UNESCO World Heritage Site #8 on this tour
Golden Prague. The City of 1000 Spires. This was our ultimate destination -- THE reason we chose Central Europe for our vacation spot. As told by numerous friends who had visited Prague in the past, it was the supreme romantic getaway, with all its medieval towers, town squares, and the largest castle complex in the world embraced by the winding Vltava. Spending a few days surrounded by all this jaw-dropping beauty and history should be a highlight of any trip to Central Europe. And so, we left Cesky Krumlov for Prague, with very high expectations.
The Sights:
It was late afternoon when we arrived at the Powder Tower, the starting point of our entrance to the Old Town Square. Cars and trams passed underneath this 15th century building, which established a commanding presence while its 19th century neighbours paled in comparison.
The Old Town Square was as impressive as the postcard pictures, with its renaissance facades dominated by the Gothic skyline of the Tyn Church and the Town Hall. We would have sat down at one of the cafes on the square, but it was dinner time and we opted for pork knee and rabbit at Staromacek (see Food section below).
One of the main attractions of the Old Town Square is the Astronomical Clock, a very complex machine that tells the
time (Duh!), the month, the sun's movement through the 12 zodiac, among other things I can't remember how to read off the clock. But for most tourists, the exciting part is to see the statues of the 12 apostles parade behind the little window when the clock strikes at the hour. We waited for it to strike at 19:00, and it took hardly 15 seconds for the apostles to make their way past the little window.
After sunset we walked towards Charles Bridge, a bottleneck where tourists from all sides merged, and it started to get very congested. The Bridge Tower was beautiful at night, but taking this picture of it took minutes of waiting for crowds to pass.
And the bridge itself was of course even more crowded, and it seemed as if the whole world was gathering there. It's a charming old stone bridge lined with statues and flanked by beautiful Gothic spires on both sides, but when you're surrounded by large crowds and forced to walk ahead without stopping and have to watch out for pickpockets at the same time, it's not quite easy to maintain a romantic mood. I don't want to detract anything from the scenery, as the view here was nothing less than spectacular. It was just ... crowded.
Then came fireworks on the south side. Oh great...even more crowds.
We finally got away from the bulk of the crowds, walking back to the East bank of the Vltava. The sun had now been fully set and the Prague Castle was illuminated in all its glory. See, Prague was still amazingly beautiful, as long as we escaped from the most crowded areas.
The next morning we visited the Castle, which was a huge complex of mostly Baroque buildings surrounding a Gothic jewel at its centre -- the Cathedral of St. Vitus. It seemed all Gothic architecture in Prague was covered by black soot, which makes me wonder...how does Milan keep its Cathedral gleaming white?
It happened to be the birthday of the Archbishop, meaning the St. Vitus was closed to the public for the morning and would re-open at 14:00. We were so glad the guards spoke fluent English. The crowds started to really accumulate around 10:00.
We came back at 14:30 saw an unwelcomed spectacle for the first time on this trip -- a huge long queue stretching an entire block around the Cathedral. French, Spanish, Korean, Chinese and scores of other languages could be heard while waiting in the 45 minute line-up. Prague was announcing its arrival as a truly world class destination. Sigh...
The interior was tall, solemn and dark. My favorite part was this incredible Art Nouveau stained glass window that didn't really blend in with the rest of the cathedral. It was the masterpiece of the master, Alfonse Mucha. This alone was worth the 45 minute wait.
We climbed the 200-plus-steps to the top of bell tower for a panoramic view of the city. It was a sea of red rooftiles, from which one can easily pick out the Gothic landmarks of the Charles Bridge Towers and the Tyn Church.
We also reluctantly purchased the ticket to the Castle Short-tour (CZK250 at the time), since the only sight was really wanted to see was the Golden Lane. Some may say that it's a rip-off to even pay for entrance to a shopping arcade, but we found the amusing little houses and the exhibition of medieval armours to be the most entertaining part of the castle.
The Old Royal Palace was a bit of a disappointment, as the only notable remaining feature was the ornate cross-ribbed vaulted roof.
After lunch we walked down to the Malostrana district and visited the St. Nicholas, one of Prague's famous Baroque landmarks.
Elegant statues surround the altar, though it was pretty hard to match the extravagance of the Budapest's St. Matyas and Stift Melk's chapel which we visited only a few days ago.
The sun was scorching by the time we reached the Wallenstein Palace and its gardens, and we didn't stay for long despite some sort of open-air Jazz concert being held there. We decided to spend the hottest hours in the most efficient manner -- we headed back to our apartment for a wonderful afternoon nap.
Prague is also famous for the best preserved historical Jewish community in Europe, ironically thanks to Hitler's plan to establish a "Museum of an Extinct Race." The Old-New Synagogue was the essential Jewish sight.
The beauty of the city could be found not only in its famous tourist attractions, as striking Neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau architecture seemed to surround us wherever we went.
