Memories of Prague

Michael and I decided to revisit one of our favourite cities in Europe – Prague.  It had been more than 6 years since we were last there and we were eager to see if the city had changed much in that period.  Last time we arrived by overnight train from Krakow, this time we arrived after a two and a half hour flight from Dublin.  I know which journey I preferred!  A driver collected us from the airport and it was only a half hour drive to our hotel – Miss Sophie’s.  This was to be another trip down memory lane, as we had stayed there on our first trip and thoroughly enjoyed it.  We discovered that the hotel had changed somewhat since our last stay, however the hospitality shown to us remained the same and our room was very nice.

We had arrived right on dinnertime and Michael was keen to revisit a pub (U Hospudka U Vocka) that we remembered.  Now this establishment hadn’t changed a bit.  We were ushered upstairs where the waiter turned the lights on for us in the dining area and we were soon enjoying a traditional, 3 course meal, all washed down with Becherovka.   We finished the evening with a walk around the local area and a visit to the Christmas Market at Wenceslas Square. It was a good start to our trip.

The next morning we  had a good coffee at Kavarna Prazirna and then took a tram ride up the hill to the Strahov Monastery to see the library.  The library is held in two stunning baroque halls with magnificent frescoes.  The public are not allowed enter the rooms unless on a pre-booked guided tour so as to preserve the fragile books and murals. You can peek into the rooms from the doorways and they really are lovely.  The corridor is lined with cases filled with preserved sea creatures and chain mail armour and some beautiful bibles.  It was all very interesting and well worth the visit.

It was only a very short walk from the library to the Strahov Monastic Brewery (St Norbert). The brewery was first constructed in the 14^thcentury, with the new brewery constructed in 1628 which was in operation until it closed in 1907.  The building was restored and the brewery reopened in 2000.  It was a lovely spot to relax and Michael enjoyed sampling a few of the beers on offer.

The rest of the day was spent walking down the hill to the Old Town, past Prague Castle where we paused to watch the changing of the guard, before wandering the winding, cobbled streets until we crossed the Vitava River via the Charles Bridge.


 

 The city was just as magical as I had remembered. We even visited a Nativity scenes exhibition held at the Church of Our Lady of the Snows.  There must have been at least 200 nativity scenes made of many different materials and some were even mechanised.  They were very beautiful and it was especially nice to see the children mesmerised by what they were seeing.  We also visited a number of Christmas Markets along the way, some big, some small.

Michael chose another traditional Czech restaurant Hostinec U Kalicha for our evening meal.  The restaurant was large and it soon became apparent that there was only one waiter, a man well into his sixties. This didn’t bother Michael and I as we were in no particular hurry.  He eventually took our orders and then returned with Michael’s beer, which he banged down on the table with such force that I physically jumped.  We watched with amusement as he delivered the beer to other tables in the same manner, startling all and sundry.  Our meals arrived at the same time as the entertainment – a bassoonist and an accordion player.  A very odd combination in anyone’s book!  It was hard to keep a straight face when they placed themselves next to our table and proceeded to serenade us.  Thankfully they moved on after one song.  The meal itself was absolutely delicious and it was the first time that I had tried goose.

I was very excited the next morning as James and Amber had flown into Prague late the night before, as they were to celebrate an early Christmas with us.  They joined us for breakfast and we did our usual swapping of stories about what we had been up to.  It was to be James’ first visit to Prague whilst Amber had visited a number of years previously.

James, being James, had already researched a good coffee place EMA Expressso Bar, so we made that our first port of call.  The café was in a part of the city which we hadn’t visited before, so it was an interesting walk.  The coffee was terrific and well worth the journey.  Then it was onto a tram to take him up to Prague Castle so that he could get a good view over the city.  It was a great idea but a pity that everyone else had the same thought!  I have to say that Prague has become a very popular tourist destination, perhaps a little too popular.  I had hoped that being winter, the tourist numbers would have dropped, however it was crowded wherever we went.  We joined the tourist shuffle around the castle, down the hill and then reached peak crush on the Charles Bridge.  We didn’t let it spoil our fun but it does make you wonder what summer in Prague would be like. 

We eventually arrived in the Old Town Square and spent some time looking at the Christmas Market there.

Next, it was back to Miss Sophie’s where we really got into the Christmas spirit.  Michael and I joined James and Amber in their room and opened our presents over a glass (or two) of sparkling wine.  It was all good fun and set the mood for the main event of our weekend – dinner at U Modre Kachnicky. 

Amber had spent a long time researching the best place for our Christmas meal and we were soon to discover what a sterling job she had done.  A short tram ride took us to the restaurant and it was magical from the minute we walked in the door.  The décor was fabulous and we were led up the stairs to where a pianist was playing quietly.  We were given our menus and quickly decided on the duck degustation with paired wines.  Thereafter followed a superb meal where every course was better than the last and the wines were exquisite.  It really was a night to remember and the service was terrific.  We enjoyed ourselves so much that it took us a while to realise that we were the last remaining customers in the restaurant. Then it was back to the hotel, where, although it was late, the fun continued as we played a number of games in James and Amber’s room.  It really was a perfect end to a perfect evening – thank you Amber!

It was a bit of a slow start the next day as we were all a little tired from the previous evening. James found yet another fabulous café  and it suited us to linger over the caffeine.  Suitably refreshed, we made our way to the Museum of Communism.  We spent a considerable amount of time at this very well laid out museum, which traces the dark history of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia.  The exhibits were informative, if a little depressing, as they detailed the reality of life under communism and the propaganda against capitalism.  It was a fascinating glimpse into the not so distant past.

We decided to have an early dinner, as James and Amber were due to fly out that evening.  Michael managed to locate my favourite restaurant from our previous visit U Parlametu and it was nice to see that it hadn’t changed a bit.  I enjoyed a goulash (just as I had previously) and I persuaded James and Amber to try a Becherovka, which they politely did.  All too soon it was time for them to return to the hotel, collect their bags and fly off into the night.  I hope that they enjoyed their “Christmas in Prague” – I know that Michael and I certainly did!

Later that evening, Michael and I took a final walk to the Christmas Market at Wenceslas Square, shared a trdelnik and said goodbye to beautiful Prague.