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We traveled from the Hauptbahnhof in Berlin to Prague Holsevice station in about four hours. In that time, we were whisked from a vibrant city where we could see ourselves living someday to an absolute tourist mecca. The first thing I noticed about Prague was the speed of its escalators. We hopped on and held on tight as we made our way out of the station and onto the tram system. The best part was the accompaniment. A street band was fiddling down below as we made our ascent -- a great soundtrack and introduction to Prague.
We took the tram to the Hotel Élite near hlavní nádraží station. This is a really bustled area near the border between the old (Staré Město) and new (Nové Město) sections of Prague. Our hotel room overlooked a courtyard and featured a hot pink ceiling.
We walked to the Old Town Square where tourists flock to watch the clock performance every hour. "Old Town Hall" is a bit of an understatement. Construction began in the 1300s. 
We ascended the Old Town Hall for panoramic views of the City. Too bad the viewing platform was flocking with people so we really had to jockey for position just to get near the edge and even take a picture. I love being a tourist while on vacation. Being surrounded by tourists? -- not so much.
We enjoyed shopping at Havelská Market and found a few trinkets to bring home with us. 
From here, we headed to Karlův most (Charles Bridge) that spans the Vltava River. The Charles Bridge is also amazingly old (dating from the 12th century) and features spectacular statues of religious figures along its length. 
We went to dinner at Restaurace U Fleků, Prague's oldest brewery. They still brew their own beer and slapped two frosty mugs on the table as soon as we sat down without taking our order. Musicians roamed the dining area and pandered to the tourists in the house. They asked where we were from and played "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "America the Beautiful". They moved on to the next table whose patrons were from Japan and then to the next table full of Italians. No surprise, we were treated to Japanese and Italian favorites. It was all in good fun and an international experience but I must say the last thing I want to do when I'm in Prague's oldest brewery is listen to American songs...or Japanese or Italian songs for that matter. I wish they would play some good old fashioned Czech music. The waiter was pushing shots of a traditional Czech liquor. I resisted the first two times he walked by, but when the group of Japanese tourists decided to down a shot, I couldn't resist and tried it out. It was very herby with hints of clove and nutmeg. I think it was called Becherovka. 