Then there's the unique "Fred and Ginger" building. I pondered heading to the bar at the top for a drink, but ended up going to Pivovarsky Dum for its micro-brewed beer and pork knees (surprise surprise!) instead.
For souvenirs, we found the best prices at the open-air Havelska Market...well, best for Prague anyway. Prices at small towns such as Telc and Karlstejn were even cheaper.
At the end, we're still not sure if Prague had lived up to all that we dreamt of it to be. It is still an amazingly beautiful city, with the timeless Gothic spires making it a one-of-a-kind world class destination. But as far as being a romantic getaway goes, it is simply suffocated by its own popularity. Or perhaps, we're simply ten years too late.
The Food:
As I mentioned in my earlier blog entries, I had 5 pork knees during my 5 night stay in the Czech Republic, and 3 of them were in Prague. Here we go!
U Vejvodu
Jilska 4, Praha 1
http://www.restauraceuvejvodu.cz
This is a traditional pub/restaurant located about halfway between the Charles Bridge and the Wenceslas Square. Pilsner Urquell 0.5L for CZK29 (CAD$1.6) and a whole pork knee roasted in dark beer for CZK245 (CAD$13.5) were enough reason for us to put this place on our must-try list.
And it turned out pretty good. There seemed to be a wide selection of entrees cooked with beer, and so that's what we decided. This was my wife's beef goulash in Pilsner Urquell. Honestly I didn't taste much beer in the sauce, but it was very good nonetheless.
With a Bang! came the grand entrance for my dish, which technically wasn't a dish since it came in this torture-device of a serving platter. The dark beer marinate gave it great flavors, though the skin wasn't as crispy as I wished for. Still, this was probably the best pork knee I had outside of Cesky Krumlov.
Even the aftermath looked like it came out of a medieval torture chamber.
Pivovarsky Dum
Lipova 15, Praha 1
http://www.gastroinfo.cz/pivodum/index-a.html
I had my fourth Czech pork knee at Pivovarsky Dum, a rather famous microbrewery restaurant located in the New Town, just a couple blocks from Karlovo Namesti. The skin was a little soft and the marinate was too weak for my taste, but still good enough to be enjoyable. Pricing was CZK195 (CAD$11) per kilogram.
My wife had the Maltster's Rabbit, served in a rich savory sauce reduced from its own microbrewed dark beer. This was better than the pork knee, but not as excellent as the rabbit as Staromacek. CZK165 (CAD$9).
I guess this place is really about the beer, not the food. They had beers in many flavors we were too timid to try -- banana beer, sour cherry beer, beer champagne etc -- and we stayed with dark and mixed (light mixed with dark) lagers. CZK35 (CAD$2) for 0.5L.
Staromacek
Dlouha 4, Praha 1
http://www.pragueexperience.com/places.asp?PlaceID=353
There was this place right next to the Old Town Square where all of our food was excellent...except my pork knee! With its excellent location, Staromacek was extremely packed on Friday evening, and we were lucky just to grab the last availalble table.
We had an excellent soup, in deed my favorite soup on this trip -- a wonderfully cream of asparagus. It was rich, extremely creamy, but not too rich to overpower the delicate asparagus flavor. CZK30 (CAD$1.6).
My wife had one of her favorite dishes of the trip -- two perfectly broiled quarter rabbits in a tangy garlic glaze. It was so aromatic and savory and was certainly the best dish we had in Prague. CZK180 (CAD$10).
I wish my pork knee was that good...this was probably the most flavorless of the five pork knees I had. Oh well, I guess that's what horse radish is for... Price was CZK200 (CAD$11).
The beer was good though! Especially the dark Velkopopovicky Kozel, which I can hardly pronouce. A little on the expensive side though (for Prague) at CZK50 (CAD$2.8) for a half litre.
Baracnicka Rychta
Trziste 23, Praha 1
http://www.baracnickarychta.cz
We had only one meal on the other side of the river, in the Malostrana district under the Castle. Incidentally this was our only proper meal in Prague without a pork knee. Baracnicka Rychta was tucked away on a little dead-end street, and we would have no chance finding it if we weren't so determined to try the "goose liver" on its menu.
It was "goose liver" in parentheses, since it was nothing like the heavenly melt-in-your-mouth foie gras we had in Budapest! Instead it almost tasted like chicken liver, and served with a fried apple in a berry sauce. Nothing too fancy, but no complaints for a measly CZK76 (CAD$4.3).
My wife's roasted goose was much better. It was plump and juicy, though not as excellently flavorful as the duck we had in Cesky Krumlov. Not bad for about CZK250 (CAD$14).
I had these pork ribs, basted with a fruity sauce and nicely broiled. Though it was a little too fatty for my taste buds. CZK200 (CAD$11).
Transportation:
There are two major train stations (Praha hl.n. and Praha Holesovice), both served by the Metro Line C. We didn't arrive by train though, as our bus from Cesky Krumlov arrived at the suburban bus station of Roztyly. Like the bigger long distance bus stations at Florenc and Holesovice, Roztyly is served by Metro Line C.
