PRAGUE, Czech Republic - With little to no help from the GPS, we made it to Prague
around 9 o’clock Friday night. Jumping out of the car, we bee-lined straight to
the Charles Bridge. We were told crossing the 1,700 ft. long and 32 ft. wide
Bridge after sundown was a quite magical experience. Twas true. Probably the
most famous site in all of Prague, the Charles Bridge is also where Mr. Phelps
fell from in the movie, Mission
Impossible. Originally decorated only by a crucifix, the Bridge now
features 30 sculptures of characters like St. Augustine, St. Anne, and
Lamenting Christ.
After gallivanting around the dark city, we popped into a
bar right beside our hostel (also conveniently located next to a police
station)… both of which I don’t mind being surrounded by in a foreign country. After
toasting each of our four beers to successfully making it to Prague, we went
upstairs and crashed hard for a solid 8 hours.
With sunlight peeking in the windows and the smell of coffee
brewing, J and I jumped out of our tiny twin beds and went into the kitchen
area to seize our FREE breakfast from the hostel. Cocoa puffs and Kellogg
flakes! Although not ideal, it was free food that we were willing to devour and
be excited about. We poured our coffee, crunched our cereal, and spread out our
map of the city to plan the day ahead.
Sights included:
Pinkas Synagogue – At the time of the Nazi takeover,
hundreds of thousands of Jews lived in the Prague ghetto, and about 80,000 were
deported to their deaths at Terezin or other concentration camps. The names of
these victims are recorded on the walls of the 500-year-old synagogue.
Old-New Synagogue – Built in 1270, this synagogue is the
oldest operating synagogue in Europe. A rumor exists that claims the synagogue
was built with stones from the Temple in Jerusalem.
Prague Castle – One of the largest castles in the world,
Prague Castle was once headquarters to Reinhard Heydrich, the Nazi-appointed
governor and notorious “Hangman of Prague”. Here is also where I tried to break
the iron stare of the castle guard, unsuccessfully so.
Saint Vitus’s Cathedral – Complete with three towers and
plethora of flying buttresses, this Gothic cathedral is a tourist favorite. The
wait to get in was over 45 minutes. Knowing we would probably make a return
visit to Prague, we decided to opt out and just photograph the outside instead.
Interesting tidbit – the Bohemian crown jewels are kept in a room in the cathedral
locked by seven individual locks. The keys to those locks are kept in the hands
of seven different Czech leaders, both secular and religious.
From the castle and cathedral, we winded our way down Golden
Lane, a street filled with the houses of marksmen and goldsmith from the 16th
century. From a distance, we could see
the Zizkov Television Tower that resembles a Soviet launch missile that never
left planet Earth. At the bottom of the hill was a food stand offering sausages
served in chewy rolls with hearty portions of mustard, hot wine, and a magnificent
view of the city. This is where we would commence our lunch break.
Following lunch, we somehow mistakenly ended up in front of
an Absinth shop. No real words were exchanged as we both stood in front of it.
We just kind of looked at one another, looked up at the shop, and back at one
another to shrug our shoulders in a why-the-heck-not sort of way. As we
examined the menu of options, we looked over at another young couple brave
enough to imbibe in the green fairy. They didn’t seem to wince or hallucinate,
so we went forward in submitting our order. Jekyll and Hyde I believe was the
name of our particular poison, and poison is precisely what I would describe it
as tasting like. However, slowly but
surely, we finally were able to empty our glasses.
To get the taste out of our mouths, it suddenly became time
for food and beer again. Hearty, rich and pork-filled, Czech food carries
weight. Wanting to try a bit of everything, Juston and I chose an option
offering a variety of traditional Czech food staples. Served in a large crockpot,
we were able to sample roasted duck, goulash with dumplings, sausage, pickled
cabbage and toasts of cheese. With beer, this meal came in below 200 Czech
Korunas, or 10 dollars. For dessert, we just had to get our hands on a Trdelník, a
traditional Czech sweet pastry that is rolled in dough, wrapped around a stick,
then grilled and topped with sugar and a walnut mix. You could smell these
puppies from a mile away. There’s no way your’re leaving the Czech Republic
without falling victim to one.
Getting close to the top of the hour, we made our way over to the
Astronomical Clock Tower. On the hour, the 12 apostles poke their heads out to
the crowd, and a rooster crows. The clock also features another clock that has
365 names on it and moves once a day to a certain name. True or not, one Czech
tradition “requires” parents to name their children one of the listed 365
names. More oddly, it is said that after the famous clockmaker completed this
clock, his eyes were gouged out so he could never replicate his work. (Talk
about extremes).
To end the day, we had another one of those “when in Europe” moments when
we found ourselves walking into a Thai Massage salon to stick our feet in a
tank full of doctor fish for a ‘Fish Pedicure’. Having only ever seen it on the travel
channel, we thought it would be an interesting experience to one day say we
tried….and so we did.
Other attractions seen along the trip:
Wenceslas Square
Our Lady of the Snow – most oddly shaped church in Central
Europe
Dancing House
Emauzy
Church of Saint Ignatius
Whether is was getting lost on the cobblestone streets lined
with colorful buildings, sharing beers and absinth at Czech bars, or eating
like a king for just a few bucks, Prague was cheap, charming, and delicious!
(All pictures from our trip to Prague can be viewed here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152644510165010.1073741826.794475009&type=1&l=34fbf6d81d)
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