Not much to report today. Yesterday was exhausting; all the walking left me beat, so there wasn't much motivation to go out to sights (such as the technical museum in Holesovice aka WAY TOO FAR). It was sort of rainy, which didn't really help motivate, either. Still, it was too much to just sit in the hotel all day long; it seemed like a good idea to wander around Old Town to see if there were any sights I'd missed. First destination was Wenceslas Square, which I had heard about but thought I hadn't seen. Turns out it was the shopping street I'd seen on the very first day. Oops.
The Guardian published a couple itineraries of Prague; one of them mentioned a cafe very close to the K&K Central which I hadn't had a chance to try, so it seemed like a good bet for lunch. After wandering around Old Town a little longer (and walking through a little street market, and a couple glass/crystal shops to dodge a rain shower), I headed to the Grand Cafe Orient. On entrance, it looks nice, but not amazing. The chicken crepe with mushroom sauce fit that description as well. But that's because the star of the show here is, surprise, cafe eats. My first coffee there, a concoction of espresso, whipped cream, and drizzled chocolate sauce, left me staring as the waiter set it down at the table. Seeing me staring, he bent down and said in a dry Slavic accent, "is good." The second coffee was equally crazy and I don't even remember what it was. After a while I noticed that every table was getting dessert, no one was sharing, and everyone looked delighted when they got their individual slices of cake. OK, I can take a hint. The cake named after the cafe itself was as good as it looked:
The Grand Cafe Orient definitely reflected European cafe culture much more than that in America. This was a place for people to sit and relax over a few cups and cakes for hours, and it grew on me.
After the cafe, I headed back to the room to prepare for Vienna. Logistically: I had to find a place to stay. Mentally: I'd never seen The Sound of Music, and I had been told that it was unacceptable to go to Austria until I had done so. Easy enough; iTunes and fast Internet at the hotel let me take care of both problems. Dinner at the same pub from the first night let me get to bed early to head out to Vienna early in the morning.
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