I love it when I still love a place years later. Doesn’t always happen – especially when the “place” is discovered by the masses and gets tired and trodden from overuse.

I think it was 1990 when I fell in love with Prague. December, as I recall. An industry conference in Vienna offered an extension to Prague for a few days. I had heard wonderful things about Prague, but didn’t know anything specific about the place. They put us in a relatively new conference-style hotel – the Diplomat. It was a bit outside the main part of town, but conveniently located near a Metro line.

Free of any organized dinner event on our first night in Prague, a companion and I took the Metro into the city center, in search of the fabled “Old Town Square.” We emerged from the underground Metro station, and wandered through the maze of narrow cobblestone streets. It was cold, the streets were deserted, and the streetlamps illuminated the softly falling snow. Though we had a map, we were disoriented and had no clue where we were.

So we wandered. Until I saw a sight that took my breath away. The most beautiful church I’d ever seen – dominating the Old Town Square. A row of  beautiful buildings obscured its facade, but looming over all were two huge black spires, each decorated with several smaller steeples. Atop every point, a gold ball glowed against the night sky.

I’ve since been to Prague four more times. This scene stops me dead in my tracks each time. Morning, daytime, nighttime. If ever you need an experience to describe “breathtaking” – this would be it.

Hands down, the most beautiful city sight I have ever seen.

Put it on your bucket list!