Random weekend trip to Prague two weekends ago. Seeing as I flew in Saturday morning and out Monday noon I only had about a day an half to see the city. The part I was able to experience in that short time warrants a return trip to the city of 1,000 spires at some point in the future.
After arriving at the airport we took the bus and subway to the city center. I would recommend this route to a taxi because it only costs about $2 compared to the $30 a taxi would cost. Once in the center we checked in to our hotel and began exploring. Our first stop was the town square. Featuring numerous churches, The Astronomical Clock, Old Town Hall, and some excellent architecture from the 15th and 16th centuries. Time didn't permit exploring too many of the other buildings but it did provide a picturesque backdrop for lunch in the town square. The smell of the wood fired pork and sausage was too much to pass on. Old Prague Hame, some potato salad, and a Grolsch beer completed my lunch. A warning if you are going to eat in the town center, be prepared to pay. At nearly 20 US Dollars this was by far the most expensive meal of the weekend. After lunch we explored some more of the city included the old Jewish quarter which is home to the oldest synagogue in Europe. The guide book I borrowed for the weekend (Thanks Nate!) showed a beautiful moorish synagogue in the area, sadly I couldn't find it. The picture just below is in the town square.
After cleaning up at the hotel it was time for dinner and some more beers. Jamie, the guy I went with, found some good food and cheap beer at a few different places. The first stop after dinner was a local bar with young and old chain smoking and drinking. I was told that smoking indoors has been banned but is rarely enforced. No matter when a liter of beer costs $1.50! The next random stop was a salsa/meringue club which provided some excellent people watching as well as a fish tank full of red bellied piranha! The next stop turned out to be the final stop of the night because it was so much fun. "Beer Museum" is all the sign read. This rather unassuming street view opened up into a long, narrow bar with a garden in the back. With dark wood work and poorly light surroundings the bars main light came from spot lights above the 30 different draft beer handles! The menu, an appropriate 30 pages long, dedicated an entire page to describing each of the beers; all of which were being stored and served at their recommended temperatures. The best part, even in a beer snobs bar such as this, I think the most expensive liter was $5, with most costing only $2. Needless to say we both tried several varieties but after nearly 6 hours Jamie and I had to throw the towel in and head back to the hotel. We had a big day of sightseeing the next day which involved the town castle.
Praha Hrad or Prague Castle is apparently the worlds largest castle. I tend to think of castle as a single building but it is essentially a town behind walls and it is massive. We did the short tour, there is a long one, and spent nearly 3.5 hours on site. Mind you it was pouring rain so we weren't in a hurry to walk anywhere else. I guess my point is you can spend anywhere from 3 hours to a full day here without running out of things to see and do. My favorites were the Old Royal Palace and St. Vitus's Cathedral. The palace was neat because it had an indoor arena that could be used for jousting. The hall even included a long sloping staircase for the horses to use. Apparently this large halls is still used for the swearing in of every Czech head of state. The cathedral is interesting because it took nearly 600 years to complete, only being finished in the early 20th century. The stained glass windows are all done in an art deco style with a one in particular (shown below) having been done by a famous Czech artist of the 1930s. Check out more of the photos on Flickr. The Charles bridge is a famous Prague site too. It is worth a visit but is definitely overrun by tourists. Avoid the crowds and junk vendors by going early to enjoy the bridge in peace.
After the previous nights success at the Beer Museum we couldn't help but return again. This time we decided to drink .3 or .5 liters so we could try more types on this occasion which combined with the fact it was a Sunday meant things were more tame. It was a great end to a fast, history filled, two days in the best preserved European Capital.
After arriving at the airport we took the bus and subway to the city center. I would recommend this route to a taxi because it only costs about $2 compared to the $30 a taxi would cost. Once in the center we checked in to our hotel and began exploring. Our first stop was the town square. Featuring numerous churches, The Astronomical Clock, Old Town Hall, and some excellent architecture from the 15th and 16th centuries. Time didn't permit exploring too many of the other buildings but it did provide a picturesque backdrop for lunch in the town square. The smell of the wood fired pork and sausage was too much to pass on. Old Prague Hame, some potato salad, and a Grolsch beer completed my lunch. A warning if you are going to eat in the town center, be prepared to pay. At nearly 20 US Dollars this was by far the most expensive meal of the weekend. After lunch we explored some more of the city included the old Jewish quarter which is home to the oldest synagogue in Europe. The guide book I borrowed for the weekend (Thanks Nate!) showed a beautiful moorish synagogue in the area, sadly I couldn't find it. The picture just below is in the town square.
After cleaning up at the hotel it was time for dinner and some more beers. Jamie, the guy I went with, found some good food and cheap beer at a few different places. The first stop after dinner was a local bar with young and old chain smoking and drinking. I was told that smoking indoors has been banned but is rarely enforced. No matter when a liter of beer costs $1.50! The next random stop was a salsa/meringue club which provided some excellent people watching as well as a fish tank full of red bellied piranha! The next stop turned out to be the final stop of the night because it was so much fun. "Beer Museum" is all the sign read. This rather unassuming street view opened up into a long, narrow bar with a garden in the back. With dark wood work and poorly light surroundings the bars main light came from spot lights above the 30 different draft beer handles! The menu, an appropriate 30 pages long, dedicated an entire page to describing each of the beers; all of which were being stored and served at their recommended temperatures. The best part, even in a beer snobs bar such as this, I think the most expensive liter was $5, with most costing only $2. Needless to say we both tried several varieties but after nearly 6 hours Jamie and I had to throw the towel in and head back to the hotel. We had a big day of sightseeing the next day which involved the town castle.
Praha Hrad or Prague Castle is apparently the worlds largest castle. I tend to think of castle as a single building but it is essentially a town behind walls and it is massive. We did the short tour, there is a long one, and spent nearly 3.5 hours on site. Mind you it was pouring rain so we weren't in a hurry to walk anywhere else. I guess my point is you can spend anywhere from 3 hours to a full day here without running out of things to see and do. My favorites were the Old Royal Palace and St. Vitus's Cathedral. The palace was neat because it had an indoor arena that could be used for jousting. The hall even included a long sloping staircase for the horses to use. Apparently this large halls is still used for the swearing in of every Czech head of state. The cathedral is interesting because it took nearly 600 years to complete, only being finished in the early 20th century. The stained glass windows are all done in an art deco style with a one in particular (shown below) having been done by a famous Czech artist of the 1930s. Check out more of the photos on Flickr. The Charles bridge is a famous Prague site too. It is worth a visit but is definitely overrun by tourists. Avoid the crowds and junk vendors by going early to enjoy the bridge in peace.
After the previous nights success at the Beer Museum we couldn't help but return again. This time we decided to drink .3 or .5 liters so we could try more types on this occasion which combined with the fact it was a Sunday meant things were more tame. It was a great end to a fast, history filled, two days in the best preserved European Capital.
Why aren't there any books at the Prague library?
ReplyDeleteThey're all "czeched" out!
Heyyyyy-ooooooo!!!
Your witty humor never disappoints Matt!
ReplyDelete