A Saturday Night in Prague

Old Town Prague Center. It really felt like we were the only people

there. It was empty! So cool.

A few weeks ago Yemi had a game in Pardubice, a town about 45 minutes from Prague. I went with him to the game and then after a Prostejov victory we hopped a train to Prague for the night.

A man selling snacks and wine walked up and down the train carts. We bought some cervene vino and started a fabulous night!

We stayed at the Best Western in the center. Our hotel room had a piano in it! Yemi played and I sang along. We had some laughs and fun with that before we hit the town/were told to shut up. I'll tell you one thing; having such a talented man in your life certainly has it's perks!

The next day we did some sightseeing and shopping before heading home. So as always I had to share some of my favorite pictures from the weekend.

I love this! I wonder when it was painted....

Our hotel lobby. There is something so fun about a small hotel stay. I would recommend this hotel to anyone. It was a bargain too!

This doorway really caught my eye. When I look back over my pictures I really wonder if I were born and raised here would I be so taken in by

all of the architecture. It also makes me wonder what I overlook in my own home town.

European Spa Experience

One thing I know I will miss about Europe is the way they do spas. My first experience with a Spa was in Bremen, Germany a few years ago. I was a little too shy to get everything I could out of it because most of the spa experience out here is co-ed and done in the nude.

Now a days I go to Omega Fitness Club in Olomouc. They have an amazing Sauna center with a cold pool, whirlpool, swimming pool, steam room including three separate areas of relaxation for use after your sauna session. There is a women's area and a co-ed area. After being here a number of times my American modesty has gone out the door and I enjoy both areas in the buff like everyone else! When in Rome...

There is a cafe area you can see in the first picture where they serve cold beer, which is considered to be good for you after a 'relax' session. At the gym in Bremen the saunas were little cottages outside in a landscaped garden.

Here in Olomouc it is primarily indoors. I love it and have been taking full advantage since I got a membership. I feel regular use helps relieve any stress and tightness in the body.

I included some pictures so you could get a visual of the type of regeneration/relax zones they have here.

Aquaparks are also a large attraction for people in the Republic. Most larger cities have some form of aquapark, the bigger the city the bigger the park. These provide year round saunas and other forms of water/heat/steam therapies. You can pay a day rate or an hourly rate. Everyone that I have visited has been state of the art. Costs range from 40 Czech Krowns - 300 Czech Krowns.

Spilberk Castle Brno Czech Republic

People around the world know Czech Republic for it's castles and fortresses. There are so many close to where Yemi and I live that we had to show them off when Yawah came.

Spilberk castle is interesting because it's in the center of Brno (Czech's second largest city) but isn't visible when driving to find it because it is on the top of wooded hill. We had driving directions but probably circled the castle 2-3 times before we realized we were there.

We left the car at the base of the hill and then it's about a 7 minute walk to the top. Along the way there are great scenic views of Brno.

Spilberk holds a lot of historical significance for this city. The first records of it's existence go back to the 13th century. And before it became a museum and national monument it was used as barracks by the Germans in WWII.

We took a tour of the casemates/prison which has been preserved to show the conditions for prisoners in the 16th and 17th centuries. The tour creeped us out a little bit; it's self guided so we wandered around the prison tunnels just the three of us; until we saw some bats. That ended our tour pretty abruptly. The most interesting fact for me was that prisoners were only given warm meals 2 days a week. The other five they lived on cold bread alone. Makes the three squares they get in American jails seem like a luxury.

They have a great detailed history of this castle and Brno city at www.spilberk.cz

The admission for the museum and the casemates is very affordable about $8 per person or 140 Korona.