Ask someone who has never been to Europe to describe it, he will come up with something close to Prague: magnificent churches, medieval cobble-stone streets that are mere alleys for Americans, friendly waiting staff with strange accents offering interesting but not strange foods, sculptures wherever you turn your head, classic music concerts every night, and, of course, lots of drinking. We were half-drunk on top of the Hotel U Prince at the Old Town Square, Prague castle lit up across the river, Cathedrals touching the night sky. Isn’t this the picturesque postcard Europe?
Confused at the center of the Old Town Square, you wondered how you got back here. Didn’t you enter that street, turned right toward the Jewish Town, and headed to the bridge? How did you come back here? Determined to find your destination, you headed the direction that must be right. Quickly, house signs (they did not use street number then, have a sculpture or picture instead), shops, coffee/beer breaks distracted you. It does not matter, getting lost seems to be exactly how Prague is supposed to be about. Buildings are all connected on the street side. They frequently form a cloister inside that has long been converted into restaurants, shops, or an exhibition hall. There seems to be endless places to explore and experience. You’ll eventually found the Old Town Square back.
A more organized tour is required for the castle district. Olga, our special tour guide, took us inside the centuries-old library. What an intense emotion to be surrounded by thousands of books, all 5 to 6 hundred years old, lined up all the way to the ceiling. I was afraid of breathing too hard on those pages and definitively blown away by the paintings on the ceiling. Next days, we walked back to Charles Bridge and appreciated the sculptures slowly and came back 4 hours later.
Goulash is beef stew with potato gnocchi (nee-O-kee). Roast pork knee is a big hunk of meat, bone inside and skin outside, roasted tender and a bit chewy for a good appetite. Local beers, only 3 or 4 brands, are good. I like dark ones, but light ones is flavorful too. Grand Hotel Cafe, 2nd floor, has the best view to the clock. Franz Kafka Museum, Castle district, houses an excellent river-side restaurant, Hergetova Cihelna, underneath. Municipal House has two very good restaurants inside: try the cheaper one on the left first.
If you buy more the 2000 KC (Czech money) at a store, ask for a tax-reimbursement form. Take the form to the airport and get roughly 10% back of your money, in USD or Euro if you wish. So it pays to plan your shopping.
Click Don Giovanni above for Flickr photos. I have another link to an experimental photo album too.
