Prague Blog

Prague has been on my personal to-visit list for a while now. It was one of those places that everyone had been to and loved, but that I hadn't ever made it to. (Also on this list: Berlin, Amsterdam, Budapest, Istanbul, to name a few). Last weekend, I finally checked it off. My conclusion: WHY HAVEN'T YOU BEEN TO PRAGUE YET?

The city is beautiful, an amazing mix of Medieval, Baroque, Renaissance, and Art Nouveau architecture. Although the Czechs were under Soviet control for decades, there are -- thankfully -- very few traces of their particular style of construction in Prague. The subway is a spectacular feat of Soviet engineering that sits out of sight and underground, where it belongs.  The rest of the city is more like this:

Building on the Old Town square.

Saint Nicholas Church (these guys had an anti-Catholic reformation that makes Martin Luther look mainstream)

Obecní dům: the Prague municipal house

I fell in love with Prague's municipal house, a stately Art Nouveau building used for public functions, particularly concerts. 

Ceiling of the main concert hall

Interior of the Obecní dům

Okay, okay, that's all the architecture I'll throw at you. Prague has many merits besides design excellence. The Charles Bridge is one of them. We found ourselves there right at sunset and were treated to spectacular views of the city.

View across the Vltava. Vlatava is Czech for "you will never learn how to pronounce our language." 

View of the Prague Castle.

The Charles Bridge dates from the 14th and 15th centuries. Being the first bridge across the river, it was a huge innovation at the time, because the winter ice was a struggle to paddle across.

Of course we also saw the main tourist attractions: the Astronomical Clock and the Prague Castle. According to legend, the king ordered that the maker of the clock be blinded so that nobody else could have as neat of a toy. The legend is almost certainly false, but it's easy to believe when you see the 15th-century clock do it's song and dance routine on the hour.

Mike with a toy.

St. Vitus Cathedral, at Prague Castle.

Of course, no vacation is complete without a tour of the local cuisine. We were surprised to find really good food in Prague, since Czech food doesn't have a reputation for being spectacular. Their traditional dish, beef with cream sauce and dumplings (sliced steamed bread), was hearty and perfect for a cold day. Okay, the dumplings were really where it was at, but there was some meat on the dish too.

From Paddy, under Creative Commons licensing.

And then we tried a Czech kolache. This is nothing like a Kolache shop creation: little did we know that kolaches are basically stuffed dumplings, not rolls with a tablespoon of jam on top. I sincerely regret not going back for more.

Packed with apricot. Just the right amount of sweet. So addictive!

I really enjoyed learning about Prague on our trip. I seriously considered enrolling in a school program there so that we could stay longer. Maybe Unicorn College?

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