Prague is dotted by lovely parks, in fact, we live across the street from one of them, but Saturday, we decided to take the A train cross town (yes, our line is the A train — there are only three to choose from) and head to a large park called Šárka Nature Park (Přírodní park Šárka, if you want to know the Czech) that’s more of a nature reserve. It stretches northeast along the edge of Prague into the Central Bohemian Region. To the south, it’s bordered by the airport.

The area contains a lake, a Dino Live! amusement park, sports fields, a nature reserve and some cultural landmarks as well as (that’s right you’ve guessed it), a lookout point atop a hill. We had a bit of a cool snap and the temperatures were hovering below 20 degrees Celsius (less than 70 F), which was great weather for a hike through the park.

We hadn’t been to the east side of Prague, or Prague District 6. We are staying in Prague 2, in the Vinohrady neighborhood. Prague 6, on the outskirts of the city, seems more suburban, but still easily accessible by Metro or tram.

We enjoyed the uncrowded trek up to the lookout point, which took about 45 minutes, then circled back past the lake and took the Metro back to rest up for our planned Indian dinner our and excursion to a speakeasy to mark our final Saturday.

Pind had been recommended to us by the owner of an Indian market nearby and we went there our first weekend here. We enjoyed it so much, we returned and were equally happy with our meal. From there, we popped our leftovers in the fridge (necessary because we had already started planning what to eat without buying anymore food since we only had a week left here) and headed back to the Metro for a visit to Parlour, a “secret” bar near Wenceslas Square. The bar doesn’t have a sign and is down a flight of steps (a steep flight of steps!), but I don’t think you can call a bar secret if Tripadvisor knows about it. Nevertheless, the ambience is chill: dim lighting, cozy chairs, vintage glasses and room for about 20 people.

Parlour lacks a menu. The bar’s gimmick is that you tell the bartender what you want and they craft a cocktail especially for you. We did just that and got some delicious combos. I wanted Slivovitz, but alas, they were out, so I had a pear brandy sour instead. We also had mezcal, tequila and gin drinks. The only hitch came when I locked myself in the bathroom. The lever on the inside of the door was broken and I couldn’t get out. After a few seconds of banging, the bartender heard me and came to the rescue and all was well! (I didn’t even notice she was missing.)

The owner told us that he has a new concept bar opening in a month or so three doors down (literally down, because of course the street is on a hill) with only eight seats. Patrons will check 10 words from a list of 55 and name a theme. From there, the bartender will design a flight of three drinks. Sounds intriguing.

Sunday, we walked to the Karel Zeman Museum. Zeman, a Czech film director, screenwriter and artist, was a pioneer in movie special effects. He experimented with different techniques to create perspective and combined live action, animation and puppetry in his 1955 film “Journey to the Beginning of Time,” in which four boys travel back to prehistoric times. He continued innovating in special effects in films of Jules Verne novels and “The Fabulous Baron Munchausen” (the inspiration for the Terry Gilliam version, “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen,” which you should see if you haven’t).

The museum is well done, with restored clips from many of Zeman’s films that illustrate the techniques he pioneered as well as interactive exhibits and opportunities to make your own film. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend a visit if you happen to find yourself in Prague. Aside from the museum itself, the walk over from our side of the Vltava was beautiful, as you can see in the slideshow above. The tons of people are walking over the famous Charles Bridge.

A week ago Wednesday, we experienced a different kind of special effect: the use of mirrors to create a never-ending tunnel of books. The sculpture, Idiom, by Slovak artist Matej Krén, stands at the top of the inside entrance stairs to the Prague Municipal Library. The tunnel contains 8,000 books, all doomed to become landfill or donated. A visit is free, but there is often a line down the block to get your chance to peek inside and take some pictures.

The Czech National Museum

One of our last stops before Budapest was the Czech National Museum, just a short walk downhill (which meant a short walk uphill also) from our apartment. We had passed it many times on our longer walks, but finally we decided to tour it. Coincidentally, an exhibit, People and their Ancestors, featuring the original fossils of Lucy and Selam, had arrived only days earlier. We didn’t have to pay extra for the exhibit, but we did have to wait on a line that took about 30 minutes. Totally worth it to see those ancient ancestors.

Lucy was about 1 meter (about 3-foot-3), while Selam, found much later but close by, was only about 2.5 years old, so much shorter. The bones were laid out in a glass case with no photos allowed, so you’ll have to click the link if you want to see them. We skipped the rest of the exhibit since we were moving at a crawl and have seen similar ones in museums elsewhere in favor of learning about the history of Czechia. I recommend (if you ever happen to be in Prague) getting the audio guide on the museum app. It’s free and very informative, plus it has a GPS-enabled map.

The building itself is gorgeous. While the museum was founded in 1818, the collection didn’t find a permanent home until the city of Prague donated the land in Wenceslas Square in 1876, where the museum was to be constructed. It is designed the neo-Renaissance style and underwent extensive renovations beginning in 2011, reopening in October 2018, for the 100-year anniversary of the Czechoslovak Republic.

In case you wondered how the sidewalks stay so smooth despite all the little square blocks, here you go.

Today is our last full day here and I decided I wanted to walk over the Charles Bridge one more time. I was hoping it wouldn’t be quite as crowded because all the U.S. kids are back in school, but my hopes were dashed. It was fine, although I prefer the view of the Charles Bridge from the Legion Bridge. So instead of turning around and walking back over the Charles, we headed through Kampa Park, where the yellow penguins sit. You may remember a picture of them from our jazz cruise night. I didn’t explain their significance then so here you go (you’re welcome). According to Cracking Art, the group that placed the 34 penguins: “The penguin is a social animal and has a strong ecological meaning: its survival is affected by global warming and ice melting,” says the group’s website. “Despite being loved by many, this animal is constantly endangered by human technological progress that brings wellness to man but damage to the planet.” They are made of recycled plastic.

We wandered back to the apartment, taking our last photos and drinking in the scenery as we went. Now it’s time to load-balance our suitcases for our Ryan Air flight to Budapest. If you ever fly Ryan Air, be careful with the weight and size of your luggage. They don’t mess around and only allow 20 kilos (about 44 pounds), where most other airlines allow 23 (about 50 pounds).