High lights & low lights our last. day in Prague

Okay, we're out of Prague. Back to the overhyped "german efficiency" (the train left Praha Hladni Nadrazi -- central station (i did learn some Czech) 10 mins late.
•Turns out the last thing we did was one of the high lights of the trip: we rode the elevator to the top of the town hall clock tower (from yday video). The views were spectacular. Here's  the shot across the square at the "cathedral" -- "Our Lady" the Catholic Church.

The views in all directions were outstanding.

• We started the morning, after dropping our bags & a gnosh, w/ a tour of the alchemy museum. Seriously.  I'm a little surprised I wasn't turned to stone. The house it is in is the 2nd older in Prague, dating to the 9th c. During the time of Rudolf  II (you know when that is 🙂) it was a center of alchemy. Rudy was a fan. Including have a 2 km secret tunnel dug from the castle to the house (i.e. Under the river). I did learn that a big part of alchemist potions depends on alcohol and opium. Genius!
• Next, a tram across the river to St Nicholas's church. As this picture will show,
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•  it's v different than gothic cathedrals we've seen -- this is v baroque  (insert joke ). We climbed the (posted) 60 steps to the gallery. You can see the view. 
• Then back across the river to the clock tower. 

Then it was 2 o'clock & time for lunch & dinner (we arrive in Berlin at 845) -- KH, yes, not me, suggested pizza Nuovo,  where we ate Thurs night b4 the ballet, so the pictures will remind you of that. Pizza & pasta. Guess who had the pasta?

B4 closing the book in Prague, there's the story of last night. The apartment say w/ the bedroom on the front side, so there was lots of street noise at night (Last night included a woman & kid &d Bundy of drunk guys). So, it wasn't quiet. At 4 last night I was awakened by a rattling noise, which I first thought was something banging around in the dryer. Then I realized there was no dryer! Then I thought it was someone trying to get in the balcony door. Neither of my traveling companions wee awake, so I got up to investigate (they could've, you know 😃). In the hall I realized it was someone trying to get in the front door-- rattling the key over & over. I hit the door w/ my fist & termed "go away" in my best The Rock voice, and they did. EH & KH w wondered what that was all abt- 🙄

Final notes on Prague:

• As we walked thru old town last night, we saw a group of middle aged men in front of a cafe in matching, ugly Hawaiian shirts. Yellow & red. EH analyzed "Dumb asses on vacation"- -- you can see the pic of guys peddling while drinking beer -- i.e. There was a lot of that
• On the first tram today some oversized 20 something men got on reeking of last night. Not to far along & the driver slammed the breaks & one of them flew. As EH put it "he did the whole I stumbled but I'm ok thing, taking half the car & grabbing multiple people on the way. " including me. ☹️ we all stayed up, but barely. He was reminded to hang onto the poles
• We decided the Czechs hate sitting. Benches were rare. At one point last night in the subway there was a metal pole abt a foot off the ground protecting the wall & lots of people were sitting on it. But it wasn't built for sitting. We decided "no sitting, comrades"was their motto, left over from the Soviet regime 😂
• As for our assessment, KH said she really liked it (but she's said the same abt vermin AND Dresden). EH & I think Budapest  & Bratislava are more interesting, tho Prague is better than Vienna (for instance). 

Now. The reverse trip via Zurich home.