Prague, Part 1

Prague, Czech Republic, Part 1 July 19-20

Though our flight from Copenhagen to Prague wasn’t until 11:30, we were scheduled for the first airport transfer, departing the ship at 7:15. Needless to say, we arrived at the airport with hours to kill, so we settled into some comfy seats at a hip coffee/juice bar with a really fun vibe and took advantage of the free wifi. 

Great coffee and juice bar chain in Copenhagen

The flight to Prague was only an hour, and our bags were the last off the plane, but we emerged out of the baggage claim area and found our driver waiting for us. He was very friendly and offered to take us on a scenic tour back to the Sheraton, offering interesting and helpful commentary along the way in fluent, but heavily accented English. 

We checked into our room and spent the next couple of hours relaxing and enjoying some down time after the past few very busy days, and knowing that we still had four whole days ahead of us to explore Prague. We were also surprised and delighted by the bottle of champagne and bowl of strawberries that were delivered to our room soon after we arrived as a special thank you to Mr. Starwood for his loyalty. 

A special gift from the hotel

We were tired after getting up so early, and figured we could afford a few hours to rest. Finally, we ventured out on foot to explore and find a place to get some dinner. We crossed the river from the New Town into the Lesser Town and found a spot overlooking a lovely canal and bridge. After dinner, we took our time walking back across the famous Charles Bridge and through the Old Town. It was crowded and we made our way through hoards of tourists, eventually finding our way back to our hotel. 

The next morning, we awoke wishing each other happy anniversary. Nineteen years ago on July 20 was an unforgettable day, and we were excited to be in such a romantic place to celebrate. With so many choices of where to begin our sightseeing agenda, we thought we’d start with the obvious Prague Castle, the massive complex sitting atop the highest perch, overlooking the city. We bought tram tickets from our concierge and hopped aboard the #22 tram following Rick Steves’ directions to take us on a self guided tour. The tram took us across the river and up the hill for a ten minute ride or so. We exited the tram just above the castle complex to walk past Strahov Monastery and Library. 

Strahov Monastery

Just below the monastery was a terrace affording our first incredible view of Prague (the first of many great views from up on this hill!) We snapped a number of photos, then noticed a sign pointing to Petrin Tower, a metal structure closely resembling the Eiffel Tower on the adjacent peak to where we stood. 

View from below Strahov Monastery

Petrin Tower

Though I was not particularly inclined to make the trek up the hill to the tower, Gavin persuaded me and off we trudged. It was quite a steep climb as we made our way towards the base of the tower, huffing and puffing for a half mile or so up a paved path that was partly stairs, and partly incline. We arrived at the base of the tower, which was crowded with people and all that you would expect at a major tourist attraction: a man blowing massive bubbles to the delight of a dozen jumping children, elbowing each other out of the way, index fingers extended to pop the soapy orbs, vendors standing by wheeled freezers offering ice cream and cold beverages, kiosks offering sausages and beer, and another stand offering a heavenly smelling pastry called a trdelnik. Yeah, we can’t pronounce it either. Ewan quickly dubbed it a “turtleneck.” It’s basically a ribbon of sweet, airy bread dough wrapped around a fat wooden dowel, grilled over hot coals, rotisserie style, and then rolled in a mix of sugar and cinnamon, and sometimes nuts. If you’re feeling really crazy you could ask them to smear Nutella inside of it. Yum. 

Bubble Man

Kids that dropped a coin in Bubble Man's bucket
got to take a turn at being the Bubble Master.

We purchased tickets to climb the tower and up we went, and I counted each of the 298 steps we ascended. We spiraled up and up, grateful for the refreshing breeze that blew through the metal framework, stopping along the way to snap photos and catch our breath. Finally we reached the crowded observation deck atop the 200 foot tall structure. The entire deck was wrapped in clear plexiglass with only half a dozen open windows at eye leve, where tourists lined up to wait for a chance to extend their camera lenses out of these small portals to capture the gorgeous scene, unobscured.

After lunch consisting of, you guessed it, sausages and a shared trdelnik as lunch-sert, we set back on our original course of exploring the castle. Many buildings made up the castle, but of course my first choice of destinations was the massive Basilica of St. Vitus,  the most important cathedral in the country. Many of the country’s most important leaders and saints were buried there, including the famous King Wenceslas. In addition, we admired an incredible stained glass window telling the story of Christianity in Czechoslovakia through the ages, created by the country’s most celebrated artist, Alfons Mucha. We craned our necks and marveled at the impossibly high ceilings in the nave, snapping photos until Ewan’s patience waned. 

Basilica of St. Vitus

Stained glass window by celebrated artist Alfons Mucha

It was actually quite late in the day, already 4:30 and the buildings in the complex closed at 5:00. We decided to skip the royal palace, as we had already toured so many this trip, and instead headed out and walked down along the castle rampart gardens. Given the location of the castle high up on the hill, we had more stunning, panoramic views of the city the whole way. 

We wound our way down, along zig zaggy paths, past charming restaurants adjacent to lush vineyards, until we reached the river. I was exhausted after hiking around and doing so much climbing, but once we had reached Charles Bridge it was only another 25 minute or so walk to the hotel, so we decided to hoof it. We’d have just enough time to get back to our room for a brief rest to freshen up for our anniversary dinner.

We had consulted the hotel concierge that morning about finding a special place to go for a celebration. She called and made a dinner reservation for us for 7:30 at a place adjacent to the Charles Bridge called Mlynec. I had actually noticed it the night before as we walked across the bridge and saw the lovely balcony below, over the water. 

Restaurant balcony spotted from Charles Bridge,
not knowing that we'd be dining there the next evening.

Gavin had agreed that it made sense to take a taxi, since we were dressed up and my feet and legs were killing me after the 18,000+ steps we had already taken that day. We arrived at the restaurant and were seated at the last open table right at the balcony’s edge, overlooking the river, and just below the Charles Bridge and the tower. The menu was modern and sophisticated, with a wonderful selection of wines. We lingered for over two hours and enjoyed a wonderful meal, capping off our first full day in Prague.

Charles Bridge in the background. Photo credit to Ewan.