We got up and headed out to find a cafe for breakfast, unsure of what the brekkie scene in Prague would be like. We wandered around the block and eventually found a place that seemed to have a decent menu. It's a touristy area so theirs plenty of cafes around. The place we chose (I cannot remember the name, Czech is hard) seemed quite traditional and was quiet. We got seated and I ordered the 'French breakfast' which came with eggs, sausage, croissant, bread and a coffee, while Adelaide, now longing for some veggie sustenance went the 'fit breakf'ast' route, which was some bruschetta with avocado.
A pair of Russians sat down in a table nearby and ordered after us, and within a few minutes their food - which suspiciously looked like ours - came out. When our order came around a French breakfast came over for me, but Adelaide's order had now been replaced with something that wasn't the fit breakfast. Yep, the Russians got ours, but they seemed contented with digging in. When we tried to explain the situation to the waitress she insisted we were wrong then consulted her notes, then quickly took Addy's plate and returned to the kitchen. Addy's actual order promptly came out soon after.
Over breakfast we schemed and I suggested that we take a free walking tour dad suggested we do. Arriving into Prague last night when it was dark was nice but didn't really give us an idea of the surrounding area or the city layout; and a walking tour could do just that. We booked our tickets online and were informed to meet a rep in the town square in around 40 minutes.
We wandered around for a bit before heading towards the square and found a rep from Sandemans, the company we'd booked with, who chaperoned us over to a bigger group of big red umbrellas. We checked in and were then told to go and wait across the road by the church for another 15 minutes while people finished showing up. Addy and I huddled to stay warm. It was cloudy but the wind had picked up and it had a nasty bite. I didn't bring my beanie out and it's the first time I really wanted it.
Soon after the group of people waiting had grown, and two guides came over and divided the crowd into the English and Spanish tours. Andria was our guide. She was half Czech and half Slovakian and had been a guide for a few years. She started by explaining the significance of the central town square and some history of the Czech Republic country.
We moved around to the astronomical clock where Andria explained that the clock was 600 years old, and the legend behind it's construction. Turns out the reality was a lot less intense. Moving through the old town we next stopped near the university which ranked in the top 1.5% in the world. Einstein had apparently lectured there for a few years. Czech education is free, and you could attend the university provided you passed the entrance exam, and spoke Czech...
Not too far down we stopped again at the Opera house, before we continued to Wenceslas Square. It started to rain a bit bit (sleet really, but it would melt as soon as it landed on you), so we turned off the main street and huddled in a mall to get warm, and there Andria explained some of the more recent history, including the communist era.
The tour went for three hours, with a break in the middle. As we approached halfway, we found ourselves walking back towards our hotel, and funnily enough went down the lane outside before turning into a pub and heading upstairs. The tour operator obviously had it booked out and we had a 30 minute slot for lunch. Once we got seated at a table, I quickly ran back to the hotel to grab my beanie and Adelaide's scarf.
Addy had a mulled wine and I had a beer during the break, while some people ordered meals. I was surprised it was all going to get made and eaten in our break window. We made conversation with another Australian on our tour. She had been an English teacher in Laos who was returning to Australia next year and wanted to make the most of her slightly-closer-to-Europe proximity. There were also another South African couple who were doing a big Europe adventure too.
Once everyone was fed and watered, we headed off for the Jewish Quarter in the old city. Apparently during WWII, Hitler desired to leave Prague's Jewish quarter intact as a museum to 'the old world', so it was rather "untouched". Although most of the quarter was destroyed in the 20th century as it had turned into a slum. Some of the original synagogues remain, and one we stopped at had been converted into a museum. Andria explained that the Jewish Quarter was now one of the more prestigious parts of the city, with an apartment selling in there last year for over three million euros. It was evident too, as there were a lot of luxury stores around.
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| The converted synagogue |
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| The clock on the left is in Hebrew, so runs the opposite direction |
This tour was free, but the guides accepted tips at the end. We tipped Andria and headed over to the bridge to check out the river in the daylight. It was a short lived excursion as the wind was much stronger near the water and it was freezing!
While making our way back to the hotel for a break, we spotted a place which had some craft beers and authentic Czech food on the menu so headed in. Adelaide wanted to have some goulash! We got some of the tap beers to match it. The goulash was good but huge, and it defeated Adelaide. I spotted a cherry beer on tap so had to try that too. I'm becoming quite a big fan of the fruit beers!
After all that walking then a big lunch we headed back to the hotel. Such a big lunch was a bit of a mistake as it then took us till around 7 before started to feel peckish again. We emerged and headed towards the river to go to the 'Hemingway Bar' which Adelaide had set her sights when planning the trip. Inspired by the hard-drinking author, it is meant to stock some fancy cocktails. The streets in Prague all look very similar and it's easy too lose your bearings. After some guesses we found it, but were turned away as they were completely full. I think we've had pretty good luck with places so far, I believe this was our first turn away of the trip.
No matter, down the road was the Prague Beer 'Museum'. In actual fact it's just a pub with 30 beers on tap, but need I say more? We settled in and selected a paddle of 5 small beers to try each. I started with an ale one while Adelaide went the hop beer route. With those polished off we sniped some seats with a view and ordered another each. This time Adelaide had the fruit flavours flight, and I had the dark ones. There weren't any beers that we didn't like, but unfortunately with so many to try, we couldn't actually enjoy a larger drink because by the end we were already suitably merry.
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| Drinks with a view! |
By now Addy was hungry - so we made our way to the Christmas markets in the town square. It was a little later now so some of the stores were starting to pack up. I managed to score a discount bratwurst from one of the stalls that was closing, while Adelaide chanced a chicken sandwich. It could be described as a Woolies roast chicken sandwich just on a fancier bun, and without mayo.
I'd been seeing funnel cakes all day, and I wanted to have one for dessert. All the stores in the markets were closed, so on the way back to the hotel I saw a hole in the wall place we stopped for one. I now have a new best dessert. It was SO decadent, and so good. And so simple. Donut like batter, Nutella on the inside and lots of cream (or ice cream, in Adelaide's). It's a messy thing to eat though, but by that stage you're too involved in your dessert to care. I will definitely be having more!
After all that beer, bratwurst, chicken and now cream, we joked we'd gone into Carbiac Arrest! We laughed and rolled home.
Cheers!
D+A
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