My Overly Verbose Prague Trip Report
Mar 31st, 2004, 11:14 AM
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My Overly Verbose Prague Trip Report
OK, so if you like 'em short and sweet, I warned you...
Our vitals: late 20s, experienced travelers, budget-to-moderate wallet size, and up for anything.
Day 1:
Lufthansa's Newark to Frankfurt flight was a largely pleasant affair, save for a tallish American man who complained bitterly to every passing attendant that he needed to switch to bulkhead, and an American graduate of Permissive Parenting School whose 3-year-old threw as many tantrums as there were drinks services on the efficient, clean A380 Airbus (which is to say, a lot). Thankfully, we were in the middle four of the economy 2-4-2 configuration, with the offenders on the flanks in front, and the miraculous occurrence of more than 2 hours' sleep after no alcohol and a Tylenol PM made all right with the world.
After leaving 45 minutes late the pilot turned in a 6:25 performance and we fortuitously approached only 8 gates away from our FRA-PRG connecting flight, with 30 minutes till boarding. No passport control, no customs, no mad dash, though I was prepared ahead of time with advice from fodorites and downloaded maps at the ready (it helped that the connecting info given during the flight was right on the money). On the quickie 40-minute LH affair we were stunned to receive... food! Real food! A nice little baguette, with real brie! Upon arrival at the diminutive Prague airport, we waited in line for nearly 30 minutes to clear passport control in a steamy, stifling hall where lines of grumbling passengers snaked to the back of the room. At one point the line next to us had their door abruptly close, never to reopen, and the unlucky travelers just stood there bewildered - we would hear worse stories from one of our Canadian ex-pat drivers, arranged through www.prague-airport-shuttle.com, who showed up on time and took us to the Kinsky Garden Hotel in Mala Strana/Lesser Quarter (R/T for two, 1300 CZK, and worth it. Did you know there's a video game in Europe called "Prague Taxi"?)
The four-star Best Western Kinsky Garden hotel is in a nice residential neighborhood, with the attractive café and bar decked out with enough moulding to clear aisle 10 of my local Home Despot. The smallish size of the room and TV was made up for in the largesse of the towels, and we cleaned up and hit the road to orient ourselves. The hotel's a 15 minute stroll to Charles Bridge and two minutes to a tram stop, and we grew to appreciate that we weren't in the middle of it all. Nice place.
A glorious 70 degree day, and we strolled across the nearest bridge (Stare Mesto) to the major sites and squares, which I won't bore you with. Hungry, we sought out Pivnice Radegast, Templova 2, as recommended by www.praguepubs.co.uk, and down a dingy little road not far from Old Town Square we settled in to one of the most "local" joints of our trip, filled with office types and slackers. The vaulted ceilings, wooden tables and benches, and dinner rolls of undetermined age were coated in nicotine yellow (Sherwin-Willams #6038A), and we happily dove into our first real 0.5L pivos, with hot lunches of pork, kraut, and dumplings (total with 3 beers = 291 CZK, a steal). This was our initiation into Czech organization, with the little slip of paper tallying our beers and food, and our waiter calculating the bill longhand (I'd like to see the teens at the local brass-n-fern try this!), and where we first encountered unusual charges - see www.jasoncholt.com/prague. Only later would we figure out the two-tier tax system.
On the road again, more walking, with the squares and cobblestone alleys showing off in the sunshine. We took our time crossing back over the lovely Charles Bridge, savoring the views of Hradcany and St. Vitus, even with the hordes of noisy, random Italian teens - not unlike 17-year locusts, that is, if the locusts chain-smoked and perpetually wore sunglasses. A brief respite at the hotel, then off to find dinner at the recommended brewpub Novomestsky Pivovar, reservations for which I had made in advance. Unfortunately we were seated in the café area, next to the copper tanks, where it was dead quiet, and though the light beer and my salad with local cheese and veggies were good, the goulash was underwhelming (at one point I bit into a chunk only to discover it was mostly a blob of fat), and the accompanying potato cakes tasted pre-frozen and microwaved. My husband's pork knuckle had very little meat, but his meal did provide one highlight - at one point he mistook the mound of horseradish for mashed potatoes and, shocked, gulped down a whole forkful. When he finished tearing up, we wandered back to the hotel, admiring the spot-lit buildings along the Vltava.
Our vitals: late 20s, experienced travelers, budget-to-moderate wallet size, and up for anything.
Day 1:
Lufthansa's Newark to Frankfurt flight was a largely pleasant affair, save for a tallish American man who complained bitterly to every passing attendant that he needed to switch to bulkhead, and an American graduate of Permissive Parenting School whose 3-year-old threw as many tantrums as there were drinks services on the efficient, clean A380 Airbus (which is to say, a lot). Thankfully, we were in the middle four of the economy 2-4-2 configuration, with the offenders on the flanks in front, and the miraculous occurrence of more than 2 hours' sleep after no alcohol and a Tylenol PM made all right with the world.
