Today we had to head back to Prague ready for our flight home the next day. We walked back to the bus station where we met a guy from Winchester - close to Southampton where I live - who was also heading back to Prague. He told an amusing story of how he got locked in Prague castle at night. His guidebook said it stayed open until late - but when he tried to leave he found the gates locked. An armed police officer had to let him out! Together we found out where the bus left from, and set off on our way.
We changed buses in Çeské Budêjovice where the Czech beer called Budweiser (no relation except in name to the American beer) is brewed. Unfortunately all we saw of this sprawling city were a few streets and the bus station - of which we saw quite a lot while searching for the correct bus stop.
Back somewhere in Prague we had to find our way into the centre. We had no idea where we were, but Natalie found a subway station. We said goodbye to our British friend who decided to take a taxi, and prepared to sample the Prague metro for the first time. It was very fast, clean, efficient and cheap. And we were in the centre of Prague looking for a hostel in no time. We settled on Pension Unita.
We took a walk out through the Nové Mêsto to Vysehrad, a fortress south of the city centre. This consisted of huge walls with views over the river, and parks in the middle. We sat on the grass of a lawn lined with huge sculptures, and were later kicked off. A list of rules we found later revealed that while you are allowed to walk on the grass to view the statues, sitting on it is prohibited!
We returned to Hotel U Prince for dinner, but somehow wasn't as good as the first time - when travelling places are rarely as good as the first time you visit, it seems.
Day Ten - Home
The trip home was un-eventful. We met our friend from Winchester at the airport as he was travelling on the same flight, and we said farewell to him in Heathrow. The travel connections worked well for me - the coach to Reading was waiting outside the airport, and it arrived at Reading station just in time for me to board a delayed Virgin train. Interestingly, none of the trains we used in the Czech republic were delayed - but perhaps that is because the train system there is run by the government at a huge loss, instead of by commercial interests at a huge loss...