It's a beautiful day and everything's alright...

Today was a perfect lazy Sunday.  After our 14 hour walking tour of the city yesterday, I slept in today.  I think Amy was amazed by my sleeping abilities.  I was a little embarrassed to have slept through breakfast.  Oh well, that's what vacation is for, right?

Today is the first day I've had without rain and it was wonderful to see the sun again.  We first took the metro down to Wenceslaus square for some shopping and photos.  The boulevard was full of people out for a Sunday stroll and it was great for people watching.  We stopped in a tucked away tea house for a relaxing, Zen like experience.  I had the "Mucho Rancho" a Maté drink served in a cup so crazy I had to buy one to bring back to the states.  We each ordered a delicious couscous snack with currants, mandarin oranges, cinnamon and sweet cream.  We spent quite a while just relaxing on the patio, soaking up the environment.

Then we went back through Old Town looking for a botanical shop that we never actually found.  We wandered for a while and took several pictures before making our way back to the vegetarian restaurant "Clear Head" that we had found the day before.  You know a place is great when you go twice in one weekend!  This time we skipped the main course and just had appetizers and dessert.  

After dinner we walked back across the Charles Bridge and found the John Lennon wall.  It's an entire wall covered in graffiti dedicated to John Lennon, so yes, I was in my element.  We stopped at the "John and George Cafe" and had a few Gambrinus (local Czech beers) that went down very easily tonight.  By the time we finished our drinks it was time to walk back across the bridge and take in the city at night.  The city is even more enchanting all lit up.  I think that it has been a bit too cold and rainy the last two nights to actually enjoy the night scenery, so I was glad I got to see the city tonight in all it's glory.

Tomorrow we are checking out of the Lida and heading to the train station on our way to Vienna.  It's supposed to be in the 70's there, so hopefully we can put the raincoats away for good.

Clear Head and Mystic Pizza... It was meant to be!

Saturday found us on the go... literally from 10:30am - midnight. While enjoying my breakfast at the Lida, our B&B, I met Ron and Ryan, B&B owners from Budapest. I was grateful to get some tips for our last destination from two locals and amazed to find out that Ryan writes for Fodor's Budapest.

After breakfast, we set out for the Strahov Monastery. I always think of my dear friend Fr. Anthony when visiting monasteries. He would have loved it! I enjoyed touring the grounds and the peaceful sound of the bells, as well as some of the best views of Prague from "the hill."

Mid-day it was time to head across the river for lunch. I had read about a vegetarian restaurant called Lehka Hlava ("Clear Head") in my Rick Steve's guide. I was unable to dine there without a reservation on Thursday, so our innkeeper, Jan, made us a reservation for us for lunch Saturday. All I can say is YUM! I had fresh mint tea, hummus for an appetizer, couscous patties for an entree, carrot cake for desert, and finished it all off with an aztec hot chocolate. The carrot cake was shaved carrots, coconut, and ginger (no sugar, flour, eggs), covered in chocolate sauce! And, the hot chocolate, served in a demi cup, was so thick I needed a spoon to eat it. Can you say delish?

We loved Clear Head so much we are going back there for dinner on Sunday night, our last evening in Prague. After lunch we went back up the hill to see Prague Castle and tour St. Vitus Cathedral. On our way back down the hill in search of a WC, we walked down some steps and spotted the Mystic Pizzera. Had to be fate, right? I mean here we are two Sigma Kappas in Prague and we stumble upon the Mystic Pizza...We simply had to go in and have a pilsner.

As we walked back down the hill, we came to an absinthe shop. Curious as we are, we went in for a tasting. The absinthe tasting was quite an experience... I can now say I've tried the "forbidden in the states" drink. I wouldn't say I liked the taste, but I thought it was potent stuff!

Saturday evening while wondering through an alley near Old Town, a guy walking near us asks, "are you all Americans?" We responded yes and that began our evening with our new friend, Josh, from Florida. Josh is in Prague, along with his mum, visiting his ailing Czech grandma. We walked to Wenceslas Square, where he is staying, and had a beer, before settling on a restaurant for dinner. We enjoyed some good Italian and finished the meal with shots of Czech liquor. We then headed to an English pub where we said goodbye to Josh for the night and hopped the metro back to our B&B completely exhausted after an adventure-filled day.

So looking forward to returning to Clear Head for dinner Sunday night... Will try to post some photos, including Helmut's Saturday adventures, sometime Sunday. Cheers!