After leaving 45 minutes late the pilot turned in a 6:25 performance and we fortuitously approached only 8 gates away from our FRA-PRG connecting flight, with 30 minutes till boarding. No passport control, no customs, no mad dash, though I was prepared ahead of time with advice from fodorites and downloaded maps at the ready (it helped that the connecting info given during the flight was right on the money). On the quickie 40-minute LH affair we were stunned to receive... food! Real food! A nice little baguette, with real brie! Upon arrival at the diminutive Prague airport, we waited in line for nearly 30 minutes to clear passport control in a steamy, stifling hall where lines of grumbling passengers snaked to the back of the room. At one point the line next to us had their door abruptly close, never to reopen, and the unlucky travelers just stood there bewildered - we would hear worse stories from one of our Canadian ex-pat drivers, arranged through www.prague-airport-shuttle.com, who showed up on time and took us to the Kinsky Garden Hotel in Mala Strana/Lesser Quarter (R/T for two, 1300 CZK, and worth it. Did you know there's a video game in Europe called "Prague Taxi"?)
The four-star Best Western Kinsky Garden hotel is in a nice residential neighborhood, with the attractive café and bar decked out with enough moulding to clear aisle 10 of my local Home Despot. The smallish size of the room and TV was made up for in the largesse of the towels, and we cleaned up and hit the road to orient ourselves. The hotel's a 15 minute stroll to Charles Bridge and two minutes to a tram stop, and we grew to appreciate that we weren't in the middle of it all. Nice place.
A glorious 70 degree day, and we strolled across the nearest bridge (Stare Mesto) to the major sites and squares, which I won't bore you with. Hungry, we sought out Pivnice Radegast, Templova 2, as recommended by www.praguepubs.co.uk, and down a dingy little road not far from Old Town Square we settled in to one of the most "local" joints of our trip, filled with office types and slackers. The vaulted ceilings, wooden tables and benches, and dinner rolls of undetermined age were coated in nicotine yellow (Sherwin-Willams #6038A), and we happily dove into our first real 0.5L pivos, with hot lunches of pork, kraut, and dumplings (total with 3 beers = 291 CZK, a steal). This was our initiation into Czech organization, with the little slip of paper tallying our beers and food, and our waiter calculating the bill longhand (I'd like to see the teens at the local brass-n-fern try this!), and where we first encountered unusual charges - see www.jasoncholt.com/prague. Only later would we figure out the two-tier tax system.
On the road again, more walking, with the squares and cobblestone alleys showing off in the sunshine. We took our time crossing back over the lovely Charles Bridge, savoring the views of Hradcany and St. Vitus, even with the hordes of noisy, random Italian teens - not unlike 17-year locusts, that is, if the locusts chain-smoked and perpetually wore sunglasses. A brief respite at the hotel, then off to find dinner at the recommended brewpub Novomestsky Pivovar, reservations for which I had made in advance. Unfortunately we were seated in the café area, next to the copper tanks, where it was dead quiet, and though the light beer and my salad with local cheese and veggies were good, the goulash was underwhelming (at one point I bit into a chunk only to discover it was mostly a blob of fat), and the accompanying potato cakes tasted pre-frozen and microwaved. My husband's pork knuckle had very little meat, but his meal did provide one highlight - at one point he mistook the mound of horseradish for mashed potatoes and, shocked, gulped down a whole forkful. When he finished tearing up, we wandered back to the hotel, admiring the spot-lit buildings along the Vltava.
Mar 31st, 2004, 12:32 PM
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Day 2
After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, where I will never admit to slipping a few packets of hazelnut spread to take home, we ambled North up Ujezd on our way to the Church of the Lady Victorious, home of the Infant Jesus of Prague, a likeness of whom oddly enough my MIL requested to ward off rain on my SIL?s wedding day. It was early, with a pre-work mass/service in progress, so we continued on to the baroque St. Nicholas? Church, known for its dome, bell tower, and frescoes of St. Nicholas? life. To the right of the nave you can go upstairs and view Skreta?s Passion Cycle of paintings dating from the 1670?s, and the gallery also offers a better view of the frescoes. Here I could bust out my new travel binocs and examine the bandmember angels and cherubim perched atop the organ pipes - the Gillespie-esque cheeks of the trumpeter and the little nubs of horns on the cherubim were simply charming.
Backtracking, we paid a visit to the Infant Jesus, who this day was sporting a fetching purple robe stitched with gilded buckwheat. Every day, the nuns change the statue?s vestments, and up the stairs on the right you can visit a museum containing some of the more colorful cloaks donated from various countries (Parishes from Vietnam and Colombia sent particularly snazzy getups). We then wandered through Malostranske Square and began the hike up the steep but beautiful Nerudova street towards Prague Castle, with the idea of meeting up with a walking tour group said to start at 11 AM at the castle tram stop. We waited and waited, no group appeared, so we explored the castle and cathedral on our own, but it was not a big deal to do ? the portable guides were OK and the place was crawling with eavesdrop-able English-speaking tourguides.
St. Vitus? cathedral was stunning in a number of ways ? the grandiose Tomb of St. Nipmuc crafted out of solid silver was quite a sight (boy, keep ONE secret?!), and yet the crypt of Charles IV? such a nondescript place for such a noted ruler and his wives (that is, if you don?t consider the cathedral and castle as their resting places). The windows are glorious, a controlled riot of light and color, with the Mucha window alone worthy of a good 10 minutes? contemplation (and damn near half a roll of film).
This is getting too lengthy, so I?ll jump ahead?
