But the palace is not the only bit of Prague that’s worth a squiz. We also saw Wenceslas Square, named for the first legendary king of Bohemia in the 9th century - the same square where a 21 year old law student burnt himself to death in 1969 in protest against the Russian invasion/liberation (depending on which side you’re rooting for).

Around the corner is the largest shoe emporium in Europe (7 floors of shoes!). And everywhere - EVERYWHERE - are tributes to Franz Kafka, the Jewish writer who was born and lived in Prague: Kafka coffee shops, Kafka souvenir stores, Kafka museums, Kafka tours, Kafka Kafka Kafka. Czechs must get sick of Kafka the way Salzburgers get sick of the Sound of Music.

When we could hear him over the din of visiting Dutch soccer supporters, our guide also pointed out just how new everything that looks old in Prague really is - for example, cobble stones that were made three years ago to look three hundred years old, and regular street lamps that will soon be torn down in place of 18th century replicas with actual gas flames inside (when the EU puts up the money for it anyway).

Next is the old Jewish ghetto, where the cemetery is enclosed by a three metre high wall, but the burial ground inside reaches heights of well over four metres in parts because of the sheer number of dead Jews who simply had to be lumped in one on top of the other.

Later we joined Ivan, two Americans and two Canadians for dinner in an underground medieval restaurant where the food is brought out on metre-squared trays and still costs half what it costs in the rest of Europe. But more importantly, they have so much beer there that the waiter brings you a second and a third even when you say you’re done.