Prague's Castle Quarter

June 18th--We took the tram up to the Castle Quarters of Prague today. Before heading into the Castle Quarters we visited Strahov Monastery and ate lunch at Klasterni Pivovar (Monastery Brewery). Mike says he had the best meal so far. He got beer flavored cheese served on toasted black-yeast bread and pork tenderloin with potato pancakes in a beer and ginger sauce. I ordered baked chicken in a dark beer sauce with czech dumplings. Again, a very good Czech meal. We then proceeded down the hill toward the Castle Quarter. Along the way, we stopped for wonderful panoramic views of the city and a visit to the Loreta Church. In the courtyard of Loreta Church is the "Holy House" which is considered by some pilgrims to be part of Mary's home in Nazareth. For many, this is the holiest spot in the country. From here we entered through the passageway and into the courtyard of the Castle Quarter. Our first stop was St. Vitus Cathedral. This Roman Catholic church is one of the most important church's in the Czech Repbulic, containing the tombs and relics of the most important saints and kings. Our next stop was at the Old Royal Palace. Starting in the 12th century, this was the seat of the Bohemian princes. We then went into the Basilica of St. George. We loved the outside of this church because of it's bright color and then the inside walls are made of limestone. Those two things make this a very unique church. By the time we exited the church, everyone needed a snack break before entering into the Golden Lane. So, we sat down for some ice cream and then entered the gate to the Golden Lane. This is a street of cute, old buildings and lined with shops. At the very end of this street and down the hill was the Toy and Barbie Museum. Well, we really couldn't pass up seeing old toys and tons of Barbies. We saw 19th century model train sets, teddy bears, dolls, and an unbelievable Barbie collection. Abby just wanted to know where all the "High School Musical" Barbies were at. My answer was "they'll probably be here in about 20 years or so". By the time we finished up at the museum, it was getting late and about dinner time. So, we decided to head back to the apartment, but stopped off at a bakery and picked up some stuff for a light dinner. After we put the kids to bed, we finally watched "Slumdog Millionnaire". That was a great movie and we now understand how it won Best Movie.