It was after dark that we had landed in Prague, but the snippets we could see of the illuminated city on our way to the hotel gave us a good enough insight on what was in store for the coming days.

The Orloj and the Old Town

^{Day 1}

The next morning, bright and early we got to the the old town – Stare Mesto. Across the bank of the river, the countless spires of Prague stood tall, gleaming as the rays of the sun dodged off them. The Charles bridge, one of the most iconic structures here, is a stunning piece of mastery. The stoned bridge, laced with Baroque statues on its either side works as a passage way that leads you to the old town. It is engulfed in centuries of mystery and surreality that have been amassed over centuries of history that ardently beats in its every corner. 

After a short stroll through the medieval architecture that stood at the end of the Charles bridge and through a narrow cobblestone passage ways we were at the old town square. What immediately caught the eye was a tower standing on the southern side; it was flooded with onlookers. They were all gazing at the “Orloj” – perhaps the most famous astronomical clock in the world and undoubtedly one of the most fascinating sights of Prague. For the informed, the dials of the astrolabe show an umpteen number of ways to know the time and place; there are few things that can come close to beauty and the intricacy of the golden blue dial; and when the hour turns; what follows is an experience in itself.  At the hourly gong of the clock, you see tourists rushing in and standing below the tower with their cameras and phones to witness the rhythmic walk of the apostles, simply put it if there was only one thing you could see in Prague, this was it.

There is a very intriguing history to this clock as well; till this date, utmost care is exercised to ensure the mechanics of 14^th century clock operate with an impeccable efficiency. Well, there is local legend that warns “of else” if the clock is not maintained. Speaking of legends, with the legendary architecture and centuries of mystery, come in a lot of stories as well that are thoroughly entertaining and there are various local tours available that delve deeper into the folklore.

Rest of the day we spent finding Harry Potter’s platform 9 ¾. There are so many squares, magical alleyways, monuments, Churches here; the best way to go about it is at your own pace. 

In the evening, we took a 90-minute tour of the old city in a vintage car. The tour took us through all the sights the center has to offer; albeit exhausting, we loved the tour.

We got dropped back to the old town square, which was floodlit by now; the innate charisma of the square had catapulted into a different realm and we were literarily spellbound

By the river

^{Day 2}

Started the day with a ride to Mala Strana. This is known as the “Lesser Town” and it is located across the river from the old town. It has its fair share of fine dining options; the infamous graffitied Lennon wall is here.

We made our way to funicular to the Petrin Hill. Perched atop the city there is a lot to do at Petrin Hill. It has a look out tower at the summit that offers breathtaking panoramic vistas of the city and the Prague castle, an astronomical observatory and a mirror maze amongst other things. Do not miss the Strahov Brewery 

After a visit to the hill we made our way and returned to the magnificent Charles bridge, however enroute, just off the beginning of the Charles Bridge from the side of the Mall Strana and between Charles and Legion bridges is a park just off the bank of the river called the Kampa Park. The kids had spotted ducks there and . Till nightfall, we were at the banks of the Vltava with the ducks. There is not an iota of doubt that Prague is one of the prettiest cities you would see but the joy and happiness that children derive from the simplest of the things, surpassed all the beauty that surrounded us. It is rightly said Adults are nothing but inferior children.

We were by the bank of the Vltava till nightfall and this is one of our best memories of Prague; of course, having one of the prettiest cities in the world loom in the backdrop always helps.

The Dancing House

^{Day 3}

Our breakfast was by the astronomical clock and the better part of the day was in the old town. The atmosphere was so festive, so energetic, so captivating and so alluring that it did bot want to that let us go. We spent the day there, walking through the alleyways and weaving out own path.

By evening, we made our way to the Dancing House. Renowned architects Frank Ghery and Vlado Milunic have designed this building that resembles two dancers. The original site was that of an apartment complex that obliterated during the war. The dancing house was built at the site to mark the transition to and the advent of democracy in the regime of the country. 

The right side of building is an erect structure while the left is a flowing structure symbolising the yin and yang. At the top of the building is a roof top restaurant with magnificent views of the city.