Prague………Wow!

Pozdravy z Prahy, Greetings from Prague. This is my first of 2 blogs from the Czech Republic.  We arrived here in Prague a couple days ago from Krakow Poland. Had a great trip down. We traveled on a nice coach bus from Krakow to just inside the Czech border. From there we jumped on a train (Leo Express) for the remaining 3 hours. Fantastic train I might add, just sat back, drank tea (several of them) and watched the Czech countryside whiz by. I was really taken back by how beautiful it is. Some parts were rolling hills and farms, other areas was lush green forest and rivers.  Great scenery ending in one of the worlds great cities and one I have always wanted to visit…….Prague (Praha).

From the moment you pull into this city you know you’re somewhere special. We get off the train and load onto a tram which stops a minute from our hotel, the Adler hotel. www.hoteladler.cz . Although the rooms are not huge by any means (they rarely are in Europe), it is very nice here. My windows open to a central courtyard filled with trees.  We check in, freshen up and then all meet back in the lobby for an introductory guided walk of  the area.

I have always had high hopes for Prague and I can say with 100% assurance that my expectations were exceeded……by a lot! The architecture here is just phenomenal. The old town area is protected by UNESCO so nothing can be changed. The can only continually restore the facades to their original  design and what a blessing to the eye that is. Each building different yet of equally beauty as if one was trying to outdo the other.

We stop at several different locations before making our way to the Astronomical Clock in Old Town Square. One of the cities greatest treasures, it is well over 600 years old and back in the middle ages was considered one of the wonders of the world.  A lot of it is under restoration but the clock itself is still visible. From there we head to one of Prague’s best known gems, the Charles Bridge. Completed in 1402, it was built to replace the Judith bridge that was badly damaged in floods in 1342. Built out of sandstone blocks, it is lined with 30 statues of saints. This is a must see but I strongly urge you to either come mid week or if you’re here on a week end, go very early in the morning. Given that it’s one of the great locations in one of the worlds great cities, it is literally packed with tourists trying to get their shots. When I say packed, I actually meant it. It was elbow to elbow. We decided to not even try to cross it as it was friday night and it was just a gong show. We formed a plan to head over there early morning. We then headed back to the hotel, and then on for a nice supper to cap off the first evening here.

The next morning we headed back to Charles Bridge at 9 am. It was already getting busy so I would recommend going at 7 if you can. We walk across in awe of the the absolute beauty but as if  the bridge alone wasn’t enough, it actually faces the jaw dropping skyline of the old town. That is the most photographed spot in Prague and you can see for yourself in my pics as well. I simply could not get enough of that view and have since gone back numerous times just to stand there and stare. Going back one last time after I finish writing this. If you think it can get any better than that view, try seeing it at night. Astounding!

After doing the bridge and a few stops to learn about the history of this and that, we head up to Prague Castle. This is actually one of the largest complexes in the world and is made up of palaces, offices, Churches/Basilicas, gardens and many many picturesque spots. It’s a hike up a hill to get there but boy is it worth it. The views of the city from the castle grounds is second to none. The castle is so large with so many things to see, we all ended up going separate ways to see what interested us the most. I checked out the St Vitus’ Basilica first. Some of you may think it’s strange I visit so many Cathedrals when in Europe but I assure you, its for the architecture. The shear size yet attention to every little detail in these cathedrals is just phenomenal. Given they are hundreds and hundreds of years old and engineering has come such a long way since then, there is simply nothing even remotely as beautiful built this day and age, especially in Canada.  Not even close!  Anyway, I check out St Vitus, then head on to see different parts of the castle grounds. Spend a few hours there wandering.  I then meet up with a couple from Victoria BC (who are on this trip as well) and we head back down the hill and have a late lunch at a place recommended by our trip guide. Good call on the cafe Zoran!  We then head on (the 3 of us) back across Charles bridge. It is roughly 3 pm now and it is packed!!!! We fight our way through and head to the town square around the corner from hotel. There is a monument there I wanted to see. It is for 2 boys in the 60s who died in that square. One was shot to death in the uprising and his friend then poured gasoline on himself and burned himself to death in protest. That’s true friendship right there.  More walking and more picture taking and its back to the hotel to prepare for group supper. yes, eating again!! Good thing we are doing all this walking or i’d have to charter a cargo jet to get back to Canada. According to my step counter on my phone, I done 23,918 step so far that day! not too bad!  After a nice supper, a few went off in different directions, myself included. Just needed some alone time so I grabbed a tea and went for a walk back to the river and wandered for a bit. It was a warm fall night and combined with the view of the lights of old town, it was just paradise.  I stayed out a couple hours just getting lost in the shuffle and taking in the sights, sounds and smells of Prague on a saturday night. It was just fantastic!

Today was a complete free day for us. Every one had different things they wanted to do. I slept in til 8 before going for breakfast. yes, that has been the  latest day so far this trip!  Met up with a few for breakfast while every one formed their days plan. Unfortunately we had to say good bye to one of the couples from Australia. They had a death in the family and had to leave and go home early.  Always something I do worry about when i’m this far from home.  My friends from Olds Alberta and I had the same few things we wanted to check out so we headed out together. Walking along the river, we head to Vysehrad castle which consists of some fortress walls containing a church, park grounds and  very nice old cemetery. Although we never bothered doing the church, pretty churched out for now, we did wander the old cemetery for a bit. the massive monuments were like nothing you see nowadays. We then headed back across the city to the Jewish Quarter and roamed around for a bit before doing a little shopping. My Alberta friends headed back to the hotel from there and I wandered a little more before coming back to the hotel to upload my pics from the day. I am quickly running out of room on my little notebook here, hopefully I can continue to post pics as I still have a week and 3 wonderful cities to visit yet. The 3 of us then met up again at 6 to go for dinner. With no plan in mind, we ended up a little place called U Balouna which a authentic Czech cuisine restaurant. I had a chicken steak dish with veggies and mashed potato and I have to say, it was one of my best meals yet over here. I was very impressed so I most definitely recommend you check it out if you’re ever in the area.

Now, here I am, back in my room catching you all up on the the past few days. It was much busier than I made it sound but I don’t want to bore you with every single detail. I have already rambled on much more than I had planned. I will end it now and head back out for another night walk along the river. check out those lights one last time. I can not say enough about Prague, I urge you all to put it on your list. It is my favorite European city thus far and I have seen quite a few and they are all fantastic. I only wish I had more time here but it’s time to move on. Tomorrow we head down to Cesky Krumlov and from what I hear, its just as beautiful as Prague, only smaller and easier to navigate.  I will post a little something from there as well in a couple days. Until then, thanks again for reading and if you have time, check out some of my pics on Facebook or Instagram.  Dobrou Noc Good Night!