Stops 6 and 7 – Westward to Prague–where politics, culture, economics and FOOD cluster Prague is 6 hours from Krakow as the bird flies, but it felt like 10+ by bus. Plenty of rest stops for strong coffee and local fare broke the fairly monotonous visages. Prague’s got a lot to boast about: it’s one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites; the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic and the historic capital of Bohemia (note crystal and glass). The imposing Prague Castle looms over the Vltava River with its statuesque Charles Bridge and gothic-style Old Town bridge tower. And the Old Town Square (virtually untouched since the 10th century) contains a staggering array of dancers, musicians, protesters and vendors of all kinds. Come early. Much like Poland does homage to Frédéric François Chopin, Prague revels over its native son Franz Kafka. Get ready to be Metamorphosis-ized. And then there’s Czech food and drink… Czech cuisine is a combination of German and Hungarian, with goulashes, schnitzels, soups and strudels. Similar to Poland, pork, dumplings and cabbage work their way on to many menus. Pork comes in many permutations: baked, breaded, fried and smoked, to name a few. Dumplings look, feel and taste remarkably like their Polish relatives. Czech cabbage is commonly cooked and sweetly sauced as a side. Speaking of sauces, they’re often creamy, heavy or both (still, a nice foil for robust meats). It’s pretty difficult to resist Czech breads. They tend to be hearty to handle the sauces with blends of seeds, such as Dýňový (pumpkin bread with pumpkin seeds), Slunečnicový (made from sunflower seeds) and Hostivařský (topped with caraway seeds). Local honey was a treat each morning, paired with breakfast breads and fruit. This succulent nectar was from the rooftop apiary. But the real treat was breakfast with the Ambassador. Hold on…