After walking through Letna Park to take in the beautiful views of the city (wouldn?t have thought of this were it not for Mark Tyne?s gourmet-in-Prague thread), we put the map away and wandered aimlessly through Mala Strana, enjoying the day, the architecture, and each other?s company. We stumbled upon Malostranska Pivnice (Cihelna 3, www.malostranskapivnice.cz), a pub we had planned on visiting, and had an excellent meal. I highly recommend the farmer?s soup in a bread bowl ? a generous serving of garlicky vegetable soup in a big, hearty country bread ? a meal unto itself for only 75 CZK. We wandered back towards the Charles Bridge and went back and forth over it again (see a pattern here?), then headed back to our hotel to clean up for what was one of the highlights of our trip ? the Opera.
I had bought tickets online before the trip to see Don Giovanni in the Estates Theatre (www.czechopera.cz), and they had been delivered to our hotel the night before. This theater is the very theater where Mozart himself conducted the World Premiere of Don Giovanni in 1787, the theater that is the only ?Mozart Mecca? in Europe that hasn?t burned to the ground, the theater used in the filming of Amadeus, the theater I thought we could get to in 30 minutes on foot from our hotel.
I have done dumb things in my life, but few as foolish as running down slippery cobblestone streets, in heels, one hand shielding my eyes from the rain, the other clutching my map, all the while trying not to get ground into so much goulash under the wheels of the No. 20 tram. Sweating, gasping, we reached the beautiful green-and-white theater at 6:58 PM, and were steered to our box for quite a surprise ? we had the best seats in the house. Box #11 is on the second horseshoe up from Orchestra in the dead center of the theater, separated from the other boxes by a slight bump-out. There are 5 horseshoes total, each stacked on top of each other and beautifully gilded, and had there not been electric lights you could picture Mozart himself in powdered wig taking his place in the pit. With the first few strains of the overture, I couldn?t help it, I got teary?
Given its history, the Estates theater/Narodi Divadlo frequently performs Don Giovanni, and this one was a recreation of a 1969 staging that cleverly continued the boxes onto the stage. The performance itself was marvelous, with supertitles in Czech and English, Don Giovanni sporting a black-and-silver tunic that was more Galliano than Italiano, and a great, emphatic, funny Catalog Aria. A marvelous 3 hours. At intermission we could tell we were in Prague ? water was more expensive than beer (40 vs. 35 CZK), and we passed the time watching the Hermes and Mikimoto crowd having a private party in the famed Mozart lounge, with lots of free-flowing Bohemia Sekt. After the opera, we headed to Café Slavia, where we sampled Absinthe (55 CZK) and I had a generous portion of lava-hot apple roll (35 CZK). Absinthe was an experience ? 1st sip ? gasp, 2nd sip ? wanted to leave it to evaporate to a blue-green film, 3rd sip ? finally figured out how to exhale while drinking. No green fairies, tho. Ambling back to the hotel, we stumbled upon the friendly Olympia Bar/Restaurant on Vitezna in the Mala Strana, with its? top-half of a copper brewing tank bar and gleaming brass taps. A few beers, and we happily wandered ?home?.
After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, where I will never admit to slipping a few packets of hazelnut spread to take home, we ambled North up Ujezd on our way to the Church of the Lady Victorious, home of the Infant Jesus of Prague, a likeness of whom oddly enough my MIL requested to ward off rain on my SIL?s wedding day. It was early, with a pre-work mass/service in progress, so we continued on to the baroque St. Nicholas? Church, known for its dome, bell tower, and frescoes of St. Nicholas? life. To the right of the nave you can go upstairs and view Skreta?s Passion Cycle of paintings dating from the 1670?s, and the gallery also offers a better view of the frescoes. Here I could bust out my new travel binocs and examine the bandmember angels and cherubim perched atop the organ pipes - the Gillespie-esque cheeks of the trumpeter and the little nubs of horns on the cherubim were simply charming.
Backtracking, we paid a visit to the Infant Jesus, who this day was sporting a fetching purple robe stitched with gilded buckwheat. Every day, the nuns change the statue?s vestments, and up the stairs on the right you can visit a museum containing some of the more colorful cloaks donated from various countries (Parishes from Vietnam and Colombia sent particularly snazzy getups). We then wandered through Malostranske Square and began the hike up the steep but beautiful Nerudova street towards Prague Castle, with the idea of meeting up with a walking tour group said to start at 11 AM at the castle tram stop. We waited and waited, no group appeared, so we explored the castle and cathedral on our own, but it was not a big deal to do ? the portable guides were OK and the place was crawling with eavesdrop-able English-speaking tourguides.
St. Vitus? cathedral was stunning in a number of ways ? the grandiose Tomb of St. Nipmuc crafted out of solid silver was quite a sight (boy, keep ONE secret?!), and yet the crypt of Charles IV? such a nondescript place for such a noted ruler and his wives (that is, if you don?t consider the cathedral and castle as their resting places). The windows are glorious, a controlled riot of light and color, with the Mucha window alone worthy of a good 10 minutes? contemplation (and damn near half a roll of film).
This is getting too lengthy, so I?ll jump ahead?
After walking through Letna Park to take in the beautiful views of the city (wouldn?t have thought of this were it not for Mark Tyne?s gourmet-in-Prague thread), we put the map away and wandered aimlessly through Mala Strana, enjoying the day, the architecture, and each other?s company. We stumbled upon Malostranska Pivnice (Cihelna 3, www.malostranskapivnice.cz), a pub we had planned on visiting, and had an excellent meal. I highly recommend the farmer?s soup in a bread bowl ? a generous serving of garlicky vegetable soup in a big, hearty country bread ? a meal unto itself for only 75 CZK. We wandered back towards the Charles Bridge and went back and forth over it again (see a pattern here?), then headed back to our hotel to clean up for what was one of the highlights of our trip ? the Opera.
