Praha part V - Until next time

As our stay came to the end, we decided to spend our last full day at the Prague Zoo. Arriving there early in the morning, we had plenty of time to explore the extensive area and get to know its inhabitants. 

While some preferred hiding in the shade...

... and others fully enjoyed the summer sun...

... the little elephant I've last seen when he was a newborn turned out to be not-so-little anymore.

Kangaroo cuddles...

... an ice bear aqua gym...

... numerous birds in all colours, shapes, and sizes... 

... and an equally colourful bee pasture. Even though we thought we'd spend the morning in the Zoo and visit the nearby Botanical garden in the afternoon, we soon realized that the "Zoo" part of the day will use up more time than planned.  

Lunchtime for the lemurs, more walking ahead for the two of us.

Coming around the corner from the lion platform, I certainly had a quick moment for a heart attack before the I could identify the creature as non-dangerous :)

Probably one of the cutest photo models, and not at all shy in front of the camera.

Getting closer to the exit, but not quite done yet. A sea lion demonstration comes in handy when the blood sugar begins to drop and there's a need for a break...

... and off we go again to explore some more.

How is the gorilla baby doing? Not holding on to mom anymore, he's now discovering his habitat on his own while still being one of the major attractions out there. 

Unlike last time, I could also make a stop at the petting zoo. Because at some point we realized a visit to the Botanical garden would be out of question for the day. And the weather was nice enough to hang out some more. And I can't possibly pass by any animal without cuddling.

Once we were done with the Zoo, we decided to return to the city center to get ourselves something to eat before we'd continue to the castle...

... and walk towards the Petrin hill. On a way that later turned out to partly cover the Honest Guide's "alternative castle route" we'd firstly descend the castle hill through the vineyards under the Strahov monastery...

... and then face a thousand stairs on a way uphill that would bring us straight to the lookout tower. 

As the queues to get on top were massive again, we visited the Štefánik's Observatory instead. With the sun hiding behind the clouds, there was no chance to examine the sun through the telescopes, and since we still had to pack our stuff, we slowly had to find our way home.

One last sunset above Prague. The most beautiful of cities once more didn't disappoint with sights and adventures, and will certainly be on my wishlist again sometime soon. 

Short night, little sleep before we headed towards the train station. One last walk on the Charles bridge...

... and through a sleepy city center that was being slowly filled by tourists.

Until next time, Praha - I love you so, so much.

~ the end ~