It’s been such a
long time since I posted anything, I feel like I could write a novel. But I
won’t. What I will do, is tell you all about our Christmas. Prague, Czech
Republic, was the most amazing place to spend our 2016 Christmas. We escaped
the cold of London, to the same cold, just in a different country. One we’d
never been to before, and a city we have had on our bucket list for what feels
like forever.
After being delayed leaving London by nearly five hours, we arrived in Prague quite late at night. Although the flight delay was annoying, being driven into Prague late at night with quiet streets was simply magical. I’m sure our driver took us a longer way so we could get the full impact of the city at night. I wasn’t however prepared for just how beautiful it is. Coming over the bridge one below the Charles Bridge and looking back over at That Bridge, and That Palace on the hill, was the most exquisite sight in the world.
I fell in love immediately, and this was just the introduction. The rest of the four days would be spent oohing and aahing over the city’s many buildings and landmarks as well. But this introduction to Prague (Praha in local speak), well, I don’t think I will ever get anything quite like it again.
After being delayed leaving London by nearly five hours, we arrived in Prague quite late at night. Although the flight delay was annoying, being driven into Prague late at night with quiet streets was simply magical. I’m sure our driver took us a longer way so we could get the full impact of the city at night. I wasn’t however prepared for just how beautiful it is. Coming over the bridge one below the Charles Bridge and looking back over at That Bridge, and That Palace on the hill, was the most exquisite sight in the world.
I fell in love immediately, and this was just the introduction. The rest of the four days would be spent oohing and aahing over the city’s many buildings and landmarks as well. But this introduction to Prague (Praha in local speak), well, I don’t think I will ever get anything quite like it again.
The city isn’t vast and is walkable.
There are some large hills, which you can climb to get up to the Tower (a
smaller replica of the Eiffel tower) and the palace or you can get the
funicular up to the top.
Christmas isn’t celebrated the same
time as we do it back home. The typical European Christmas tends to be
celebrated on Christmas Eve. We were very lucky to have been aware of this
before leaving, as we were able to book a couple of restaurants for Christmas
Eve and Christmas Day. And since it was Christmas, we thought we should spoil
ourselves too.
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| The tower |
Wandering around the city on
Christmas Eve morning wasn’t too bad. Most of the shops were closed, but some
didn’t end up closing til 11am, so staff could go home and spend their Christmas
with family. This led to not being able to do a lot, but also meant we could wander the city and enjoy it. You'd think being Christmas the city would have been quiet, but it really wasn't. And as we were to find out later, Prague is a popular destination for visitors at this time of the year. We weren't too fussed though. The city with or without people is magical. And doesn't matter what time you're there, there's so much character. And history.
Tony and I stayed at the Charles Bridge Palace Hotel. This was lovely, however we think we may have had the worst room in the hotel. On all accounts the hotel had amazing reviews on Trip Advisor, but after logging on to rate it on Trip Advisor post-trip there were comments on the room we had which didn't bode well. If only I'd seen these prior. We were hardly in our room, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. So it does pay to read the reviews before booking.
The hotel is very central and as the name suggests, is not far at all from the Charles Bridge. Being so central to everything we were able to get some serious step counts up. By walking so much we definitely earned our meals. The first of the great places we went to, for dinner on Christmas Eve day was La Finestra. What an introduction to the food on offer in Prague. Although this was Italian fare, the staff and the food were fabulous. So the four of us (we spent Christmas with Jayne and Ian McDonald) tucked into some seriously amazing food and wine. I think part of the trip ended up being about the food. And why not, it was Christmas after all.
This really was a great way to spend our Christmas Eve. We then managed to walk around having a look at the markets and also managed to get to Wenceslas Square, which I had promised my mother I would do. We also did a classical concert in one of the old halls, which was beautiful. There seriously isn't anything about this city which doesn't blow the senses away.
Christmas Day was another day with Ian and Jayne wandering the city, doing a little bit of sightseeing. Heading up the hill to the palace via the funicular and went into the tower and also a maze of mirrors. if the palace looks large from a distance, then seeing it up close is ridiculously huge. I get the size of palaces back then needed to be large to accommodate the staff and entourage, but was also a show of wealth and power. This palace is a small town in itself.
Our Christmas night dinner was spent at an amazing restaurant I had managed to find on the internet. reviews were good, so we thought we'd give it a try, and we certainly weren't disappointed. U Modre Kachnicky II was an experience I would do again and again. Yet again, the Czech people impressed. This place was a more traditional food and we were very impressed with the dishes and the quality of food. Even the restaurant itself was very kitsch, yet welcoming. walking through the curtains which blocked the view from the entrance, you felt like you were in a bar from the 20s.
This city, just kept giving and giving. From the old cars which did the tours of the city to the Jewish quarter and cemetery, to the Kafka memorial and the John Lennon wall, Prague has everything you need and want in a city. We are definitely keen to go back, maybe to see it in the springtime. If you ever get a chance to get there, definitely don't miss out on the Trdelnik.
This really was a great way to spend our Christmas Eve. We then managed to walk around having a look at the markets and also managed to get to Wenceslas Square, which I had promised my mother I would do. We also did a classical concert in one of the old halls, which was beautiful. There seriously isn't anything about this city which doesn't blow the senses away.  |
| Old Town markets |
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| Wenceslas Square |
Our Christmas night dinner was spent at an amazing restaurant I had managed to find on the internet. reviews were good, so we thought we'd give it a try, and we certainly weren't disappointed. U Modre Kachnicky II was an experience I would do again and again. Yet again, the Czech people impressed. This place was a more traditional food and we were very impressed with the dishes and the quality of food. Even the restaurant itself was very kitsch, yet welcoming. walking through the curtains which blocked the view from the entrance, you felt like you were in a bar from the 20s.
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| Dinner topped off with a great Irish Coffee |
This city, just kept giving and giving. From the old cars which did the tours of the city to the Jewish quarter and cemetery, to the Kafka memorial and the John Lennon wall, Prague has everything you need and want in a city. We are definitely keen to go back, maybe to see it in the springtime. If you ever get a chance to get there, definitely don't miss out on the Trdelnik.
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| The Czech certainly have a sense of humour |