I had bought tickets online before the trip to see Don Giovanni in the Estates Theatre (www.czechopera.cz), and they had been delivered to our hotel the night before. This theater is the very theater where Mozart himself conducted the World Premiere of Don Giovanni in 1787, the theater that is the only ?Mozart Mecca? in Europe that hasn?t burned to the ground, the theater used in the filming of Amadeus, the theater I thought we could get to in 30 minutes on foot from our hotel.
I have done dumb things in my life, but few as foolish as running down slippery cobblestone streets, in heels, one hand shielding my eyes from the rain, the other clutching my map, all the while trying not to get ground into so much goulash under the wheels of the No. 20 tram. Sweating, gasping, we reached the beautiful green-and-white theater at 6:58 PM, and were steered to our box for quite a surprise ? we had the best seats in the house. Box #11 is on the second horseshoe up from Orchestra in the dead center of the theater, separated from the other boxes by a slight bump-out. There are 5 horseshoes total, each stacked on top of each other and beautifully gilded, and had there not been electric lights you could picture Mozart himself in powdered wig taking his place in the pit. With the first few strains of the overture, I couldn?t help it, I got teary?
Given its history, the Estates theater/Narodi Divadlo frequently performs Don Giovanni, and this one was a recreation of a 1969 staging that cleverly continued the boxes onto the stage. The performance itself was marvelous, with supertitles in Czech and English, Don Giovanni sporting a black-and-silver tunic that was more Galliano than Italiano, and a great, emphatic, funny Catalog Aria. A marvelous 3 hours. At intermission we could tell we were in Prague ? water was more expensive than beer (40 vs. 35 CZK), and we passed the time watching the Hermes and Mikimoto crowd having a private party in the famed Mozart lounge, with lots of free-flowing Bohemia Sekt. After the opera, we headed to Café Slavia, where we sampled Absinthe (55 CZK) and I had a generous portion of lava-hot apple roll (35 CZK). Absinthe was an experience ? 1st sip ? gasp, 2nd sip ? wanted to leave it to evaporate to a blue-green film, 3rd sip ? finally figured out how to exhale while drinking. No green fairies, tho. Ambling back to the hotel, we stumbled upon the friendly Olympia Bar/Restaurant on Vitezna in the Mala Strana, with its? top-half of a copper brewing tank bar and gleaming brass taps. A few beers, and we happily wandered ?home?.
Mar 31st, 2004, 12:58 PM
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marcy - hovering near 26 CZK. I've read of people enjoying close to 40, but what the hell, it was still wicked cheap to us, esp. in comparison to Euros...
working on Day 4... Thanks for the kind words!
working on Day 4... Thanks for the kind words!
Mar 31st, 2004, 01:26 PM
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Day 3:
Woke up with a nasty sore throat and cold that I blamed on the Czech addiction to cancer sticks. It was also raining, which resulted in us buying three-day metro/tram cards at the local bodega. Like good tourists, we went back to Old Town square and passed the time taking pictures and shopping for garnets and other goodies before approaching the Astronomical Clock a few minutes before 11, when & where, based on the ubiquitous pamphlets, any iteration of tour company containing the words ?Prague? and ?Walk? was due to begin their rounds. Every day we were there, at least four different companies are represented by people holding different color umbrellas, with the guides lining up on the sidewalk in front of the clock before 11 AM, some holding signs, all holding brochures. You don?t have to reserve this kind of tour, and most last 1.5-3 hours, costing around 300 CZK pp.
The clock itself is a marvel, but I found it and the circle of 365 boys? and girls? names below it more interesting than the anticlimactic conga line of Apostles. Today being a Saturday, we ruled out a Jewish Quarter Tour, and enjoyed a leisurely tour of the Old Quarter with our college student guide all to ourselves. This was our first time doing such a tour, and I highly recommend it as a way to learn history and chat with a local.
We moved on to the Mucha museum (240 CZK pp, open daily 10-6), admiring the posters and prints ? he has a way with facial expression, especially the eyes (love that Medea poster!), and I spent some time in front of a large canvas of a lone, aged, desperate woman, kneeling in the snow and submitting to her fate with a pack of wolves just over the hill ? a striking combination of menace, surrender, and peace, with a single star blazing powerfully overhead. A small, yet informative and enjoyable museum. Afterwards, we passed over the Charles Bridge yet again and stopped at the busy pub ?At the Charles Bridge? for some garlic soup and snacks ? again the lovely vaulted ceilings, this time in exposed brick. We caught the #12 tram down to Smichov (the ?Smiling quarter?), which a guide would later tell us was so named for our next destination ? the Staropramen Brewery (tour arranged in advance through their website).
We joined a pretty reserved group of Germans for our 5 PM English-language tour, and the tour itself was fairly brief, but it was the first time I had seen more than 20 rectangular, foamy, open fermentation tanks in one room on the other side of the plexiglass, like a gigantic, boozy neonatal ward. Afterwards we wandered into their bar (next to the booked-solid restaurant, where the passing food looked quite promising). Even the spaces at the bar were reserved, but we found space to enjoy their pilsner and a Leffe (hooray for huge beer conglomerates!) and then trammed back to the hotel to drop off the day?s purchases before seeking out dinner.
