I never imagined how much I would love Prague until I entered the city. From the first moment I was dazed by the beauty of the buildings. The buildings in the center of Prague are built in a series of different styles. Never the less they are all colorful and with beautiful details around the windows and on the walls. Each and every one is unique and beautiful. Additional to that, the streets are made of stone, which gives the city an antique air. Prague is one of those places you fall in love with at first sight.
The day I arrived it was all about wandering around and getting impregnated with the vibe and beauty of Prague. It was also about shopping. For all of you who are shopaholics, Prague is either a dream or a nightmare. There are shops everywhere from fancy jewelery, clothes and trinkets, to shops full of souvenirs of all kind and food stands. Keeping away from them will turn out to be nearly imposible as you will find out! But more on that topic in a soon to come post.
Second day
The first day I saw many buildings from the outside, but the second and third days I spent the day getting them to know on the inside.
On day two the first stop were the Wallenstein Gardens, an early baroque garden arranged in a geometrical pattern. It has a big fountain with a statue of Venus and many fish swimming around, and also an artificial stalactite wall.
Cross the bridge Mánesùv Most that lies just ahead of the garden or go back to the Karlù Most, a beautiful stone bridge full of sculptures on the sides and lots of local artists selling unique jewelery, paintings and offering to make a drawing of you as a caricature or in detail. Walking across this bridge is an experience in itself and you should be sure to do it by day and by night, when the sculptures are lit up.
The heart of Prague is the old town square, with the Old Town Hall. The greatest attraction however is attached to the 70m tall tower of the Old Town Hall, it’s s the Astronomical Clock. Every hour two windows at the top open and figurines of the 12 apostles parade before the audience of tourists waiting below to see them. Below the clock is a calendar with the signs of the zodiac. I visited the Old Town Hall on the inside. It displays the rooms where the council meetings took place. The Hall is a very interesting building, since it’s made from several internally linked houses, which where bought from the owners and added to the structure throughout the years.
In 1364 the tower of the Old Town Hall was the highest in the city and up until today it offers a beautiful view of the city. I was told to skip going up and instead enjoy the view from the tower of the St. Nicholas Church. To enter this tower you have to round the church and find the tower entrance from the outside. From the inside of the church I never found a way up to any tower. The views from the towers of the Old Town Hall and the St. Nicholas Church are similar, so I would chose one and stick with that, instead of doing both.
On the other side of the old town square, surrounded by buildings, is the Church of Our Lady Before Týn, which I sadly didn’t get to see from the inside. Entering the street on the left of the church, Stupartská, you can find a tiny square with some shops and Cafes.
The Jewish Quarter of Prague is very big and famous, so I wandered around taking a look at the buildings and synagogues from the outside.
The last stop of the day was at Husova street. Try not to triple over the stones as you look up to spot the sculpture of the philosopher Sigmund Freud hanging from the ceiling of a building and considering whether to hold on or let go. Man Hanging Out is the masterpiece of David Cerny, putting into form his constant fear of death.
Day 3
First stop of day three was the St. Nicholas Church. With its Baroque style it displays several ceiling paintings and ornaments in gold. It’s richly decorated and worth paying the entering fee. As previously mentioned, to enter the tower of this church you have to pay another ticket at the tower entrance.
Prague Castle must be on the list of things to see in Prague. It’s the worlds largest castle complex. The castle itself isn’t worth visiting, it has only a couple rooms that aren’t that impressing. However the castle houses the biggest gothic architectural artwork in Prague: the St. Vitus Cathedral. With its blackened exterior it causes quite an impression. Outside and inside it’s pure beauty, you can’t miss it if you go to Prague. Inside the castle complex it’s like a little town, there’s a little food and handcrafts market, a garden and some restaurants.
After that I went in search of the Frank Kafka Head, an artwork by David Cerny, installed outside the Quadrio shopping center. The special thing about this head is, that it’s made of panels that rotate and move the head in unique ways.
Facing the Kafka Head is a delicious vegetarian dinner, Dhaba Beas, with a buffet full of vegetarian options! I enjoyed this a lot, because the opportunitys I get to enter a place full of vegetarian dishes are very rare. And as we are on the food topic, you have to try the Trdelniks, a sweet pastry. It’s a bread string rolled on a stick and coated in sugar, slowly cooked above a fire and served plain, with chocolate, jam, vanilla, ice cream or whipped cream. My favorite was in the Jewish Quarter, nicely cooked and crispy, filled with Nutella and strawberries. It’s important to note, that this isn’t a traditional Czech pastry, although it can be found on every corner. It’s a European concept, used before ovens and stoves to cook bread. The word trdelnik refers to the bread being rolled on a stick in order to cook it. This treat can be found in other countries under different names, but still it’s worth trying them in Prague.
Neadless to say, that if you are considering visiting Prague don´t think twice and if you haven´t considered it, you definitly should, it will be worth every single penny, I promise!
