Promenading in Prague

After a late afternoon arrival, we set off to find the river and orientate ourselves. A short stroll turned into a good walk!

Every time we turned a corner we were greeted by beautiful buildings and some stunning views across the river. Prague is famous for its many spires and Charles Bridge; it’s obvious why! We headed back to our hotel in the Žižkov area, steeped in history (incidentally has a statue of Churchill!)

Tired and somewhat hungry, our first choice restaurant was full (a good sign) so we made a reservation for the following evening and set off up the hill to the second choice, Lavička - Zahradní Restaurace. Yet again, another great find.  The food was traditional and delicious, washed down with some great Czech beer at £2.20 a pint; what more can you ask for?

Our second day in Prague started later than anticipated after trying to navigate the Polish trains website to reserve seats for the next few legs of the trip. What a performance! That finally sorted, we headed off to wander through the old town square, over Charles bridge and to the castle and old royal palace.

The climb up the hill was rewarded with fabulous views and amazing architecture. A moment of feeling totally overwhelmed and so fortunate to be visiting these beautiful cities was a time for reflection.

Our return to the old town square led us back to the astronomical clock with its mechanical performance which lasted approximately one minute! After the display in Munich, we were very underwhelmed!

At this point, James decided it was time to sample more Czech beer and a refreshment stop was welcomed. Pints downed, we went in pursuit of the Dancing House, a totally random and different type of architecture by the river.

On our way back to the hotel, we went via Wenceslas Square and were treated to a long wide avenue with beautiful spring flowers and the statue of Wenceslas overlooking them.

(We couldn’t help singing to him even though Christmas is a very distant memory!) The main station in Prague, built in 1871, was our last visit of the day and a beautiful structure in its own right.

P.S. The visit to the pre-booked restaurant Sklep was again very traditional. We enjoyed sharing duck scratchings 😂 which turned out to be a type of pâté (actually rillettes which we have enjoyed many times in France) followed by goulash with potato pancakes for me (too much garlic) and duck leg for James with dumplings and an interesting type of bread. Of course, all accompanied by another Czech beer!

Next stop Krakow!