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Prague
The city is more enjoyable during the week when the Stag parties have gone back home. Ok, so Prague wasn’t all that bad. When I was there though it was crowded. But the crowds were all congregated in one area, Old Town Square, which contained all the main sights. Also Charles Bridge and the Castle were crowded. However, it was very easy to get away. All we had to do was wander away from the tourist sights and we were pretty much on our own and able to discover little local bars and restaurants.
The main trouble I found in Prague though were the roving bands of dudes. After that first night I found out that these were actually British stag parties. There are cheap package deals offered for “Prague Piss-ups”. So these lads come over in packs of up to 20 and drink themselves into a stupor and act loud and obnoxious. Apparently, this is a recent phenomenon that the locals are well too aware of. So much so that some signs in restaurants/bars said NO STAG PARTIES.
This is why there are so many strip clubs now. In fact one night my friends and I thought we had walked far enough out of the center and found this little quaint Czech restaurants. We
Charles Bridge
Could that be Tommy No Papers?? sit down and there is this table of Czech girls eating at getting ready for going clubbing. One of my friends goes to the bathroom and comes back and says, "Guess what. There is a naked girl dancing in this room full of guys in the back.” I’m like no way. I don’t believe you. So he urges me to check it out for myself. So I walk back there to call his bluff and sure enough there is a naked girl with her back to me grinding on some guy while all his friends are cheering. And this was in what seemed like a quiet neighborhood restaurant.
Now here is a piece of good advice that I think everyone should pay attention to. These stag parties seem to only be on the weekends. It is so much nicer during the week when they aren’t there. We were able to just sit in the main square where there were just some chill people and some bottles of wine. So go to Vienna on the weekend, because during the week it is dead. And then come to Prague during the week to avoid the stag parties.
I apologize for
Prague Castle
There are so many things to see. just making haphazard observations. This is what happens when I don’t keep up with my journal on the road! Anyway, here they are:
1. A couple times my friends and I were refused service at some of the local places we tried to go. They said that they were closed when there were obviously Czech people in there enjoying a quiet meal or drinks.
2. Prague is a very walkable city. We could walk everywhere. Our hotel was way far out of the city center and we still managed to walk home on more than one occasion.
3. Prague’s architecture is amazing and makes a visit well worth it. Even in high season.
4. Do not miss the Museum of Communism in Prague this place was very thought provoking. There were great exhibits and displays that showed how life was like during communism and the struggles of the Czech people to get out from under it. It must have been an amazing time to be there when it all came crumbling down.
Absinthe You’ve got to try the Absinthe when you’re in Prague. The whole ceremony is so mysteriously cool. They give you a shot of absinthe in a small glass, a small spoon, matches, and packet of sugar. You get some absinthe in the spoon and then more the sugar in the spoon. You then light it on fire and watch the blue flame as it melts the sugar into the glass of absinthe.
This whole Absinthe ceremony should, in my opinion, be done in some dark quiet bar. The buzz is different from alcohol. More chilled out and you feel warm all over. I would recommend that you get a bottle of it from a shop, some sugar, your own matches and spoons and then go and sit in one of Prague’s many outdoor squares or parks for just the right mood.
Note: These are just some quick observations that I have typed up off the type of my head to help future visitors to Prague. I might add more on the communist museum and polish up some of the text later. added september 5, 2005
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nic
non-member comment
right on
i just spent a week in prague and enjozed it very much. didn`t get to sleep before 3am any night, this city never sleeps. the stag parties are only on weekends, during the week it is just locals and lots of cool backpackers if you go to the right places which is easy since there are plenty to choose from. the main tourist district is expensive but it is a short walk in any direction to find something more authentic and cheaper. as for the absinthe i tried it in a creepy atmospheric cellar bar which ws quite an appropriate setting, tho for the price of four shots i could have got a bottle in the supermarket. but the drinking ritual is all important so it was probably the best way to go. drinks are cheap in bars in prague, but it is even cheaper and often just as nice to grab a bottle of beer or wine cheaply from the supermarket or store and sit in the square or a park.