Prague – “these boots were made for walking”

Day 1:

Prawn Caesar Salad

So after my 5 ½ hour bus ride from Munich (a double decker bus if I might add)  - Petrina and I arrived in Prague! The sun was shining and the city was glowing. After we checked in at the hostel – (keep in mind my first hostel experience…) - it was definitely time to eat my first eastern European lunch! I settled on a prawn Caesar salad and a refreshing glass of Pinot Grigio. It was a delightful salad – the prawns were giant and perfectly seasoned, the lettuce crisp, strips of freshly grated parm, and topped lightly with Caesar dressing – plus I got some bread and a basil olive oil to dip it in! Even though the meal was great, the service was less than okay! When we asked for a couple glasses of tap water – the waiter rolled his eyes at us and proceeded to hahhh about it. That was the beginning of our realization that Prague waiters were probably the rudest I have ever experienced in my life!   

After lunch we headed to the heart of Prague in order to see it in the glorious sunshine. *Let me just preference my experience in Prague with this: I quickly learned upon arrival that has become the 2^nd most popular tourist destination in Europe. I had NO idea of this fact, but there were so many tourists there – people from all over the world! Oh my word – every hostel and hotel was booked out! So crazy.*

Nevertheless, we decided we were going to enjoy this fabulous opportunity to see Prague! It is a simply spectacular city – the architecture is incredible – the colors, the meticulous details, the sculpting, the impressive facades. Everywhere I looked, I was in awe. I was particularly amazed when the golden afternoon sun illuminated the beauty of this old city. I was so glad that Mr.Al (a family friend) told me that Prague was not bombed during the war  - it helped me understand why and how this architecturally impressive city remains in such pristine condition today. But it was rather amusing to see that giant globalized stores like TGI Fridays, Starbucks, H&M, Nike, Zara, McDonald’s, etc were occupying many of the most gorgeous buildings – quite bizarre. Another random observation I found is that sheer number of shoe stores in this city! They were everywhere – more than the Starbucks in Seattle! Haha these Czech sure do love their shoes! For good reason, you walk everywhere in this city – I mean it! I wish I had had my pedometer to see just how many miles I walked. But man, by the end of the 4 days, I felt like an 80 year old woman haha but hey the more you walk, the more you can eat right? And eat we did! So on our stroll around Prague, we found a food vendor market! They were only going to be there til Monday (our last full day)– can you say meant to be! Such a boon! Even though I had just eaten, I needed dessert! My friend Molly told me about this market food before I came – and thank goodness she did! Because the instant I saw it, I knew exactly what she was talking about. 

Trdelnik!!

It’s called a Trdelnik – and it is gooooddd. It’s basically pastry dough mixed with almond, vanilla, sugar, and toffee. Then wrapped around a pipe like structure and then roasted over charcoal until golden brown and then rolled in sugar! Oh it was good – I had quite a few – gotta experience the culture of each country ;) 

The food stalls were also selling kettle cooked potato chips, sausages, old Prague Ham, mulled wine ( I got several of those – so cheap and warming!), hot chocolate, “pizza” as in dough fried and then topped with parm and ketchup – Petrina said it was rather tasty. Everything smelled delicious – I couldn’t wait to be hungry again to partake in more goodies!

Day 2:

So the next day we went on a free walking tour by NewEurope tours. I am so glad we did – it lasted about 3 ½ hours (including a break for lunch)  - and it gave us a great history and understanding of Prague. I really didn’t know much about the city before I came. I highly recommend seeking out this tour in any European city you visit – they are located in several. Our guide was a Scottish guy and was really amusing and kept my attention. He even informed us that at one time in Prague, beer was indeed cheaper than water! And it still holds true today. A glass of good beer only cost me about 31 czh korunas, which is about 1,15 euros! Not bad at all – the price or the taste!

views of Prague

After the tour, the sun finally came out and Petrina and I ventured up and up to Petrin Hill mostly because the name of the hill was basically her name and it would give us a lovely view of the city. It definitely did. 

Our walk up

The path up to the top of the hill was covered in beautiful autumn colored trees and you could see the golden city through pockets in the trees – so beautiful and rather peaceful. The roofs in Prague are mostly in a rusty orange color, so when the afternoon sun shines upon the city, it really does give off a golden hue. Plus, the gorgeous Prague castle shines in the sun and looks quite regal. The climb up was definitely worth it – the view of the city was stunning and it we somewhat escaped some of the tourists – thankfully!

Sunset

On our way down, the sun was beginning to set and the sky was filled with lovely pinks, blues, and purples mixed with the last golden rays on the sun. To really live up the Prague experience, we choose to walk across the ever so popular Charles Bridge. The view of the city from the bridge was stunning. The sunset of the river – the colors were both in the sky and the water.  Despite the fact that the Charles Bridge was jammed with people, artists, beggars, vendors, it was definitely worth the experience – we actually ended up passing on this bridge more than a couple of times  - I mean why not?!

On our way back into the city on our search for a good dinner joint, we ran across a shop selling scarves! One just simply caught my eye and I had to stop! I haggled with the shop owner and got her to reduce the price – I have to say, I rather enjoy haggling! So I bought a turquoise and gold scarf claimed to be made of cashmere and silk – I mean the tag looks real, I’ll just go with it haha – I rather like it!

 We settled on a rustic Italian restaurant called Tratoria by Giovanni.

