Prague, Czech Republic

Greetings! I know it's a little late, but this blog is about my recent trip to Prague with a few friends both new and old. I was joined by Hayley and her two friends from home, Nikki and Liam. To spice things up a bit, I'm going to try and make this an educational post. We'll see how it goes.

Photographs from Prague can be seen by visiting the following link: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bbergey/Prague#

Our journey began in the early hours of the morning on Saturday the 29th of November. We woke from our B&B a few miles from Gatwick airport and caught a taxi to the terminal where we checked in at 5:30am. Gatwick is the world's 25th busiest airport and just celebrated it's 50th anniversary this year after Queen Elizabeth II opened the airport in June of 1958. After passing through security, we enjoyed a hearty English breakfast at a Wetherspoons pub. Especially impressive was my hot chocolate, loaded high with whipped cream and mini marshmallows.

Our EasyJet flight to Prague took approximately two hours. Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Its official name is Hlavní město Praha, meaning Prague, the Capital City. Situated on the River Vltava in central Bohemia, Prague has been the political, cultural, and economic centre of the Czech state for more than 1100 years. The city itself is home to more than 1.2 million people and is traditionally one of the most cultural centers of Europe. Although it did receive decent damage from World War II, it was relatively untouched compared to neighboring European areas. Upon arriving in Prague, perhaps the most immediate difference we noticed was the currency. Having not yet adapted the Euro, the Czech Crown has no cents. A one crown coin is worth virtually nothing in our countries, but the 2000 crown note is worth approximately 135pounds. It took a good day to get used to the currency and how much we were actually spending.

Prague is one of the easiest and most hospitable places I have visited so far. It was extremely easy to find our bus that took us to the Metro (underground) line that took us a couple blocks from our Hostel in central Prague. Further, whenever we spoke English, no one ever stuck up their nose or gave an attitude. Instead they willingly assisted us with what we needed, usually with a smile and friendly gestures. As we explored the city, we noticed how amazingly clean and well preserved everything was. Slightly reminiscent of Rome, you could wander the streets for hours and never see the same thing twice; constantly being amazed at what you were seeing. Definitely a place more deserving than only a two nights stay.

Across from our hostel was a lovely Italian restaurant where we enjoyed some lunch. It may seem odd that we chose an Italian establishment, but I can assure you Italy is much closer to Prague than the US or UK and my "Lumberjack" fresh pasta was delicious! Our hostel was located a 2 minutes walk from the Old Town Square, the main hub of the entire city and an oasis for those wearied by Prague's narrow streets. The square is surrounded by many architectural styles including the gothic Týn Cathedral and the baroque St. Nicholas Church. The square was also bustling with tourists and locals visiting it's huge Christmas Market which offered a number booths with local crafts, food and hot mulled wine. We explored the Christmas market and I had my first taste at what I have named a Turtle. These soft, sweet pieces of rolled dough are actually called Trdlo, but not knowing how to pronounce the word I opted for an easier version. They are made by rolling sweet dough into a long pretzel-like string, wrapped around a metal ring and then dunked in sugar. The rings are then placed on a rotating rotisserie over a fire. After a few minutes, the dough is slid off the rings and served warm when you tear pieces of the delicately soft, warm dough off and eat them. A true delicatessen that I enjoyed far too many times during our trip.

Our first visit was to the Astronomical Clock and Tower, near the center of the square. The clock is composed of three main components: the astronomical dial, representing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; "The Walk of the Apostles", a clockwork hourly show of figures of the Apostles and other moving sculptures; and a calendar dial with medallions representing the months. For a small fee, you are able to climb to the top of the tower offering magnificent views of Prague from above. Take notice of these photographs in my gallery.

Since it was now late afternoon and we had already been up for too many hours, we decided to head back to the hostel for some rest before heading out that night. Nikki, Hayley and I joined some other annoying Americans (as always) in the common room where we watched a highly thought-provoking film. The name of the film has slipped my mind, but it involved a few horrible actors dancing in a stereotypical teen movie where the guy gets the girl and the girl wins a dance competition. While Nikki and Liam took a nap, Hayley and I decided to explore the area a bit more and get some dinner in the Christmas market. We both enjoyed some wonderfully prepared mulled wine and a chicken shish kabob. We then went back to the hostel to freshen up before embarking on our pub crawl for the evening.