Back to Malostranske Square and the happy Pivnice U Glaubicu (again from praguepubs.co.uk), where the waitress immediately convinced us to try Becherovka for an aperitif, chirping ?It?s good for the stomach!? This lovely liqueur is composed of 12 different herbs, whose bitterness is masked by a good deal of sugar, though you can find it unsweetened in a brown bottle instead of green ? ?Becherovka Bitter.? What followed was a very good house specialty ? tender, perfectly cooked duck with beets and dumplings ? finished off with a hot cocoa (total bill for 2, aperitifs plus a few beers = 669 CZK). Afterwards we stopped by another recommended pub, U Kocoura, but it was pretty dead so we trammed back to ?our? Olympia pub for a 0.5L before bed. It?s good for the stomach!
Woke up with a nasty sore throat and cold that I blamed on the Czech addiction to cancer sticks. It was also raining, which resulted in us buying three-day metro/tram cards at the local bodega. Like good tourists, we went back to Old Town square and passed the time taking pictures and shopping for garnets and other goodies before approaching the Astronomical Clock a few minutes before 11, when & where, based on the ubiquitous pamphlets, any iteration of tour company containing the words ?Prague? and ?Walk? was due to begin their rounds. Every day we were there, at least four different companies are represented by people holding different color umbrellas, with the guides lining up on the sidewalk in front of the clock before 11 AM, some holding signs, all holding brochures. You don?t have to reserve this kind of tour, and most last 1.5-3 hours, costing around 300 CZK pp.
The clock itself is a marvel, but I found it and the circle of 365 boys? and girls? names below it more interesting than the anticlimactic conga line of Apostles. Today being a Saturday, we ruled out a Jewish Quarter Tour, and enjoyed a leisurely tour of the Old Quarter with our college student guide all to ourselves. This was our first time doing such a tour, and I highly recommend it as a way to learn history and chat with a local.
We moved on to the Mucha museum (240 CZK pp, open daily 10-6), admiring the posters and prints ? he has a way with facial expression, especially the eyes (love that Medea poster!), and I spent some time in front of a large canvas of a lone, aged, desperate woman, kneeling in the snow and submitting to her fate with a pack of wolves just over the hill ? a striking combination of menace, surrender, and peace, with a single star blazing powerfully overhead. A small, yet informative and enjoyable museum. Afterwards, we passed over the Charles Bridge yet again and stopped at the busy pub ?At the Charles Bridge? for some garlic soup and snacks ? again the lovely vaulted ceilings, this time in exposed brick. We caught the #12 tram down to Smichov (the ?Smiling quarter?), which a guide would later tell us was so named for our next destination ? the Staropramen Brewery (tour arranged in advance through their website).
We joined a pretty reserved group of Germans for our 5 PM English-language tour, and the tour itself was fairly brief, but it was the first time I had seen more than 20 rectangular, foamy, open fermentation tanks in one room on the other side of the plexiglass, like a gigantic, boozy neonatal ward. Afterwards we wandered into their bar (next to the booked-solid restaurant, where the passing food looked quite promising). Even the spaces at the bar were reserved, but we found space to enjoy their pilsner and a Leffe (hooray for huge beer conglomerates!) and then trammed back to the hotel to drop off the day?s purchases before seeking out dinner.
Back to Malostranske Square and the happy Pivnice U Glaubicu (again from praguepubs.co.uk), where the waitress immediately convinced us to try Becherovka for an aperitif, chirping ?It?s good for the stomach!? This lovely liqueur is composed of 12 different herbs, whose bitterness is masked by a good deal of sugar, though you can find it unsweetened in a brown bottle instead of green ? ?Becherovka Bitter.? What followed was a very good house specialty ? tender, perfectly cooked duck with beets and dumplings ? finished off with a hot cocoa (total bill for 2, aperitifs plus a few beers = 669 CZK). Afterwards we stopped by another recommended pub, U Kocoura, but it was pretty dead so we trammed back to ?our? Olympia pub for a 0.5L before bed. It?s good for the stomach!
Apr 1st, 2004, 03:45 AM
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Day 4:
After another sneezy night, we awoke to a downpour. We had scheduled a 10:15 AM tour of the Municipal House in advance (www.obecnidum.cz, tix 150 CZK pp) but unfortunately we discovered the limitations of the Sunday tram schedule too late, and we had to hoof it, arriving at the Information desk at 10:05. Once there, we were told that our reserved tickets had been sold out from under us (I saw our names on the list) because we weren?t there early enough and there was a large crowd waiting. Lesson: get there EARLY, even if you?ve reserved! Bought tix for the 2 PM tour instead, then went to the Clock again to take one of the 11 AM walking tours of the Jewish Quarter. After the tour (more on the Quarter tomorrow) we went back to the Municipal House to buy tickets for that night?s Mozart?s Requiem in Smetana Hall (800 CZK pp) and then had snacks in the Pilsen restaurant downstairs. A wildly art nouveau place, but nothing in comparison to the stunning French Restaurant on the main floor, and the most expensive beer of the trip at 55 CZK (most places were 22-27 for 0.5L).
