Prague: 15th - 19th

The scenic train trip from Berlin was a good indication of the beautiful city we were about to enter into. Dividing the city in half is a river which makes Prague all the more picturesque. We found the hostel ‘Prague’s Heaven’ with ease and it really was a great place to stay. The tiny place with only five rooms and a living area was more like an apartment. We were greeted by a cute little old lady who was constantly offering us tea and coffee whilst surprising us with free breakfast treats on a couple of the mornings. Upon arrival she went through the map of the city showing us the best sights/attractions and the easiest way to get there. We were blessed with our own room with a private bathroom (with a huge bath!) which made a nice change, blessed indeed. That evening we went for a walk and discovered a beautiful park with a walking trail that overlooked the city, along the path were historic buildings and walls that enclosed the area. Upon recommendation we found a local pub that served check cuisine at very cheap prices, Sarah literally got three meals on one plate and Joel’s and mine were not far behind; doggy bag please!

The following day we decided to do ‘The Ultimate Walking Tour’ which was a 6hr expedition. We met our guide at the famous St. Wenceslas Horse statue in New Town and spent the next few hours walking around exploring Prague and all its hidden treasures. The lady showing us around was hilarious with a very black sense of humor; she had lived in Prague her whole life and knew the city inside out. Some of her stories were a little farfetched, but that was part of the fun!

(We came across an amusing statue of the upside down horse)

(The building of the Check Crown)

(Old Town)

(Famous Astronomical Clock in Old Town)

After seeing the main attractions on the right side of the river we went on an hour boat cruise in which we enjoyed some complementary Mulled Wine, it was nice to get a different view of the city and the boat had heaters so we could warm our frozen toes, we were excited. After the little trip down the river we got off and went to a restaurant to enjoy our three course meal that was part of the deal, yummy.

After our lazy lunch we crossed the Charles Bridge to catch a tram to Prague Castle. We got to see the infamous changeover of the guards and toured around the castle grounds.

The church was very beautiful and was the house of the ‘Crowned Jewels’, apparently the only way you can enter the building is to have seven different keys that belong to seven different and extremely important people, that then have to meet up at the same time to unlock the door (Well that’s what our extravagant tour guide told us, guess you can believe her if you want to, good story).

After a long day this is where our tour came to an end, we got an amazing view of the entire city from the castle location and all in all it was definitely an ultimate tour.

That night Joel discovered a unique Beer Factory where you can sit down at a table and pour your own beers. It really was an interesting idea, and just to check which table was getting the most drunk, a tally came up on a projector screen to show how many beers had been poured at each table. You could also order meals and other types of drinks, so we were settled in for the evening.

The following day we went for a general look around Prague and did a bit of window shopping. There is a numerous selection of amazing glass and crystal shops that have some lovely pieces, if they were not so breakable I would have loved to bring some glasses and plates back home. The only purchase of the day were a pair of joggers as Sarah and I have decided that exercising is a great was of site seeing. That morning we had purchased tickets to see a Black Light Show, which in the pamphlet looked amazing. We were initially very excited, that was until we realized we had been conned into purchasing tickets to the completely wrong show. It appears that there are two imitation Black Light Theatres in Prague that are a complete waste of money and time, and we had tickets to one of them that was presenting a show called ‘Cats’. Oh my God…it was the worst thing I have ever seen, a primary school play would have been better. The stage was literally 2metres wide, the actors were terrible and the only thing they said was ‘Meow’ like a cat, and then they proceeded to use their hands to create cats and dance to a CD that was playing loudly in the background. Never ever will we get caught like that again, lesson learned that you always check the street address on the pamphlet before purchasing tickets to anything.

On our last day we split up and just went site seeing by ourselves. Sarah and I ended up shopping for souvenirs and clothes and enjoyed a lovely lunch in Old Town Square, and Joel went looking for new shoes and a suitcase to put extra things in (and I was worried I didn’t have a backpack, turns out my heavy suitcase isn’t so bad after all as it fits lots in it). We met up that night and found a tiny local restaurant near our hostel, where we got a cheap meal, not life changing but hit the spot.

Overall I thought Prague was a fantastic city and one that I would return to as there is just so much to see. I’m sure that some day trips to the country would be worthwhile as there are some great castles around. There was just a great feeling when you were in Prague, especially in the Old Town section of the city where cobble stone streets and little alley ways were great for exploring. This city definitely gets a big tick of approval. Next stop Vienna :)