As with most big European cities, Prague is well-known for it's vibrant nightlife. Traveling by myself, I usually don't take advantage of what European cities have to offer at night, but this trip was different. I was joined by three others, all anxious for a good night out, and that is what we had. We joined the organized pub crawl and went to our first pub. It was here we enjoyed unlimited drinks and a shot of Absinthe. Banned almost everywhere in the early 1900's due to it's high volume of alcohol, Absinthe saw a revival in many European countries within the last couple decades. It tastes utterly disgusting and similar to black licorice, but everyone has to try it once.

We then continued to our 2nd pub, which was much more like a club. We visited with other members of the tour and even got a few dance moves in before heading to our final destination for the evening. Meanwhile, our hosts continually carried around bottles of orange vodka for us to try. The third pub/club was a very unique venue covering three floors, each with it's own atmosphere. We decided to perch on the top floor which was most like a traditional Czech pub. We did occasionally venture to the other floors where we enjoyed some dancing and extremely sketchy bathroom behavior. At some point during the evening, I walked Nikki back to the hostel and then returned to the pub. The rest of us all made it home at different times and I'm afraid to say they were all too late in the morning. However, an excellent time was had by all and it will definitely go down as one of the best nights any of us have had out on the town.

The next morning was a bit rough, but we all got up at a decent time in the morning, took showers, and headed to a Chinese establishment two doors down from our hostel for some early lunch. I enjoyed some excellent sweet corn and egg soup and sweet and sour chicken. We then decided to make our way across the Vltava river to Prague castle atop the hill overlooking the metropolis. The Charles Bridge is the most well-known and popular crossing of the river. Constructed in 1357, the bridge is 516 meters long and nearly 10 meters wide. It is protected by three bridge towers, one of which is often considered to be one of the most astonishing civil gothic-style buildings in the world. The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, erected around 1700. It was a truly fascinating place and offered many excellent views of the the waterfront and the castle above.

We then meandered the streets on the other side of the river, slowly gaining elevation before arriving at the castle. The Prague castle is one of the largest castles in the world and stretches back to around 870BC. The castle includes the gothic St Vitus Cathedral, romanesque Basilica of St. George, a monastery and several palaces, gardens and defence towers. Due to the frigid temperatures that never exceeded 0 Celsius, and a long queue, we decided not to enter the castle but did spend some time exploring the area, enjoying the view from the castle walls and taking many photographs. On our way back from the castle, we stopped for a late lunch where I enjoyed some traditional Czech beef goulash with potato bread pancakes. It was interesting nonetheless, and was topped off with yet another Turtle from the market. On our way back toward the hostel, we did some shopping at some of the many shops and markets in the area and then dropped Nikki off at the hostel for some rest. Meanwhile, Liam, Hayley and I wondered into an old pub where I enjoyed some espresso and they enjoyed a pint of fine Czech beer.

Czechs drink more beer than any other country in the world, an average of 338 pints per person per year. With that said, it's not hard to find a lovely traditional pub with long wooden tables where you can join some locals for a pint of wonderful beer that costs the equivalent of about 1pound. Even the KFC's in Prague serve beer. Although Prague is getting more touristy, and therefore it's prices increasing, beer can still be found very cheap. After a drink and further exploring nearby streets, we decided to stop for some dinner at a Czech restaurant. I ordered a delicately prepared roast duck served with homemade sauerkraut and potato dumplings. It was absolutely wonderful and the first time I've ever eaten a considerable amount of duck. Potato dumplings/potato bread pancakes are very hard to describe. It looks like bread but it's far too dense and thick. However, it's not a potato because it's too breadlike. All I have to say is that not even I could finish all of them because they are too thick and a little bland. The four of us then enjoyed a couple drinks in our local favorite pub beside the hostel and finished the night sipping some mulled wine outside in the square. A perfect finish to a great trip.

The next morning we were up early again to catch the metro and then bus to the airport where we caught our mid-morning flight back to Gatwick and the busy, crowded and less-polite city of London. As always, the highlights of the trip involved good people, great food and endless exploring of yet another beautiful European city. I hope you have enjoyed this slightly education and hopefully not-too-boring depiction of my trip to the Czech Republic.