A word about the concerts ? never have I been to a place where music is so readily available and heavily advertised, with flyers for this performance at this church, this choir at that hall, etc. everywhere. Everywhere. I recommend going to them, yet I?m mystified at how each orchestra, etc., can afford it ? each of the two concerts we went to were only 1/3rd full. Really amazing.
Anyway, we took the excellent, lengthy tour of this beautiful, painstakingly refurbished structure, full of meaning and pride for the Czech people and filled with ceremonial room after room of native decorative art, the zenith of which was the amazing Mayor?s hall. This hall is gorgeously painted with Mucha?s murals of figures from Czech history (there?s those fierce, penetrating eyes again!), and on an odd note, throughout the building you?ll see some of the most beautiful HVAC grates ever ? an early A/C system was installed back in the 1910?s, which they still rely on to this day.
Afterwards we wandered over to the Museum of Communism (www.museumofcommunism.com, 180 CZK pp), where we were absolutely transfixed by the continuous-loop video of the 1989 Velvet Revolution. To think that only 15 years ago college and high school kids were getting the snot beat out of them by the Red Army on these same cobblestone streets ? like watching the civil rights demonstrations, or the Rodney King video ? only this was somehow more imminent and strange, given the massive span of history we were experiencing, with 700 year old cathedrals and 15 year old political upheavals. I?ll always remember Prague for this juxtaposition.
More shopping, then on to one of the oldest dining establishments for this trip ? U Medvidku, right across from the Tesco, at the intersection of Na Perstyne and Narod Ni. At this Budvar pub we had tender wild boar, creamed garlic spinach, and the ubiquitous dumplings (weapons of mass obstruction) for 99 CZK pp! On to the concert, which was competent but not spectacular, but for such a cavernous hall the acoustics are superb. We had our own box in the 1st balcony flanks, and to get to them you have to walk down the middle aisle of orchestra seating and hang a right or left at the aisle in the middle of the floor, go straight through the loge seats, and through the door that?s hidden behind the curtains (one of those ?hey, let?s sit up there! But how do we get there?? moments). Stopped again at the Olympia pub on the way back to sample Slivovice, the local plum brandy, chased it with Becherovka (which I liked much better), and then back to collapse (7 drinks = $7!).
A final note ? while flipping channels we wound up watching a game of indoor handball between what looked like two Czech teams. We were completely unfamiliar with this game, but watched some anyway, and after a while we noticed something a little too familiar? fans were doing the freakin? Tomahawk Chop?
After another sneezy night, we awoke to a downpour. We had scheduled a 10:15 AM tour of the Municipal House in advance (www.obecnidum.cz, tix 150 CZK pp) but unfortunately we discovered the limitations of the Sunday tram schedule too late, and we had to hoof it, arriving at the Information desk at 10:05. Once there, we were told that our reserved tickets had been sold out from under us (I saw our names on the list) because we weren?t there early enough and there was a large crowd waiting. Lesson: get there EARLY, even if you?ve reserved! Bought tix for the 2 PM tour instead, then went to the Clock again to take one of the 11 AM walking tours of the Jewish Quarter. After the tour (more on the Quarter tomorrow) we went back to the Municipal House to buy tickets for that night?s Mozart?s Requiem in Smetana Hall (800 CZK pp) and then had snacks in the Pilsen restaurant downstairs. A wildly art nouveau place, but nothing in comparison to the stunning French Restaurant on the main floor, and the most expensive beer of the trip at 55 CZK (most places were 22-27 for 0.5L).
A word about the concerts ? never have I been to a place where music is so readily available and heavily advertised, with flyers for this performance at this church, this choir at that hall, etc. everywhere. Everywhere. I recommend going to them, yet I?m mystified at how each orchestra, etc., can afford it ? each of the two concerts we went to were only 1/3rd full. Really amazing.
Anyway, we took the excellent, lengthy tour of this beautiful, painstakingly refurbished structure, full of meaning and pride for the Czech people and filled with ceremonial room after room of native decorative art, the zenith of which was the amazing Mayor?s hall. This hall is gorgeously painted with Mucha?s murals of figures from Czech history (there?s those fierce, penetrating eyes again!), and on an odd note, throughout the building you?ll see some of the most beautiful HVAC grates ever ? an early A/C system was installed back in the 1910?s, which they still rely on to this day.
Afterwards we wandered over to the Museum of Communism (www.museumofcommunism.com, 180 CZK pp), where we were absolutely transfixed by the continuous-loop video of the 1989 Velvet Revolution. To think that only 15 years ago college and high school kids were getting the snot beat out of them by the Red Army on these same cobblestone streets ? like watching the civil rights demonstrations, or the Rodney King video ? only this was somehow more imminent and strange, given the massive span of history we were experiencing, with 700 year old cathedrals and 15 year old political upheavals. I?ll always remember Prague for this juxtaposition.
More shopping, then on to one of the oldest dining establishments for this trip ? U Medvidku, right across from the Tesco, at the intersection of Na Perstyne and Narod Ni. At this Budvar pub we had tender wild boar, creamed garlic spinach, and the ubiquitous dumplings (weapons of mass obstruction) for 99 CZK pp! On to the concert, which was competent but not spectacular, but for such a cavernous hall the acoustics are superb. We had our own box in the 1st balcony flanks, and to get to them you have to walk down the middle aisle of orchestra seating and hang a right or left at the aisle in the middle of the floor, go straight through the loge seats, and through the door that?s hidden behind the curtains (one of those ?hey, let?s sit up there! But how do we get there?? moments). Stopped again at the Olympia pub on the way back to sample Slivovice, the local plum brandy, chased it with Becherovka (which I liked much better), and then back to collapse (7 drinks = $7!).
