Everyone flew from a local airport to Prague for this holiday exploring the Bohemian Paradise area of the Czech Republic.

No planes were late, so we were soon driving through Prague to our destination in the country.

Our first 4 nights were to be spent at Hotel Pod Sikmou Vezi.

We wound up a quiet country lane into the woods, and were delighted by the peacefulness of the setting.

We settled into our single and twin rooms - the twins were mostly single rooms sharing one bathroom - then came down for supper.

Fresh red pepper stuffed with sour cream, fresh trout and chips, rounded off by caramelized bananas and cream!

After supper we decided on a short stroll into the twilight and came across hundreds of magical fire flies, and a large toad!

We also saw the leaning tower of rocks in the woods behind the hotel after which it is named.

The Bohemian Paradise area is reknown for its wonderfully shaped rocks - towers of sandstone sculpted by wind and water that suddenly appear as you walk through woods, or onto which castles have been built.

Today, after our continental breakfast, we collected our packed lunches and were driven to Trosky Castle which commands a landscape of rolling low hills.

Trosky Castle has twin towers - one in ruins, and one that has been partially restored to allow access.

The old keep between the two towers was mostly destroyed during the 30 Years War with Sweden (during which, according to Eva, most of the Czech national treasures ended up in Sweden).

We climbed the stairs to the Baba tower (the 'crone'), and looked across at the ruined Pana tower (the 'virgin'). There was also a falconry where we saw a steppe eagle, and other rescued birds.

From here we walked across country - through fields filled with wheat and patches of woodland.

We passed a huge linden tree - national tree of the Czech Republic.

We passed haystacks and orchards, and a bike with a humourous sign: 'To the Fields' in one direction, 'To Nowhere' in another, 'To the pub' in a third direction!

Just after our first amazing rocks we reached a lake where we stopped for lunch and a drink at a cafe-bar beside an old mill.

Moving on, we walked through a river valley and woods punctuated by occasional rock towers.

Our path brought us to the lake beside Kost Castle.

Those who were keen for the castle guided tour had gone ahead with Eva, while the rest of us took our time and enjoyed a beer or an ice cream at the little bar beside the castle.

The guided tour was a great success, but no photos were allowed inside the castle.

Our minibus picked us up from here in plenty of time for showers back at the hotel before dinner, or a drink in the sun on the hotel terrace.

Supper was tomato soup, bolognese pasta or cheese and spinach pancakes for vegetarians, fruit and ice cream for dessert...

After dinner some of us chatted on the terrace while others played games of cards. By 10.00 we were headed for our beds tired from our 6.5 mile day.

There was a little cloud when we woke. After breakfast we off from the hotel on foot for the Prachov rocks, just over the hill behind the hotel.

The Prachov Rocks are the most magnificent concentration of rocks in the Bohemian Paradise - and are unique in the world.

We climbed gently through pine woods, and started down between towering sandstone pillars weathered with wind and rain.

One can understand how such rocks might inspire stories and legends - of giants for example...

We walked down an avenue of such giants, each a different shape and bulk, separated by a sandy path and stone steps.

At one point we entered the Emperor's Hall - a cathedral like space surrounded by pillars.

Further on we took a side path, climbing up through the eye of a needle, then a narrow slit with stone steps.

Higher there was a view point - but we left that for later, and returned to the main path.

At the bottom there were drinks or ice creams, and a tourist office with loos, brochures, postcards, and stamps.

We then returned to the viewpoint by another route.

From here we could look out over a veritable forest of rocks in amongst the trees. A superb sight.

Walking back via Sikmou rocks to the hotel, we had time to freshen up before being driven to Jicin - our nearest town which has a medieval centre.

Jicin town is known as the gateway to the Bohemian Paradise. The buildings around its central square are all painted different colours.

After a cup of tea or coffee we split up to explore for a while, several of us climbing 156 steps to the top of the Gate Tower for a view over the town.

Other women shopped, some visited the Catholic church or other buildings.

Later Eva took us all to the Synagog which has been restored by local efforts despite there being virtually no Jewish community left alive or returning here since WW2.

Returning to the square we stopped for tea at a cake shop before we headed back to the hotel.

That evening a storm blew up, as forecast, and after heavy wind and rain we experienced a power cut.

This didn't cramp the style of the card players, while the rest of us chatted to candle light.

The lights returned before bed, but the rain also returned and fell heavily into the night.

The rain returned heavily in the night, but had passed by morning. The forecast however was for more squalls and some strong wind - a concern when you are walking in tall woods.

However, all was calm, so we set off towards Hruba Skala castle beside a beautiful lake (with dramatic rocks on the far side).

Leaving the lake shore, we crossed meadows and entered a wood - with more rocks to each side. Tall pines, moss and ferns, red squirrels...

After 4k we reached the castle, baroque statues on the bridge, and another viewing tower which afforded a great view of Hruba Skala 'Rock City' beyond.

This castle is now a hotel, so we availed ourselves of the restaurant for a cooked lunch (to supplement our sandwiches).

It was a beautiful restaurant in an old Baroque building - damask table cloths, and delicous food that was very affordable.

