Praha: A Walking Tour, an Escape Game, and Absinthe

Our second group of our visitors arrived safely and the weekend of festivities in Praha (Prague) awaited; the only trouble, the seven-plus hour car ride. Our group now totaled seven people, or (hypothetically) an hour of driving per person; or (more realistically), seven hours for two different people. On Friday morning we split up, four would travel in our CR-V while the remaining three would follow behind in a rental car. Within the first twenty minutes of our departure, I noticed that all the passengers in the trailing car had fallen asleep, therefore, we exchanged passengers throughout the trip so neither driver had to endure the ride in silence.

Prague Astronomical Clock

Buildings in Old Town Square

Church of Our Lady before Tyn

Eventually, we arrived in Prague sometime in the early evening; we checked into our hotel and everybody earned a temporary reprieve after the long hours on the road. The motivation to explore the city at night was quickly nixed, thus, we decided to have a traditional Czech dinner at a local restaurant. In anticipation of a busy day ahead we kept our evening low key; we shared many beverages and stories at the hotel.

Streets of Praha

Time to play tourists

Powder Tower

The following morning we woke relatively early and made our way down to the Old Town Square where we would convene for our Free Walking Tour (we used the same outfit in Budapest). To start the tour, we walked a few hundred meters west to the Prague Astronomical Clock. There, we learned the clock maker had his eyes burned out by the city Councillors so he could not repeat his masterwork. Later, in retaliation, the maker would commit suicide in the clock tower, damaging the gears for centuries. While the story is likely based in lore, the fictional account is far more entertaining than what may have transpired in historical context. The rest of the morning, we continued to explore and learn about the attractions in Old Town and the Jewish Quarter.

More pretty buildings

Jan Hus Memorial in Old Town Square

Oh geez, another pretty building picture

When the tour ended in the early afternoon, we still had much of the city to see. We found ourselves back in the Old Town Square where we briefly played tourists; took pictures and observed the various street acts. With the help of our legs and some public transportation, we made our way west across the River Vitava. We spent the bulk of the afternoon exploring the Castle District and enjoyed the beautiful panoramic views of the city from the hillside. Then, for some crazed reason, we decided to walk all the way back to Old Town. By the time we returned to the hotel we had covered somewhere between 24 and 27 kilometers (15-17 miles, range due to GPS discrepancies).

South side of St. Vitus Cathedral

Walking through Castle District

Fountain and St. Vitus spire

The group's hunger level had reached critical levels and a dinner consensus could not be reached. Due to our indecision and the proximity to our hotel, we ended up at the same restaurant from a night ago. Plus, we needed to get some brain food and beer in preparation for our reservations at "The Room," an escape game near Wenceslas Square. We were tasked with escaping from the Occultica Room(s) and would have 77 minutes to complete the puzzles. While I generally have a pessimistic predisposition, "The Room," was nothing short of amazing. We started by descending down a spiral staircase where we had to figure out the combination to a lock on a gate leading to another room. The rooms were poorly lit and our only source of light came from self-wound flashlights. Each puzzle increased in difficulty and the ubiquitous countdown compounded the stress to succeed (if a group is stuck, a clue is provided to help advance the game).

Series of Gothic architecture pictures

Facade of St. Vitus

More Gothic stuff

Last one

When the clock showed fifteen minutes remaining, victory was palpable, however, the puzzles escalated to near impossible. At one point, we unlocked a laser grid to gain access to the final room. To open the door, we had to push the grid itself and the door unlocked. Once we were within ten minutes, Julie could be heard across all rooms yelling, "CLUE!!! CLUE!!! CLUE!!!," at thirty-second intervals. With less then two minutes remaining, we had everything we needed to obtain the combination to unlock the final lockbox. The game came down to the final seconds, however, due to the sheer excitement and adrenaline, Julie opened the lockbox (about) three seconds after time had expired. While our success didn't get placed in the official record book, the seven of us felt like we won. After all, we got the congratulatory certificate and commemorative pins.

View of the city from the Castle District

Charles Bridge from a scenic point

To celebrate our victory, we proceeded to Hemingway Bar, a few blocks south of the Charles Bridge. Unfortunately, the bar was at capacity and we ended up going to their sister location, Cash Only, a literal take on their business structure. Following some libations, we joined the masses by the Charles Bridge. We only stayed a short while due to the claustrophobic nature of the popular tourist attraction. To end the evening, we returned to a watering hole near the hotel where we cheersed to our successes and "enjoyed" some shots of absinthe. I use quotes for enjoyed because absinthe is among the least palatable liquors. The last time I had absinthe was from a bottle Julie and I bought from a French street vendor, the day we learned not to drink and festival. Overall. Prague is an incredible city and we were elated to have shared the memories with our friends.