Prague – My ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

Being a bit of a culture vulture, the medieval city of Prague has been on my wish-list for quite some time. Although I had been slightly put off  in recent years, by the upsurge in popularity of Hen & Stag do’s to this city.  I just don’t see the attraction this city steeped in history holds for pre-wedding parties whose main intentions are to pub crawl, drink copious amounts of alcohol and get too drunk to stand?  And yes, I’m afraid I witnessed a couple of groups doing just this, despite deciding to go mid-week  Tuesday to Thursday to avoid the weekend ‘rush’

Having said that, my desire to visit Prague,  overcame my trepidation, and to coincide with our 42nd wedding anniversary, we decided to spend a couple of days exploring this beautiful city.  And I’m so glad we did!  

Once we had settled into the hotel, it was time to get our bearings.  Do you do that?  I have to have a walk around the immediate vicinity to see where everything is and how to get to places.  First things first though – we needed fuel in our bellies so off we went to search for some traditional Czech Fayre.  Well, that was the plan, in reality we found ourselves in the Irish Times, a lovely little bar/restaurant with live music!   I believe that in every city in the world you can find an Irish Bar!

Charles Bridge & Prague Castle in the background

After lunch we decided the explore the narrow cobbled streets in the Old Town making our way to the Old Town Square. On the way there’s lots of shops selling the usual souvenirs, fridge magnets, Russian Dolls  and strangely, a Donald Trump Mask!

Old Town Square Prague  Astronomical Clock 

Lots of restaurants, snack bars, and traditional Czech delicacies,  my particular favourite being the  Czech Chimney Cake! Trdelník. (Good luck pronouncing it, not enough vowels for me to attempt!)  Its a type of  cake, which is prepared with dough that is wrapped around a stick, before being baked on an open fire. Then topped with a mixture of sugar and walnut, or cinnamon sugar.  You can choose from different fillings, Apple Strudel, Chocolate, Berries, or even a Bacon Egg & Sausage Trdelnik .  As you can see I opted for a sweet one! yum!

We also booked an hour’s river cruise along the Vitava (one you would cruise along on an Elbe River Cruise).  Well worth the money, around £10.  It was a sunny day, and the scenery along the river was beautiful!  Wenceslas Square (which isnt really a Square, more of a Boulevard) was worth a visit too.  Here’s a photo of me and the hubs at the King Wenceslas monument and National Museum. 

Old Town Square

I found Prague to be every bit as good as I imagined, very medieval, with lots of interesting history.  The people were very friendly, although the language was very hard to understand or even read!  (Not enough vowels in their alphabet so pronunciation was a bit of a challenge!)

We finished our 2 day whistle stop tour of Prague with a traditional ‘LoveLock’  padlock which we attached to the Charles Bridge joining the Old Town with the Lesser Town over the Vitava.  It was a perfect place to celebrate 42 years of marriage, and definitely recommended – just avoid the hens & stags!