*Sidenote- in Prague you could pretty much find any type of restaurant your heart desired – especially a lot of Thai food and Thai massages – quite strange! But I suppose it’s due to globalization and the massive influx of tourists in the recent years!*

It felt so good to sit down! We ordered a Caprese pizza and they made it to order in the wood burning fireplace. And I can’t have pizza without a good beer and I had to try this beer! Our tour guide told us that the Czechs drink more beer per person than any other country in Europe – even Germany!! Who knew! So I had to uphold their tradition right? Haha I ordered a light beer – Staropramen Lezäk. It was quite good and very refreshing and so cheap! The pizza was delish – lovely thin crust, and a good balance of mozzarella to basil and tomatoes. It hit the spot.

Ceiling of the Municipal House

So that night I had a ticket to see a classical concert in the gorgeous Art Nouveau theater – Municipal House. I was definitely in for a treat  - both visually and audibly! This concert hall was absolutely stunning  - the ceiling and walls were spectacular – everything was so intricately designed and a pleasure for the eyes. From the entry staircase to the stage. But the concept of a single line is lost in this country – trying to get in the concert was like a mosh pit – I survived despite my size! The concert lasted 2 hours long and was magnificent. I heard the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra perform 3 acts: Smeana’s My Country, Beethovan’s Piano concerto No. 2 B flat major, and Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 E minor From the New World.  Even though I went by myself, it was one of the best nights I had in Prague. So glad I was able to experience something so full of beauty for my senses! It only cost me about 30 euros too and I bought it that day and had a good seat!

Day 3:

Today, Petrina and I decided to check out some sights we learned about on the tour. So we headed up to this giant metronome that looms over the city. It was definitely not my favorite place at all. You could definitely feel the Soviet and Communist presence that ruled Prague for many years up there. It was really stark and lacked warmth.

Food at the BakeShop

To escape the ugly part of the city, we headed towards the Jewish Ghetto, where there are some gorgeous buildings and even a bizarre statue of Kakfa – quite fitting. 

Kakfa statue

We ate lunch at the BEST little restaurant – I want it to be my bakery when I grow up! It was called BAKESHOP and man was it cool! It was so cozy and inviting and the food was gorgeous!! I settled on a trio of prepared salads – couscous mixed with butternut squash and goat cheese. Mediterranean mix of tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and olives marinated in olive oil and balsamic. Beet salad that was a vibrant magenta color. And for dessert a massive apple croissant  - seriously it was huge! But I loved every morsel that I ate. Everything was full of flavor and tangy. I was inspired. And that apple croissant – oh my – I didn’t even get a picture because I ate it too fast. It was full of flakey buttery layers and inside was a compote of cinnamon apples perfectly caramelized. Oh it was good!  I loved this café and would so come there every week if I lived there. We actually meet some fellow Americans who are studying in Prague and they said it was their 3^rd time that week haha. All the warm drinks looked divine as did the breads – like rosemary and olive oil and cranberry pecan. Mmmm I am a foodie!

Prague Castle

From there we visited the Prague Castle. Whew, it was definitely a hike up there. It is situated at the top of the city and the street up was very steep. But it was worth the hike – rather exhilarating! I got to see the changing of the guards – very much like in England at Buckingham Palace – just not as grand. But when I think of a palace/ castle I picture ones in England and France, but this one was really different – lot of different buildings all in one central area. Quite a different experience. But my favorite thing was the Prague Cathedral – it was built in 820 and is still standing today. The stained glass inside was stunning – such vibrant color. And the façade was so full of intricate detail and lots of storytelling features. It’s amazing that people could build things like that back then!

Stained Glass inside Cathedral

That night we went to go see a production of Swan Lake. When we bought our tickets we got upgraded and so we were able to sit on the 3^rd row! Pretty cool! We sat next to a Canadian couple and Dutch couple. When they found out I was American, the political questions fired away. It was the day before the election and they wanted my opinion. Oh my, I was as diplomatic as possible – I never gave them my direct answer – just described the situation – seemed to placate their curiosity. But I found it amazing how much other countries know about our politics – very knowledgeable!

The performance was decent – the main ballerina was incredible, but let’s just say not the best performance I have seen. But still glad I got to see it in Prague – pretty remarkable if I say so myself! And afterwards, I enjoyed a Trdelnik – just so good!

Day 4:

Shopping day! Petrina and I went to the giant mall – Pallidium that was 5 stories high and had over 200 shops! It was huge!!

For a lunch break, we went back to the outdoor market and I got some Old Prague Ham. It was tasty. They roast it over a wood-burning grill and it was nice and tender.

Petrina's luxurious hot chocolate

My beef goulash with dumpings

Then for dinner, we went to the famous Café Louvre that was established in 1902 and Albert Einstein and Franz Kafka ate there! It was beautiful inside, however the wait staff was not. They were actually the rudest I have experienced. First he wouldn’t give us any tap water, then when we pulled out our water bottles, he told us no! So very different than America! Nevertheless, I had a delicious meal! I ordered a Czech traditional food. Beef Goulash with dumplings. Oh it was so good I wanted to lick the plate. The beef was incredibly tender and the dumplings were perfect for soaking up the delish goulash sauce. I am definitely going to have to make that when I return home.  Petrina had a luxurious hot chocolate that was extremely rich and even came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in it!

For dessert, we ventured back towards Old Town and I found a fabulous gelato place! I ordered 3 scoops thinking they would be normal size – but no, Giant! I ate the Entire portion- haha it’s gelato –it’s lighter! I got mixed berry, hazelnut, and dark chocolate. Oh it was good! Gelato is always my downfall and I’m not complaining!

So this concludes the end of my travels for now! I’m spending the last few days of my holiday in Poligny. I actually very much missed France while I was gone, which I think is a very good sign!

So thanks for reading this long post!

Til next time!