Day 45: Vysehrad, Ballet at the Prague State Opera, and Čajovna jedna báseň

Our late morning started off with a nice walk around Vysehrad, an old park on top of a hill that offered a lovely view of Prague. I was beginning to think that there were few spots in this city that didn't have a good panoramic view, as I'd already seen three in as many days. Also, it appears that the sun comes out every time we see a panorama, even if the sky was gray for the rest of the day. This is quite a convenient blessing, although it does rain every time we go to a castle, so it balances out.

Also in the park was the oldest church in Prague, in Gothic style. The doors were especially lovely.

Vysehrad was also home to one of the nicest, most famous, and touristy cemeteries, in which some of the most famous Czechs are buried.

A few notable ones were Smetana and Dvorak.

After descending the hill and grabbing a quick lunch -- beef goulash soup in a bread bowl -- we headed over to the Prague State Opera. We had $9 tickets for a professional ballet show, La Bayadère, and our seats were fantastic. I was close enough to see the orchestra for once.

The ballet was one of the best shows I'd ever seen in my life, and by far my favourite one of this trip. The costumes were beautiful and I did not realize how dynamic and engaging ballet could be prior to this. One particular scene, the Kingdom of Shades, is widely acclaimed as one of the best pieces of classical ballet, and it definitely lived up to its reputation. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience; it changed my view on ballet shows entirely. The grandeur of the theatre certainly contributed to the atmosphere as well.

We rushed from the State Opera to one final tea room after that, the Čajovna jedna báseň, where I had a refreshing jasmine tea.

I liked this one far more than the famous Dobra Cajovna as the environment was more comfortable and homey. It was also far less crowded, although it had a smaller selection.

Unfortunately, we had to rush back to catch the bus to Brno, so we could not enjoy a full tea house experience. Overall, my time in Prague was far too short and hindered by weather. From what I got to see though, it is definitely one of the most beautiful cities I've been to and I have lots of reason to return.

Photos by Julie Zhang.