I’ve been anxious to tell you about our trip to Prague for weeks now. I only just got the opportunity to sit down and write about it without a squirming child in my arms. No way I was going to write this one-handed. Blah, blah, blah…excuses…blahbity blah…Prague.
This city has been on my bucket list since shortly after we moved to Europe. I didn’t really know much about it until moving here and heard about it through the grapevine. We had a three-day-weekend last month and decided to pack up the car and go Czech it out. Because why not just zip over to Prague for a few days? Some people plan their trip to Prague for months in advance and we made last minute travel plans. (I booked the hotel two nights prior.) We even took our dog with us. I love living in Europe.
Let me tell you about Prague. It is enchanting. It’s romantic. It has old city charm and is newly energized. It is the capital city of the Czech Republic and a survivor of nearly 40 years of communism. Almost completely undamaged from the war, it remains beautiful and fascinating. Everywhere you go in Prague, you uncover some aspect of the city’s layered history. Classically old and shockingly modern.
We began our tour in Wenceslas Square, the “new” main center of New Prague. St. Wenceslas is the Czech patron saint and sits astride his horse in front of the National Museum overlooking the broad boulevard.
The huge square is lined with great buildings and has been a stage for much of modern Czech history. The Czechoslovak state was celebrated here in 1918. In the late 60s, the Soviets suppressed huge demonstrations. Further down the boulevard is an inspiring memorial to commemorate two college students who set themselves on fire in 1969 to protest the Soviet Union’s invasion of the Czech Republic.
The mark of communism remains unabashed all over the city. Communist-era buildings stick out like sore thumbs. A very sore reminder of Prague’s dark period. This building was the home of the Czechoslovak Parliament back when it voted with Moscow. It is run now by the National Museum and you can roam the halls for a small fee. It’s so mind blowing to stand in the very place that communist big shots did only a generation ago. There’s this feeling you get when you stand in front of that building and think about all the suffering inflicted by communism, I can’t explain it.
We didn’t make it to the Museum of Communism, but if we’d had one more day or if the weather wasn’t cooperating, I think it would be worth a stop. It’s intriguing. I’d love to learn more about Prague’s dark history.
We continued down the road and stopped in a Starbucks for a coffee and dished out money like we were filthy rich. Hang on, let me explain…
21 Czech Koruna is about one US Dollars so a cup of coffee was 60 Koruna. So when I say we felt filthy rich I mean we only felt filthy rich with all of our monopoly monies.
We stopped for a snack of ice cream and a trdelník. These things were in bakeries everywhere. It’s a sweet pastry, a rolled dough wrapped around a stick and grilled then topped with sugar and walnut mix. Turns out it’s a Hungarian cake, but popular among tourists in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Authentic or a tourist trap, I don’t care. They’re delightful and all three of us loved it.
Are outdoor markets becoming more popular in the states? Please say yes. I don’t know what I’ll do without my European open-air markets with fresh everything imaginable and homemade trinkets. Ditto for outdoor cafes. I’ll got insane if I can’t eat outside. Insane, I tell you.
This big ugly thing is called the Powder Tower. It’s the Gothic gate of the town wall, built to house the city’s gunpowder.
Our tour books all said it wasn’t worth a tour so we looked it over, took its picture and moved along. The road through the gate led us into the Old Town. The large Old Town square houses the remains of the Town Hall, dating back to the 14th century. There’s even a still functional Astronomical clock on the side of the building.
We grabbed lunch at an outdoor food stand who insisted we compliment our meal with beer. It’s the Czech thing to do, they said. We ate some kind of traditional Czech red sausage with a side of sauerkraut, potato dumplings, and ham. I’ve had better beer in Germany but this food, oh mah gudness.
Dear digestive system, I’m so sorry.
Owen opted for the healthy route, devouring an entire serving of fresh squeezed apple, carrot, and ginger juice.
He napped off his lunch while we found our way to the Charles Bridge, the most famous bridge in all of Bohemia. This bridge was built in 1357 and is lined with baroque sculptures. Tourists stroll and pause beside the musicians and street performers, vendors, and even the occasional beggar.
And the spectacular views. Everyone stops for the views.
On the other side of the bridge is this man. (I don’t actually know him.)
This cute baby.
There was so much to see on this side of the bridge that we decided to save it for the next day. We took the scenic route back to the hotel.
There was an adorable pizza place below our hotel so we grabbed one to go to take back to the room. Our hotel was perfect, it was a Marriott with a separate bedroom so we could put the baby to bed and relax in the living room without having to tip-toe around.
My dashing dinner date in all the yellow lamp light glowing glory:
And now, dear readers, I must bid you adieu. Check back tomorrow for Prague, Part II!!
{Eee!! That totally rhymed. Wha-what.}
Janelle Vannice says
Your pictures from Prague are fabulous! I want to go there so badly – it was on our itinerary for our honeymoon, but we had to get back to the USA for a family emergency before we made it there… but we are both dying to go check it out! We were only in Europe for a month, but we got SO used to eating outside, like you mentioned. It was weird being back in the USA after only a month… I'm sure it'll be crazy for you guys after so long away. Do you have a long time left in Europe still?