DAY 33-35: PRAGUE

OUR mission, should we choose to accept it, is to find the loveliest bar or restaurant in Prague with the best view.

This is a tough ask. But we are up for the challenge.

Old Town. Lesser Town. Charles Bridge and Prague Castle view. Backstreet ambience. Up high. Down low. Water's edge. 

We lose ourselves deliberately this time as we become connoisseurs of Prague. We sit and have a drink here and there in the name of research, consider each of the establishment's attributes and move on.

We stumble across a lovely vineyard setting just on the side of the hill below the Bohemian baroque Prague Castle and its gothic St Vitus Cathedral (926AD). St Wencelas' Vineyard is one of the oldest vineyards in Bohemia and sells Czech and specifically Moravian wines.

We settle on a refreshing rose as we revisit the sweeping panorama of Prague and the Vltava Valley we have just encountered from the cathedral's South (bell) Tower with its 287 steps.

After a lazy hour under the pergola, we leave our waiter with the only Czech word we have learned so far: dekuji  (thankyou, pronounced like ye-kweel-u).

We have sat up high, overlooking the Vltava River at cosy Bella Vida Cafe and had prime position in the Old Town Square main square as the carnival atmosphere paraded before us and crowds gathered around buskers and street performers before heading on the hour to see the Astronomical Clock characters do their little dance.

We even find a "secret" terrace restaurant on the Vltava, accessed through the tiniest of passages between buildings.

We also have visited popular Wencelas Square, which we have nicknamed Americaville, and know it is not for us.

Finally, we have made our decision and agree we love watching life on the Vltava with a drink under a market umbrella at Klub Lavka and returning for dinner on its terrace, tucked away around another corner, with the fairytale-like glow of the castle, cathedral and Charles Bridge. 

Get in early for a good table outdoors to watch the summer sun go down, then enjoy the cool breeze of the twilight. 

Try the goulash soup in a bread cob with the mixed grill that comes out on a rustic butcher's board, and end with a sweet treat. You won't want to leave.

Lesson of the day: Beware 19% commission fees and low currency exchange rates at the Prague main train station. Try to find an ATM if you need to pay cash in a taxi or have Koruna for public transport. In Old Town, for example, businesses offer as low as 0% commission and better rates. We continue to live and learn ... and sometimes lose out.