Prague and Cesky Krumlov

After Egypt, the Czech Republic seemed like the cleanest place on Earth! We had 1 1/2 days rest after Egypt in London (enough time to do laundry) before flying to Prague.
The public transport system of Prague is pleasantly surprisingly efficient and easy to use. The trip from the airport to our hotel in Mala Strana (just below Prague Castle) was quick and simple. There had been many warnings about pickpockets on the trains and buses but we did not encounter any issues. We had also been warned about the cobblestones but these were not that bad either. I don't know what everyone's problem is.
We were still feeling the effects of Egypt on our digestive systems but were determined to sample the local cuisine, particularly the pork knuckles. First dinner: roasted pork knuckle for 2. Mmmm... Second dinner: pork again (but not knuckle). Third dinner: carp (a fish that featured heavily on menus there but is rarely seen in Australia). Fourth dinner: duck, pork and bread and potato dumplings. We also had beef goulash for lunch one day, which was nothing special, just beef stew. In between I had 3 double ice creams as they were 10 krona per scoop (~A$0.70). This was only so in Cesky Krumlov, in Prague the price jumped to between 20-40 krona/scoop depending on the store.
On the second day we took a train from Prague down to Cesky Krumlov. On the way, we were able to see a lot of the pretty countryside, where they seemed to be growing a lot of what appeared to be grass. We never did find out what the crop was. The trip took ages - about 4.5 hours for a 200km trip. We were told that the trip is quicker by bus, which we found difficult to believe but on the way back we did take the bus and it was indeed slightly faster (~3.5 hours) but about the same in price (the bus driver stiffed everyone 10 krona per bag).
Cesky Krumlov is much better than Prague, still lots of lovely old buildings but without the hoards of tourists. Its castle is its highlight. There was a strangely titled 'bear moat', which I assumed to be a moat to keep out the bears but was, in fact, a moat to keep bears in. There have been bears in that moat for hundreds of years.
Both of the castles (at Cesky Krumlov and in Prague) are poor cousins to the castles and palaces of France and Austria. Their saving grace is that you can wander the grounds at will, you only pay to go in to see parts of the interiors. I recommend that you save your money and just look at the outsides, which have incredible decorations.
Wenceslas is the patron saint of the Czech Republic and he is mentioned everywhere. Whenever Ma asked who he was, I would sing the Christmas carol, which would drive her crazy. : ) St Vitus' Cathedral in Prague Castle has a chapel encrusted with semi-precious stones with his tomb in it. The cathedral was actually built around his tomb. It is the one thing that makes the cathedral stand out, otherwise it just blends into all the other churches in Europe.
The most peculiar thing about the Czech Republic was the proliferation of currency exchange shops. Each one advertises a better rate than the one before and most have zero commission. They are not above fraudulent advertising, however, as they often show their sell rates on big boards outside the shop and then show their buy rates in tiny numbers inside. I'm still trying to work out how the higher rated shops make money. I can't believe that anyone would be changing money back to their own currencies there.
Our accommodation in Cesky Krumlov was cheap and fantastic. It was half a house of 2 floors with a bedroom upstairs with 2 single beds and a TV and a bathroom and living area downstairs with a TV. There was lots of German TV on and we watched a show on dominoes that I had watched several times while working in Germany. The teams set up amazingly complex pictures, some of which are only revealed when the dominoes fall.
Our accommodation in Prague was very strange. Our room on the last night appeared to be very safe. There were 3 doors between the hallway and the bedroom. On closer inspection, however, the door to the hallway, the only one that was lockable, was built into a wall that had no ceiling. The ceiling was a couple of metres above this little wall. Lots of headroom for potential intruders!