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Published: January 13th 2008
At Radox for Brunch
Its one of my favourite Restaurants in Prague. Its Vegetarian but don't feel bad. Their brunches are so cheap and so scrummy!Hi Friends and Family,
We arrived at the Main Central Station - Hlavni Nadrazi, a little after 09:00.
Ann needed to wait for her girlfriend who was on another coach so she gave me some money to pay for their tickets, and then I set off.
I bought a 24 hour ticket costing 80 Czech crowns (about €3) and then proceeded to go to “Jama - The Hollow ” which wasn’t opened. Jama is a Tex-Mex restaurant and also the restaurant where we were going to see in the New Year. It wasn’t opened until 11:00 so I went to the Post Office and sent off some New Year cards to Canada and the UK. I then proceeded to look for a booking office for the Black Light Theatre as I didn’t want to spend all morning looking for the actual theatre itself. With hindsight, I should have done just that….!
I went off to Wenceslas Square and got a theatre ticket for 490 crowns (€20) and then to the National Theatre where I was approached by a tout who wanted to sell me a ticket for O.K. 250 crowns (€10) but who also told me that
At Radox for Brunch
Service is ALWAYS available and they're so cute too! ALL the tickets were sold out! I went in anyway, asked for the cheapest tickets left, it was 150 crowns (€6) and because I had my student card, got a 50% discount on that and actually paid 75 crowns (€3) for a middle seat in a pretty good place! Yes!!
I had arranged to meet Anne and her girlfriend at Radox FX another of my favourite haunts. An American vegetarian restaurant that does scrummy brunches, has a Club, Bar, Restaurant, Chill-Out Lounge and Music Shop! Anne didn’t turn up but I still had a cool time eating “The Big Brain Scram” which consist of 3 scrambled eggs, fresh spinach encased in tomato fried potatoes and brown bread for 110 crowns (€4.5), a hot chocolate for 35 crowns (€1.5) and a “Sleeping Beauty” cocktail of champagne and strawberry juice for 70 crowns (€3). Altogether a rather wonderful - €9!
At 12:15, I left the restaurant to get the dinner tickets at “Jama” for 3 people. It normally costs 750 crowns but because I pre-booked, I had a discounted price of 550 crowns (€22). Believe you me this is a bargain for a 3-course dinner on New Years Eve. Prague
At Radox for Brunch
The Inner Bar section! is a popular destination at this time and the amount of tourists willing to pay hefty prices to be here are a-plenty. I particularly like “Jama” ‘cos it has a good mix of Czechs, expats and tourists and again, it also pulls a very good brunch.
For the last 12 years, I have spent every two years in Prague for the New Year. Indeed, it was where I met my ex-German husband; it was also where six years ago I was heavily pregnant and wearing a tight evening dress which showed I was heavily pregnant! My ex-husband was not much of a dancer and didn’t want to show off his “skills” and I was left depressed at the dinner table.
It was here in “Jama” that a whole host of Russian men AND women insisted that I danced with them. They twirled me around and gave me lots of compliments which I soooo then needed. Since then whenever I was In Prague for the New Year, I always spent it there.
Anyway, I got the dinner tickets and then went back to the groups meeting point at the Main Train Station for 13:00 and this is where
At Radox for Brunch
I really like the place 'cos its so chilled out and reminds me of Barcelona! it all began to go horribly wrong….!
We needed to get back to our coaches so that we could be taken to our hotels and then the day slowly began to fall apart.
We all settled back onto the coach so that we could move on. I was particularly anxious ‘cos the ballet started at 15:00 and the booking office had strongly suggested that I arrive at 14:30. By 13:45, we hadn’t moved and the tour leader and driver were no where to be found. We didn’t seem to be going anywhere!
I looked for them both but did find the wife of the driver who told me that the tour leader had been given the wrong address and thus the driver had no idea where our hotel was! Bells began to ring loud and clear!
I know Prague pretty well and they couldn’t find the location on the regular map which meant that our hotel wasn’t in the city but in the suburbs!
