Excerpts from 800-word article

PRAGUE, THE GOLDEN HEART OF EUROPE

The holiday mood was contagious on the Friday afternoon I first arrived in town. Narrow medieval streets were packed, lively taverns and restaurants too noisy for comfort. Street musicians played to appreciative audiences, and on an enormous statue in Old Town Square young people climbed higher and higher for a perch from which to watch the carefree scene below. It was Spring, and the T.G.I.F. spirit had invaded Prague....

Easily explored on foot, the city (pop. Approx. 1.2 million) has four distinct regions: The Castle Area, Lesser Town below it, Old Town across the river and New Town beyond that. Ideally you will allow a day for each, although this won't necessarily give you time to study the immense wealth of art in museums and galleries.