Prague has a very user-friendly public transit system, particular due to its extensive tram network running all over town. There are also three Metro lines, but the trains are deep, deep underground and it takes 10 minutes just to get to the platform and back. As a result we opted for trams most of the time. Our 3-day pass cost CZK220 (CAD$12) and covered everything from the Metro to trams to buses and even the funicular at Petrin Hill.
Our landlord highly recommended Tram 22/23, which takes a winding route through the New Town, crosses the Vltava to the Malostrana side, then leads right to the Castle's back door! This certainly beats the Metro and the subsequent long uphill walk to the Castle.
However neither the Metro nor the tram network serves the Ruzyne airport. To reach the airport there are the more expensive options of Airport Shuttles and Express Buses, but we opted for the cheapest way -- taking Bus 119 from the Dejvicka Metro station.
Accommodation:
We stayed in a 19th-century private apartment on Sazavska street, just two blocks from Namesti Miru, and cost only 39 Euros per night in high season 2007. Nothing fancy, but it was clean and had the basic amenities of a private bathroom, TV, an electric stove and kitchen utensils, and could sleep up to four with the sofa bed. It's a five minute walk from the Metro station, and the stop for Tram 22/23 was almost outside the door. There's even a 24-hour supermarket across the street.
I can't give out the private email address of the owner here, but if you're interested, send me an email or leave me a comment below.
Our Ideas for Day Trips
1) We chose the small town of Karlstejn, famous for its picture-perfect castle and only 40 minutes away from Prague by train. To see the castle interior one must join one of the two official tours, but the one tour we were interested in (ie. the Holy Cross Chapel) wasn't available on the date of our visit, and so we only planned on walking to the castle courtyard and snapping a few pictures.
It may sound crazy, but we chose Karlstejn partially for its souvenir shopping. My wife bought some crystal jewelery, while I finally found myself an Alfonse Mucha tea cup set on the second-to-last day of our trip.
Turned out we spent too much time shopping in the village and the courtyard closed at 17:00. We did get to the bottom of the tower for a few pics though. All that uphill hike to the castle for nothing. Oh well, time for a beer!
2) We had a hard time deciding between Karlstejn and Kutna Hora, a UNESCO World Heritage site an hour away from Prague by train. The World Heritage is awarded for the architectural masterpieces of the St Barbara Church and the Cathedral of Our Lady. However most tourists come here for its quaint "Bone Church" adorned with the remains of 80,000 people.
3) The medieval castles of Krivoklat and Konopiste are also within two hours of train ride from Prague. We could have combined Krivoklat with Karlstejn for our day trip, but we went to the Jewish Quarter instead that morning.
4) Karlovy Vary, aka Carlsbad, is about two hours away by bus or train. It is a famous spa town with beautiful 19th Century architecture, and much of Casino Royale was shot there. We already had our hotspring dip at Budapest though and gave this one a pass.
5) Those with a very rushed itinerary may choose Cesky Krumlov or Telc as a day trip destination. These are world class destinations in themselves, but we think 6-plus hours of transportation in a day trip is really pushing it. See our Cesky Krumlov and Telc pages for details.
Miscellaneous Comments:
We found some excellent yogurt in Prague -- extremely smooth and creamy and nothing like the watery stuff we get in North American supermarkets. We quickly became addicted and had to get our dose of Dobra Mama ("good mother") everyday!
I couldn't leave the Czech Republic without buying some prints of my favorite artist Alfonse Mucha. I bought myself this tea cup set, a set of four mini-poster prints ("Times of the Day"), and a half-poster size book of his most famous posters and decorative panels. No bargain pricing for these hot seller items (I got my posters and the book at the airport!), but definitely worth it.
Links:
Public Transportation in Prague - http://www.mhdpraha.cz/en/
Train and Bus Schedules - http://idos.cz/ConnForm.asp?tt=X&cl=E5
Prague Castle - http://www.hrad.cz
St Nicholas Church - http://www.psalterium.cz/
Jewish Museum - http://www.jewishmuseum.cz
Strahov Monestery - http://www.strahovskyklaster.cz/
Prague Loreta - http://www.loreta.cz
Opera and Theatre Tickets - http://www.bohemiaticket.cz
Prague Spring (music festival) - http://www.festival.cz
Other Restaurants We Didn't Try -
http://www.usadlu.cz
http://www.uprovaznice.cz/
http://www.uceskychpanu.cz/
http://www.npivovar.cz/
http://www.svabove.cz
http://ukroka.vokpok.cz/
Other Cheap Accommodations (double room with private bathroom) -
http://www.praguecheapflats.com
http://www.pension15.cz
http://www.praguecityhostel.cz
http://www.applehostel.cz/
http://www.davids.cz
http://www.prague-apartment.com
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