A final note ? while flipping channels we wound up watching a game of indoor handball between what looked like two Czech teams. We were completely unfamiliar with this game, but watched some anyway, and after a while we noticed something a little too familiar? fans were doing the freakin? Tomahawk Chop?
Apr 1st, 2004, 04:02 AM
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And they wonder why they call Prague "The Golden City"...I am so glad you enjoyed it as much as I, and obviously many others have, despite the fact that you didn't have a room overlooking the Charles Bridge, weren't satuck in the middle of Wenceslas Square, and actually WENT and WATCHED the Astrological Clock...not to mention Mozart...this report sounds like it was written by a REAL person...and thanks for the memories!
Apr 1st, 2004, 04:53 AM
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Almost done...
Day 5:
After pondering the massive metronome perched atop a promontory in Letna Park, the site of the monstrous Stalin statue we had seen yesterday in the Communism museum, we crossed Cechuv Most to the Jewish Quarter to visit the Jewish Museum, actually made up of 4 synagogues, the Old Jewish Cemetery, and the Ceremonial Hall, seat of the Burial Societies. While we were amazed at the Cemetery (up to 100,000 buried 12-deep in such a tiny space!) and found the history of the Burial Societies interesting, especially the tradition ensuring constant accompaniment for the sick and dying, it was the Pinkas synagogue, with its walls and walls of names, listing their birth and death in the camps and from persecution elsewhere, that moved us. Sorrow awaited as we elbowed our way through the throngs of Italian teens, ascending to the 2nd floor exhibit of children?s drawings from the Terezin camp (1942-1945). The same rectangles of yellowed construction paper repeated over and over with scribbles, family drawings, Torah stories, hopes, and fantasies in the sterile glass cases, the sorrow absolute when I noticed that only about one in twenty featured ?survived? after the young artists? name. Just agony, looking at drawings of families and puppies, searching in vain for that one crucial word.
Quietly we left and went to the outlandish Spanish synagogue, a bit jarring after what we had just seen, with its frenetic patterns and its Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Byzantine architectural comments, and we were still subdued on our way to the Metro to Wenceslas square.
The National Museum was closed for ?chemical treatment? so we contemplated Jan Palach?s memorial out front, bought tickets for that night?s Smetana/Dvorak concert at Smetana hall, and headed to Tesco to buy picnic supplies. And Becherovka, because it?s good for the stomach. We had planned to take the funicular up Petrin Park and find a spot to picnic, only to find that when we got there, the funicular was closed, so we hiked up, up, up the switchback-heavy trails to get to the 1/20th scale Eiffel Tower to go up their overlook, only to find, yup, closed. Continuing north along the ridge we passed St. Laurence church and down the trail with the 12 stations of the cross until reaching a beautiful clearing at the top of a steep, shovel-shaped bowl with gnarled orchard trees standing guard down the slope, the ancient monastery above us, the castle and St. Vitus? to our left, Prague below us, and the ugly TV tower conveniently hidden behind a hill. If it weren?t for the orchard, this might have been the world?s most picturesque yet badass sledding run. A perfect picnic spot, then a slow amble back to the hotel to freshen up for the Smetana?s Vltava/Dvorak?s New World Symphony concert.
In college I had taken a Masterworks of Music course, thinking it would be relatively easy and a good way to learn stuff useful at cocktail parties. The class surprised me, required a good bit of work, and there was one piece that I had to rewind again and again ? Smetana?s The Moldau, aka Vltava. I remember the prof likening it to the journey of a leaf down the river ? here riding a gentle, slow current, there passing by a hunt in the country with the blasting of the trumpets, finally running a great rapids heavy with percussion before flowing past Prague itself, in awe of the city. If you can, give it a listen.
Anyways, to be sitting there, in the beautiful Smetana hall, in the heart of Prague, next to my amazing husband? by the first strains of the violins I was once again weepy. I quietly cried the whole glorious song. I was in Prague, listening to my favorite piece of music in the whole world, and soaking the sleeve of my loved one.
Day 5:
After pondering the massive metronome perched atop a promontory in Letna Park, the site of the monstrous Stalin statue we had seen yesterday in the Communism museum, we crossed Cechuv Most to the Jewish Quarter to visit the Jewish Museum, actually made up of 4 synagogues, the Old Jewish Cemetery, and the Ceremonial Hall, seat of the Burial Societies. While we were amazed at the Cemetery (up to 100,000 buried 12-deep in such a tiny space!) and found the history of the Burial Societies interesting, especially the tradition ensuring constant accompaniment for the sick and dying, it was the Pinkas synagogue, with its walls and walls of names, listing their birth and death in the camps and from persecution elsewhere, that moved us. Sorrow awaited as we elbowed our way through the throngs of Italian teens, ascending to the 2nd floor exhibit of children?s drawings from the Terezin camp (1942-1945). The same rectangles of yellowed construction paper repeated over and over with scribbles, family drawings, Torah stories, hopes, and fantasies in the sterile glass cases, the sorrow absolute when I noticed that only about one in twenty featured ?survived? after the young artists? name. Just agony, looking at drawings of families and puppies, searching in vain for that one crucial word.
