Prague is the largest city in the Czech Republic. It is also the Capital.
We stayed at the Holiday Inn, for 3 nights. It is at the Prague Congress Centre.
We Booked A Tour
Our Guide told us that Prague was known as the city of 1000 spirals. The population is over 1,200,000 people. It is on a plateau on both sides of the Vltava River, (the Czech Republic's longest river). The city is made of five old towns that united and are joined together by the Charles Bridge. The towns were the Hradcany, (the castle district is on a hill), Mala Strana, (the 13th-century Little Quarter, is between the river & the castle), Stare Mesto, (was once a gothic old town), Josefov, (the Jewish Ghetto), Nove Mesto, (New Town, was new in the 14th century) and Stare Mesto.
We went to see the Old Town, first. The buildings were from a lot of different eras, from gothic to rococo. The Church Of Our Lady Before Time has a huge 15th century astronomical clock, and we saw the sun going around earth. The face of the clock is stunning. We watched a mechanical parade of people, (Turks, Jews and Pagans).
We went to see the castle, next. It is on a hill overlooking the river and the city.
While we were driving we saw a blue ultra modern building. I asked our Guide what it was, and she told me it was an apartment building, that was called ''the dancing house''. It was designed by Frank Gehry, (a Canadian) and Vladimir Milunic.
We crossed the Charles Bridge to go see the Mala Strana, (Old Quarter). The bridge is made of stone and lined with more than 30 baroque statues of Roman Catholic Saints. One was of St. Wencelas, (not the one in the Christmas Carol), but a Duke who once ruled this area. He is the Patron Saint of the Czech. Republic. Our Guide told us that the most famous statue is the one of Jan of Nepomuk, (who was thrown off the bridge while he wore his suit of armour), because he refused to tell the King what his Queen had told him while she was confessing her sins, to him.
We walked up the steps of the Castle, and we saw the Honour Guards, standing in turquoise and white small buildings. Their cloths were designed by the same man who designed the costumes for the movie, Amadeus.
The Castle was build in the late 800's and it is the oldest building, in Prague. At the St. Vitus Cathedral we saw that the corner stone was put in place by Charles IV, (in 1344). The architecture is gothic. We climbed up the steep steps to the Great Tower, to see a panoramic view from the top.
When we left the tower we were given an hour to shop in the Golden Lane. This is a very small street that has stores selling touristy things to wonderful hand blown glass. We saw the house that Franz Kafka lived in, (and where he was writing his last novel, The Castle).
As we walked through the Mala Strana, it became hot and humid. We went into Joe's Bar, to have a Heineken beer. We were surprised to find out the owner was from Vancouver. We still had some time so we talked with him while we shared an order of hot chicken wings.
Day 2
We took a taxi to the Jewish Quarter. We had him leave drop us off at the old Synagogue. I knew that this was the second oldest Synagogue in the World, and I wanted to see it. Hitler removed most of the interior and because of this it looked quite modern.
The Jewish Cemetery was a full of broken tombstones. We went to see the Jewish Museum where I wanted to buy some squares of old heavy embroidered material, to put in frames, when I got home.
We decided to walk south and we saw the art nouveau buildings that were built in the Jewish Ghetto, in the early 1900's.
We spent the rest of the day shopping.
Where We Ate
The food in Prague is based on meat and potatoes. The best main dishes were pork, potato dumplings and cabbage, (called vepro-knedlo-zelo), and beef with vegetable sauce poured over it and potato dumplings, (called svickova).
At our hotel in the morning we ate breakfast at the Bistro Esprit, every night we had a drink at the hotel Bar, one night we ate at the Spirit.
We has lunch one day at the Globe Coffee Shop. It's on a winding street behind the National Theatre. We looked at the menu and ordered a Bohemian Bagel and saw something called ''a bowl of soul'', so we ordered it. It was a large cup of coffee!
One night we went to a café near the Charles Bridge and had a delicious meal at the Dobra Cajovna.
After we walk through Prazsky Hrad, we when to eat at the Prague Piglet. The items made here are from the Renaissance era.
The Art Nouveau Café, was built before WW I. It has a domed ceiling. We ate on the balcony and had 2 Krapfen and some cake from the buffet.
In the centre of Prague near Husova we discovered Ceska Kuchyne, a place where the locals go to eat. You have to look at the menu's outside the café because they are written in German and English. The menu's inside are written in Czech. I had a bowl of Bortsch, (beet soup) and my husband had goulash. We share a 1 litre bottle of Pilsner Urqell, and ate some fruit dumplings for dessert.
There seem to be so many places to eat in Prague that serve food from around the World, that I can guarentee you won't go hungry.
Where We Shopped
The best souvenir Shop was at la Bone-Church.
At the Marionety Obckod we found some wonderful Marionettes, and bought two. One is hanging on a wall and the other is sitting in a chair.
We bought some Bohemian Glass. They were small bugs and insects that I put on my window sill, near my indoor plants.
Warning
Every one needs a passport, and some people need visas, (Canadians do). Check with their local Embassy.
Watch out for pickpockets, taxi's that take you for an extra spin, and the Money Exchange, (the Banks we close so we exchange our money at the hotel.
My Conclusion
Would I like to visit Prague again. Yes, and I highly recommend this charming city to you.
Thank you for reading my review.
©LL2004
