After breakfast in the apartment we went took the ubon to the Shonbrunn Palace. This is a huge palace just a few stops outside of the city, and the guide book says that it rivals Versailles. We didn't go inside which would have been really nice but from the outside it was spectacular. Both in front of it and behind it it has very grand and beautiful gardens. However, they were both covered in snow and it was very very cold so we didn't go and explore them.
In front of the palace there was another Christmas market that we explored. Except for being completely full of people, and hard to see a couple of the stands, this one was my favorite. There were many different themes and types of art in the stands. It was a good mix of hand made crafts and Christmas gifts, but not of a super high quality so that they were really expensive. There was one booth that was crowded the entire time we were there, but was full of very nice ornaments that were all hand made and seemed to be made only of natural materials and different spices. In comparison with the hand painted glass ornaments we had seen earlier these were a lot more reasonably prices and I bought a couple for gifts.
There were also quite a few booths with really good looking food but alas none of us were hungry because we had eaten so recently. Below is a booth that has donuts that they cook right there for you and then you can pick the filling you want in it.
After that our feet were completely freezing, so we took the train back to Sally's house, made some tea and relaxed until we had to head off to the train. I expected a larger train station because it was a train between two large cities in different countries, but it was just a platform with a vending machine. So because of that my lunch ended up consisting of a large snickers bar. We decided to go during the day so we could see some of the countryside. It was gorgeous. Not too far out of the city we were out in the countryside and everything was beautiful and pure and blanketed in white.
It got dark while we were on our way there, but Prague was also covered in snow when we got there. I guess I get a lot more excited compared to other people in my program about the snow because for most of them from the north east they get a lot of it, but it is something very special for me. We changed our money in the station to crowns because we needed some to buy dinner and get to our hotel, but that probably wasn't the best place to do it. There they charged a 15% commission (that we found out about later) and Prague is covered with places to change money.
It was a bit difficult for us to find the hotel. The directions were really good. Tram from next to the train station 3 stops and then take a left and on the left. Except for the fact that we walked by it twice because we were looking for a sign sticking out but it was just a labeled door. When we got in it was a very nice hotel. Our room was huge with a little kitchen area with a microwave and mini-fridge too. 3 star hotel, close to the middle of the city, and only 51 euros each for 3 nights there. Definitely a win.
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