I was right; the two hotels allocated to us were 1.5 to 2 hours away from the city centre. You have got to be kidding me. I was so annoyed. My
At Narodni Divaldo
Outside the theatre ballet was at 15:00 and was the only performance until January 3rd, 2008 and I WAS going to make it!
I told our tour leader that I was going to shoot off and would make my own way to the hotel. I mean, how hard could it be? Ha! Ha!!
On discussion with the local hotel booking agency nearby, it was miles away!
The end of the “B” line AND a bus ride AND probably a 10 - 15 minute walk. Best take a taxi he said!
I was not allowed to leave my bag on the bus and so I had to go to the Main Train Station (Hlavni Nadrazi) and pay for a locker in order to secure my stuff.
"The Nutcracker" was a most lavish production with huge sets, colourful costumes and an endless flow of dancers. The Hungarian choreographer, Youri Vamous, had relocated Tchaikovsky's classic to 19th century London and added pieces of Charles Dickens "Christmas Carol" and so lessons of life were imbibed with furry creatures!
It was such a shame that I was still wearing my travelling stuff with my "funky" jeans as I didn't have a place
At Narodni Divaldo
The National Theatre in Prague. to change into my elegant clothes. Everyone was dressed up and I had a couple of "looks" but thankfully, I'm just a "dumb tourist" after all, so that was OK!
After the ballet, I went back ro the Main Train Station to pick up my stuff that I had left in a locker and tried to get back to the hotel and as I said previously, it was miles away! The end of the “B” line AND a bus ride AND probably a 10 - 15 minute walk. I even had to buy another map that had ALL the regions of Prague located on it because it was so far away.
The time was now 17:30 and I needed to carry my backpack and my handbag and go into the suburbs, in the dark, as a woman alone, to a place that nobody knew exactly where. This would be foolishness of the highest order so I did indeed take a taxi. That was another story in itself because although the official sign said TAXI STAND some of the "taxis" were looking pretty dodgy and I refused to get into them! At last, a proper taxi turned up and
At Narodni Divaldo
Inside the National Theatre after showing the driver the map, we drove off.
We took the motorway out of the city and arrived at the suburban town of SATALICE. We drove round and round. Even the taxi driver couldn’t find the hotel as the hotel sign was not well placed and stood in between a train line and the road, so that you couldn’t actually see it in the dark! Luckily, I sighted two girls walking together at the side of the road that I recognised as being in our coach! I leaped out of the taxi and asked them where the hotel was. We had passed what I thought was some sort of school. That was it. That was the hotel " SPORTREAL" . The driver was really nice and tried to make sure that it was indeed the right place and so, the fare. Ah yes, the fare.
After many negotiations, I paid a combination of 1,000 crowns and €5 (€52)!
To make matters worse, when I finally went inside the "hotel", there was nobody at the Reception Desk but a note stating that the key was in the restaurant with a man that I can only assume was
At the Ballet
I had a very good seat for "The Nutcracker - A Christmas Carol" .
the “hotel manager”. On making enquiries with this man, who apparently spoke no German or English, he denied that "Rainbow Tours" was in the hotel and even said that he had never heard of "Rainbow Tours" or knew anything about my situation. In fact, he told me that there was no room for me in the hotel! Oh dearie, dearie me.
I tend to be quite calm in matters of disputes but I began to panic a little because there was nobody around. No lists with peoples’ names. No Tour leader. No "Rainbow Tour" customers. Zilch. Luckily for me, there was a young Czech man who spoke a little bit of English nearby and he proceeded to translate a little. The “hotel manager” then rang someone and said that there was no key but that a key could be available in 40 minutes! This was just not good enough.
I had dinner reservations at Jama restaurant for 19:00. I had made this reservation two months ago and had also paid 750 crowns (€30). The reservation was in my name and the two ladies would be meeting me there independently. The time was now 18:30 and the whole situation
At the Ballet
The orchestra was bordering on the ridiculous. I insisted that the “hotel manager” find a room for me as I was cold, tired, hungry and quite frankly frustrated.