Quietly we left and went to the outlandish Spanish synagogue, a bit jarring after what we had just seen, with its frenetic patterns and its Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Byzantine architectural comments, and we were still subdued on our way to the Metro to Wenceslas square.
The National Museum was closed for ?chemical treatment? so we contemplated Jan Palach?s memorial out front, bought tickets for that night?s Smetana/Dvorak concert at Smetana hall, and headed to Tesco to buy picnic supplies. And Becherovka, because it?s good for the stomach. We had planned to take the funicular up Petrin Park and find a spot to picnic, only to find that when we got there, the funicular was closed, so we hiked up, up, up the switchback-heavy trails to get to the 1/20th scale Eiffel Tower to go up their overlook, only to find, yup, closed. Continuing north along the ridge we passed St. Laurence church and down the trail with the 12 stations of the cross until reaching a beautiful clearing at the top of a steep, shovel-shaped bowl with gnarled orchard trees standing guard down the slope, the ancient monastery above us, the castle and St. Vitus? to our left, Prague below us, and the ugly TV tower conveniently hidden behind a hill. If it weren?t for the orchard, this might have been the world?s most picturesque yet badass sledding run. A perfect picnic spot, then a slow amble back to the hotel to freshen up for the Smetana?s Vltava/Dvorak?s New World Symphony concert.
In college I had taken a Masterworks of Music course, thinking it would be relatively easy and a good way to learn stuff useful at cocktail parties. The class surprised me, required a good bit of work, and there was one piece that I had to rewind again and again ? Smetana?s The Moldau, aka Vltava. I remember the prof likening it to the journey of a leaf down the river ? here riding a gentle, slow current, there passing by a hunt in the country with the blasting of the trumpets, finally running a great rapids heavy with percussion before flowing past Prague itself, in awe of the city. If you can, give it a listen.
Anyways, to be sitting there, in the beautiful Smetana hall, in the heart of Prague, next to my amazing husband? by the first strains of the violins I was once again weepy. I quietly cried the whole glorious song. I was in Prague, listening to my favorite piece of music in the whole world, and soaking the sleeve of my loved one.
Apr 1st, 2004, 05:34 AM
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Hi elaine - we were there from the 17/18 to the 24th of March. The beautiful weather lasted two days, the rest were off-and-on rain with temps in the high 40s - 50s. What a great town, huh? 
Apr 1st, 2004, 08:07 AM
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It is indeed a great town and your report does it full justice. Thanks so much. I too, took a music appreciation course in college and learned to love the Moldau. Your description of your experience listening to it weeping on the arm of your loved one is priceless.
Apr 1st, 2004, 09:31 AM
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AHaugeto -
I yearn to sit at that restaurant in Letna park, imbibing a Moravian white, gazing over the city's spires after reading your report. And next time I'm in Prague (maybe May 2005) I'm defintely going to a concert in the Municipal House. The rooms in the upper galleries are amazing.
Thanks for the fun read.
I yearn to sit at that restaurant in Letna park, imbibing a Moravian white, gazing over the city's spires after reading your report. And next time I'm in Prague (maybe May 2005) I'm defintely going to a concert in the Municipal House. The rooms in the upper galleries are amazing.
Thanks for the fun read.
Apr 1st, 2004, 09:55 AM
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Ahaugeto
This report is great. What fun and detail. We will be in Prague in September and will definitely follow some of your advice. Question. How did you secure the services of the college student for a guide. There are 6 of us going and we have been talking to regular tour companies, but this sounds like a better way to do it.
By the way we are all grandparents but active and adventourous.
Thanks again.
This report is great. What fun and detail. We will be in Prague in September and will definitely follow some of your advice. Question. How did you secure the services of the college student for a guide. There are 6 of us going and we have been talking to regular tour companies, but this sounds like a better way to do it.
By the way we are all grandparents but active and adventourous.
Thanks again.
Apr 1st, 2004, 10:17 AM
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Thanks for your report. I was in Prague for a couple of days in '95 as part of a church choir tour (one of the many groups giving concerts in Prague)...very rushed, little free time...nice to hear what there is to do when you're on your own.
I had forgotten about the Mucha window...simply beautiful!
I had forgotten about the Mucha window...simply beautiful!
Apr 1st, 2004, 06:58 PM
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Yours is the first report I've decided to "branch out on" and read of an area I haven't visited/didn't know much about./wasn't planning on visiting.
Glad I did. Thanks! Maybe I'll visit yet.
Glad I did. Thanks! Maybe I'll visit yet.
Apr 2nd, 2004, 02:56 AM
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Hi speigelcjs- Actually, our college kid was one of the "Prague Walks" (or was it "Walks of Prague"?) guides that line up in front of the Clock just before 11. It just so happened that we had him all to ourselves. We had considered hiring a private guide (and there are many of them, as you've no doubt found on the internet), but decided that we wanted the flexibility to change plans with the weather - it was pretty rainy on some days. The comanies do have "Grand Tours", lasting nearly seven hours, if you're only there for a few days and can't break it up - this might be an option for your crew. BTW, our companions on the Jewish Quarter tour were a group of six English grandparents, and they were a riot. Have fun planning, and enjoy Prague!
I do have the final Day 6 to go, and hopefully I will post it soon...
I do have the final Day 6 to go, and hopefully I will post it soon...
