A weekend in Prague

We decided to escape everyday life for a few days and went to Prague. A perfect city for a weekend trip, just the right size and distance. In just three days in the city we managed to do everything from tourist traps to endless coffee breaks and many steps. In this post you can read about what the old town of Prague has to offer. Here you can read about our visit to Prague Castle and the here you can read about the exciting things we found in the Malá Strana (Lesser Town) area.

Prague's most famous site is probably the Charles Bridge, which crosses the Vltava River and connects the Old Town with Malá Strana. The bridge was built in 1357 during the reign of Charles IV, hence the name, but has been rebuilt and renovated several times. The 30 statues of saints placed along the bridge, for example, were only added in the 17th and 18th centuries. If you want to take a closer look at all these statues and perhaps rub one of them for good luck and prosperity, it is recommended that you get out early in the morning. As the day progresses, the bridge is filled with more and more tourists. A tip is also to go down to the shoreline in the evening to look at the beautiful bridge. The picture you see at the top of the page was taken on the way back to the hotel one of the evenings.

When you get tired of the bridge, head down to the Old Town Square to see the grand buildings and the astronomical clock. Every hour the doors above the clock are opened and the twelve apostles are paraded in front of curious tourists. Even the clock itself with its special dials is worth seeing. If you are in the neighbourhood, you can also visit the Klementinum, a collection of buildings including a monastery, the astronomical tower where you have a nice view of the old town, and a library that would make Harry Potter jealous. I was most curious about the library but had heard that there is an equally beautiful and less visited library up at Prague Castle, so we went there instead.

As we walked around the tourist district we saw people everywhere munching on a strange cinnamon roll filled with ice cream, we had to try this. Chimney cake or trdelnik is like a luxurious stick bread grilled on a charcoal grill and then rolled in cinnamon and sugar. The toppings vary, but usually the bread chimney is filled with chocolate and ice cream or cream and topped with berries. Top or flop? Maybe we chose the wrong trinket seller, there are a bunch to choose from, but none of us were particularly impressed. Our tip is therefore to skip the tourist trap and visit one of the fine patisseries instead, preferably a bit away from the main tourist streets, here you can find really yummy cakes.

Just north of the tourist quarters you will find St Cyril and Methodius Church, also known as Paratroopers Church. The church itself is not particularly remarkable but its history is intriguing. Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík, two resistance fighters who assassinated the high-ranking Nazi, Reinhard HeydrichI in 1942, hid here. Together with five other resistance fighters also involved in the operation, they took refuge in the basement of the church but were later betrayed and the church was besieged by the Germans. In an attempt to kill or capture the men, the entire cellar was filled with water. There are still traces of the struggle to escape the water, which unfortunately resulted in the deaths of all the men. These seven men are considered to have played a crucial role in the history of the Second World War and it was clear that they were celebrated as heroes here in Prague.

Somewhat taken by this amazing story, we went up to ground level in search of something drinkable. Of course you should drink beer in the Czech Republic, but if you're not a beer drinker, you'll have to see what else there is to try. We found a bar that sold Czech sekt. Sekt is usually associated with Germany and Austria, but Bohemia also produces Sekt. We found a variety that was made according to the traditional method, ie in the same way as champagne. Very good!

Before we went to Prague, I had read about all the underground tunnels and labs hidden under the city. I was really curious when I read about this but had not really had time to look further. That's why it was so fun that on the last morning before travelling home we stumbled upon Speculum Alchemiae, an alchemy museum located in the Jewish Quarter just north of the Old Town. Underneath the old house that houses the museum is a staircase down to an underground lab from the 16th century. It is said to have belonged to the then King Rudolf II. The lab was only discovered in 2002 when the old neighbourhood was cleaned up and restored after the great flood that hit Prague that year. Some of the items on display down in the old labs are replicas of the old furnishings but some are original, such as some of the glass bottles and utensils. In addition, there is actually a bottle of old brew left up in the museum. Its contents were carefully analysed when the bottle was found and, together with old recipes, they have managed to recreate this brew and also some other brews that were believed to have almost magical powers. In the shop next to the museum, you can buy brews based on the old recipes, except for the now illegal ingredients. There were no magic potions for us, but it was an exciting morning anyway.

So we found a lot of interesting things to see and do in Prague's tourist areas. In future posts, we'll tell you more about what to experience in this beautiful city.