In the end, he took me to where the "Rainbow Tour" groups actually were, and I had to share a masionette room with 3 boys and 1 girl! They WERE really nice and were a group of friends that consisted of 2 young men, the "leader" and his girlfriend all between the ages of 19 and 22. Its a good thing that they thought I was much, much younger otherwise, I'm sure they would freak!
Anyway, I dumped my stuff on my bed, whisked everything out and rushed to the bathroom. The time was now 19:00. A quick shower, fancy clothes and a spritz of gel to my hair and a very pink furry handbag completed my New Year party look and then the 5 of us set off to the city together.
I arrived at the restaurant at 19:45 and true to call the ladies had become a little worried because I hadn't given them my mobile number and I was 45 minutes late. You can't do that in Germany!
At the Ballet
I love Prague because it still has most of all the old facades and ceilings. This is one of the reasons that Prague is so attractive. History is still there and hadn't been destoyed, unlike Berlin. They had also been put to a table positioned contrary to what I reserved. A quick word in the ear of the waitress and we were pushed up to a decent table that was not near the front door, the toilets or the smokers! Most importantly, my table had the wonderful " For Miss Victoria" written all over it!
The evening started off with a complimentary class of Champagne, a basket of nachos with 3 sauces and then a three course meal of smooth pate with cranberries and juniper, topped with aged red wine and cinnamon, two-coloured beef and chicken breast grilled on red oils, served with wild rice and baked and marinated zucchini in beef sauce and for dessert, wafer cake with poppy seed ream and lemon served with rasberry sauce. See what I mean about value for money!
On top of that, the very delicious cocktails were about 100 crowns (€4) and the beers were 24-30 crowns (€1 - €1.20 ). I had many of each! We ladies had a great time, joking, drinking and taking photographs. At 22:30, they took off to see the fireworks whilst I stayed at the restaurant. There was a raffle
At the Ballet
Waiting to see the production.
I was quite annoyed that I hadn't got on my "theatre clothing"! Ah well, you know the story!! competition and I won the 2nd prize of a CD compiled by American and Czech DJ's, an Irish Whiskey pen, a winter bobble hat, a T-shirt and a packet of internet smiley stickers!
The DJ played 80's and 90's classics with a couple of cheesy ones too. Before long, it was close to midnight. Everyone went quiet as the chimes of "Big Ben" the clock at Westminister went dong! At the 12th chime, champagne popped, people hugged and kissed and the DJ went slightly beserk.
I danced a bit with the girls who were flirty and wild, and chatted with the boys who were mainly drunk or thought they could do the tango. Really? I don't think so!
Prague this year had a Mile End as in Scotland and Berlin and the whole street on Wenceslas Square was kitted out with DJ's, fireworks and the worlds' press. For once I didn't rush out into the colourful skies but used the moment to reflect on the year gone by, and I admit, I was a little sad but you know what, it can only get better, 2008 is gonna be great.
At 02:30, I picked up my
Happy New Year!
The evening begins with a table scribed with "Table for Miss Victoria" prizes and handbag which I, and everyone else, had hidden in various corners of the restaurant which had now turned into an open bar for every Tom, Dick and Harry that had stumbled in from the street, and proceeded to the Old Town Square in Prague 1. My room-mates had told me that the bus would return and would be parked at a bridge near the Square from 03:00 - 03:30 and would take back whoever was there.
And so, with my last glass of beer, I staggered into the fresh air and the very many friendly Czech and international voices of "Happy New Year". It was good to get out. I could have taken a tram or a taxi, but I wanted to walk. I had to walk slowly and carefully though as I wearing boots that should not actually be used for walking!
Anyway, I got to the bus and more glasses of champagne was passed around to the many who had made it onto the bus. Many greetings later, we were off, back to the hotel. Within 10 minutes, I was in the Land of Sleep.
Happy New Year Everyone!!
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