One woman ordered frogs legs, most of the rest of us had various soups, and then we shared a local delicacy of potato rolls topped with poppy seed sauce, butter and cream... Mmmm!

Moving on somewhat fuller, we now headed for Valstein Castle - one group walking along the ridge above the rock city, the other taking a somewhat longer route through the rocks.

There were also some beautiful natural springs where we tried the water - which was delicious.

The gentler walkers had time for tea at Valstein castle before we all walked around it together.

This castle, dating from 1280, includes some partly restored ruins - intimating what the dungeons would have been like...

We now had a very short walk down through beautiful beech woods to where our minibus was waiting patiently for us.

There was still time to relax with a glass of wine or beer before dinner (beer costs 50p for half a pint, a glass of wine costs 85p).

There have been no complaints about this lovely friendly hotel where the hospitality has been superb. Nothing has been too much trouble.

Later that evening there was a moonlit foray in search of fireflies - but they had mostly gone to bed after twilight!

Bidding goodbye to the hotel staff, today we drove back to Prague to visit this extraordinary city.

Here we had to say goodbye to Eva, and we met up at the castle with Lida - our friendly and amusing Prague guide.

So much to see! We started at Prague Castle and walked around its gardens and precinct.

We visited St Vitus Cathedral, saw the impressive castle hall, and wandered down the street of tiny houses along the castle wall...

Lida proved to be humourous and sensitive to what we wanted out a guided tour.

By group request, she kept the history to the interesting bits, and included snippets of women's history.

We learnt about 'defenestration' - the former practice of chucking unpopular leaders out of castle windows. This didn't always work, however, if they landed on a pile of rubbish, as in one case!

We walked down Neruda's street on the way to St Nicholas Church - an extraordinary example of Baroque architecture...

Here Lida left us for the day. We sought refreshment at a nearby cafe, then headed across Charles Bridge, stopping at the craft stalls.

We stopped at some musicians playing, then haggled down the price of a short river trip.

Finally, satiated with sights, we took the metro to the hotel. There was lots of laughter on the metro as we found our way there.

The ensuite rooms at Hotel Oya proved very comfortable - a modern hotel.

Unfortunately the bar staff after dinner were not as friendly as at Hotel Pod Sikmou Vezi - we had been spoilt in Bohemia! We will try and find a more characterful family-run Prague hotel for next year if possible.

Lida came to our hotel to accompany us on our last half-day tour of other Prague sights.

We took the metro, then the tram, stopping first of all at a beautiful hidden formal garden with a stunning view.

From here you could see why Prague is called the City of a Hundred Spires...

We walked across Charles Bridge - this time with all the history of the oldest statues, then wandered via the Mirror Hall and small shops to the Old Town Square.

Since we needed refreshment and the Astronomical Clock would soon strike the hour, Lida suggested tea and cake in the Praha Grand Hotel opposite

This proved a great move that gave us an eye-level view of the clock as the 12 Apostles appeared, and Father Death to ring his bell... Crowds of people watched below us.

We walked through the Old Town Square with its ancient buildings, Our Lady of Tyn's spires rising gracefully behind other striking facades.

We all wanted to visit the synagogues of the Jewish Quarter, so Lida showed us the way to the ornate Spanish Synagogue and certain specialist shops we'd requested before she left us.

We now had an afternoon to split into smaller groups if we wanted and do our own exploring of the Jewish Quarter, shops, and the Old Town.

Some women also took a boat trip at this point.

The Pinkas Synagogue was deeply moving, its inner walls covered with the handwritten names of the 80,000 Czech Jews who died in the holocaust, each with their dates of birth and death.

This written memorial is the only grave they have. (No photos allowed - this is a photo of a postcard).

I think it was the most powerful monument to holocaust victims that I have seen. The ancient graves of the Old Jewish Cemetery lay next door.

Upstairs there there was a collection of children's drawings and pictures from the camp - about life in the camp, their memories of Prague, their hopes to reach Palastine...

It was hard to move on from here. We saw the Jewish Ceremonial Hall, the stunningly ornate Spanish Synagogue which reminded me of parts of the Alhambra (photo below is from a postcard).

We then headed back to the Old Town Square, stopping at an excellent cake and croissant shop for a tea/2nd lunch. The interior of the tea room was beautifully tiled.

We saw the clock strike 5pm on our way to meeting up with the rest of the group for an early evening concert, in the Baroque setting of St Saviours Church (we heard a selection of Bach, Motzart, Schubert, Vivaldi and others composers) - a beautiful end to the day.

Time for dinner. Lida had recommended a small cellar restaurant, where musicians played while we ate Czech traditional dishes.

Back at the hotel the night still felt young, so we crossed the road to have a night cap in a street bar.

Here we were greeted by friendly locals, and we were delighted to find a group of musicians practicing their repertoire in one corner... A warm and atmospheric end to the holiday!

The next morning there were warm hugs goodbye after breakfast as some of us left for the airport early.

Others had more time to explore before their transfer at 1pm and planned to visit the Royal Palace near the hotel...