cooked together and with friends. We went to Palac Akropolis for a Reggae dj night and to Roxy for a free Monday rock/ska/techno night. He came to my classes all through the week, and now understands why I love my professors here. We ate Czech food at a place near my dorm that I frequented but still don't know the name of. We went to the Vysehrad and to the Osadni dorm. My architecture professor invited the class to his book release party at the Cubist Cafe, so we attended that. We ate at a few veg places, a super-secret vegan place, and a Middle Eastern place. The fabulous piano prodigy Michelle Lee had a concert through NYU so we went to that one night and met friends at a hookah bar after.
Then it was Wednesday and my family was arriving. They were too tired to walk around much so we went to a hockey game--something you should definitely do while in Prague--and then had an Italian dinner in Old Town before calling it a night. Cass and I had wanted to climb the metronome but it had mysteriously gone dark and still. Creepy! So we decided to wait. I think they enjoyed walking around over the next few days. I hadn't realized how much I had picked up from my architecture class. I also hadn't realized how much walking I do every day. They were pretty good sports though. My dad was really struck by the monument to the victims of the soviet occupation in minor town. We passed it en route to Petrin Tower, from which we saw Prague's spires all silhouetted and dotted with lights. It's such a beautiful view on cold crisp nights.
I wrote about Thanksgiving on my class blog, which I'll be linking to as soon as I copy it all over. Somehow we managed to keep our main traditions: 1. Having Godmother Sharon with us and 2. Eating at a restaurant. Pretty amazing.
The metronome still wasn't lit when Cass and I were heading back, but we decided to climb it anyway. What a view!
That next day, Friday, we spent the entire day in the castle. We crossed Charles Bridge and then took a tram up. We ate lunch at Strahov brewery before admiring the monastery library across the square. We also explored the cathedral, the old palace, and the Romanesque Basilica. We had dinner reservations for 6.30 and it was pretty cold out by the time we finished all the architecture-focused stuff at 4, so we took refuge in the Lobkowicz Museum. Which I had wanted to see anyway. There the family showcases the enormous collection of portraits, weapons, manuscripts, instruments, and other treasures that they had owned, lost to the Nazis, got back, lost to the Soviets, and finally have retrieved again. It's only one of their properties, but it's a beautiful building and a very well put together museum.
After dinner, I even convinced my dad that he, Godmother Sharon, and Emily (since they were the not-quite-sleepy ones) should come to Pivovarsky Klub to meet up with some of my friends. It was so much fun!
Friday was our off-beat day. We took a morning trip to the "baby tower," aka the Žižkov television tower, to get a different view of the city. We then took the metro to Minor Town and went inside St. Nicolas' cathedral, which was gorgeous and very baroque. We split up for a bit after that. My family went to the Carmelite church that houses the Infant of Prague since we had seen a replica at the Lobkowicz museum. They tried to get into Cafe Savoy for lunch. Cass and I went to an Afghan restaurant in Old Town before returning to Minor Town to hang our lovers lock, admire the Lennon wall and pose with Černý's baby sculptures. We were all supposed to meet back in Old Town Square for the opening of the Christmas Market there. I hadn't realized when planning this that the opening of the market included a tree lighting comprable to the lighting of the Rockefeller tree. I've never been caught in a mob before, but that's what this turned into. My dad texted that they were ok and near the edge of the crowd, but I'm pretty sure Cass is the only reason I got out without breaking any bones. It was the scariest thing I've ever experienced.
The tree was lovely when the crowd finally cleared. We found my family and went to the much smaller and calmer market at Náměstí Míru. I'm actually glad we did. My family got to see the neo-gothic church there and see another neighborhood outside the Prague 1 tourist zone. They needed a break from meat so we went to Radost FX for dinner. I'm not sure if they liked the veg food but the decor made them laugh.
Everyone left on Sunday morning and immediately it began to snow.
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