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Prague
We have just returned from a long weekend in Prague, which
was all that we had expected and so much more.
Perhaps the best place to start would be our 7am stroll around
Malá Strana
(Lesser Town). We were among only a handful of tourists out
and about as the sun began to peep over the surrounding hills,
providing an opportunity to view the city in the soft morning
light. We crossed Charles Bridge without encountering the
crowds that appear by midday. The silhouettes of the statues
were like a silent procession over the 600-year-old bridge.
The back streets and alleyways are cobbled which makes one
feel trapped in a time warp, a rather engaging one at that.
After wondering aimlessly and peering into shops and cafes
we found one that was open and sat down to soak up the view
and have a strong coffee to set us up for the day.
After a tasty breakfast back at the hotel we set off to do
some serious exploring. Unfortunately, we were joined by throngs
of other tourists all with the same idea. Within minutes we
felt swamped and for the rest of our trip we did not attempt
to enter any of the sites that were heaving with tourists.
We visited the Jewish Quarter
(Josefov), Old Town Square, Prague Castle
complex, the Church of St Nicholas
in the Lesser Town with its impressive dome and gilded baroque
interior, and finally retreated into Seminárská
Zahrada – a large park complex. We found a quiet, shady
spot on the grass and spent a happy hour viewing the city
below. Within this complex is Petrín Tower, a miniature
replica of the Eiffel Tower, which is worth a look.
Did we lose out because of our lack of tourist drive? Absolutely
not!
What is so fantastic about Prague and what brings the city
into its finest hour is its architecture. What surprised us
the most about Prague was that we were expecting it to be
dominated by medieval architecture. This was not the case
- Prague is a magnificent mix of medieval,
Renaissance, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and even
some Cubist style buildings. In all of the cases the hallmark
features were to be seen on top floors and roofs. We were
blown away by the beautifully carved cornices and ornamental
balconies and friezes depicting religious, heroic and mythical
figures. Next to these buildings one also finds crumbling,
derelict buildings covered with grime from pollution. Many
of these buildings have been in this condition for a century
or more and somehow they just add to the charm of the place.
Our trip was defined by plenty of walking with regular stops
for coffee and delicious Czech beer. One of our favourite
stops was the Kavárna
Slavia. This famous
Prague pre-revolution dissident cafe is opposite
the National Gallery and has retained its stunning crisp Art
Deco glory. We popped in for a cappuccino and enjoyed the
stunning view of the Vltava River and the castle.
Eating in Prague turned out to be a varied and and enjoyable
experience. Radost FX Cafe
was a real find with an all-veggie menu. From the outside
it looked like a video shop/arcade and we almost did not go
in. The internal décor resembles furnishings from a
rummage sale with upholstered armchairs, chaise longues and
couches from the 1960s. The main dining area has low coffee
tables covered in pretty mosaics with a small bar, which was
full of young Czechs having a good night out.
We found Na Zvonarce a bit off the beaten track. Here we had
a delicious meal and more Pilsner Urquell beer under some
trees in the garden.
On our final day we visited Osmicka,
where we had tasty traditional Czech food at good prices.
It was a rather nauseating experience for me, though, as my
husband consumed 900g of pork ribs with great relish before
finishing off my pork medallions and washing it all down with
what seemed like a gallon of beer. He rolled out of the restaurant!
Although I would recommend walking as much of Prague as possible,
the electric trams (streetcars) run practically everywhere,
and offer a very reliable form of transport. We used the 22
and 23 (also known as the "pickpocket express"),
which run past tourist attractions such as the National
Theatre and Prague Castle. For a bit of luxury
we spoilt ourselves and jumped into the back of a 1934 Praga
for a 40-minute tour of the sites one glorious day. We managed
to see a few streets we had missed on our rambles and, from
our driver’s recommendation, we spent a few drunken
hours in a traditional Czech pub with Helen (a regular visitor
since 1946) and a sweet young Japanese tourist who in ‘traditional’
Japanese style spent his spare time creating origami creations.
We did not feel that we had to see everything and this may
have been the best thing we did. We lazed in beautiful public
gardens in the midday sun, drank too much beer, visited numerous
Army shops in search of WW2 memorabilia, searched for bargains
in antique shops and even managed a night clubbing at a venue
just below the Charles Bridge.
This city famed for its Velvet Revolution in 1989 gave us
a sneak peak into what makes it tick, and we flew back to
the UK with lightened hearts and great memories - as I said,
all that we had expected and so much more.
By Kim Brown
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