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One of the great things about living in London is that you can be sitting at your desk on a cold, dreary, grey Thursday afternoon and by late evening have arrived in a lightly snow covered Prague.
We left London on our wedding anniversary to spend the weekend in this much-anticipated Eastern European city celebrating three years of marriage. Being the middle of February it was absolutely freezing, but there is definitely something special about looking out over the countless gorgeous vistas as the snow falls lightly through the air and settles in a thin blanket over the top of the stunning ancient buildings.
After a hearty breakfast - as all the food is in this part of the world - of cold meats, boiled eggs, bread, cheese, yoghurt and tea and coffee we were ready to face the cold and made our way to the Prague castle which is perched on top of a hill overlooking the city. More than just a castle (apparently it is the largest ancient castle in the world) it is like a mini town with a cathedral, ancient cobblestoned street with tiny shops that you have to duck to get into, and numerous
other ceremonial buildings. After wandering around the grounds taking photos of the lovely views around every corner, a visit to the cathedral and ancient shops and watching the changing of the guards we were thoroughly frozen and ready to seek warmth. We admired the view of the city and Charles Bridge from the viewing platform at the top of the hill and then made our way down the long, wide, steep street stopping to look at the endless stalls selling paintings and photographs of one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world. We found a cosy little restaurant on the street leading to the Charles Bridge and warmed ourselves with a gluwein and a hearty stew flavoured with Pilsner (the famous Czech beer of course!) and full of delicious dumplings.
Everyone raves about the Charles Bridge and just how stunning it is and it would have been no surprise if it did not meet up to expectations but luckily this was not the case. The bridge is 500 metres long, about three metres wide and is interrupted at fifteen spots along each side with thirty different, detailed and very beautiful statues which tower over the pedestrians.
The statues all depict a religious icon or story and are quite incredible, some even including areas gilt in gold. The bridge is another example of a very pretty shopping mall and is lined with stalls selling their wares, including some absolutely stunning photographs of the bridge in all kinds of light and weather, which I started browsing instantly: however being the typical Libran that I am the decision would have to be mulled over for a few more days before I could purchase! One of the joys of Prague is standing on the bridge watching the river boats float past and we indulged for quite a while before the cold once again got the better of us. When we reached the far end of the bridge we made our way up the entrance tower and watched a video presentation about this incredible landmark before climbing all the way to the top to enjoy the view. As we got closer and closer to the old town square the roads became narrower and more atmospheric and lined with shops selling all sorts of local specialities, including some beautiful Russian dolls ... well I always thought they were Russian anyway! No longer
able to feel our toes, noses or fingers we took refuse in a coffee shop with a view over the vast old town square before getting suitably warm enough to investigate the surrounding buildings, including the incredible astronomical clock, with the ever present sweet smell in the air of candied almonds that were being cooked on a small wooden carriage in the square.
Our wedding anniversary treat that evening was dinner at Kampa Park, a famous restaurant that has played host to just about every famous person who ever visited the city, including Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, Lou Reed, Michael Douglas, Salman Rushdie, Bono, Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rolling Stones to name just a few. Even walking to the restaurant was romantic, all rugged up against the cold wandering along a nearly empty street with the only sound the clip-clopping of my heels on the cobblestones. The restaurant is on a little island called Kampa and our dining room was set in an enclosed terrace right on the river with an overhead view of that gorgeous bridge. I could not imagine too many better settings with the water gently lapping at the walls and the candles on the table
reflecting on the surrounding glass. The atmosphere was relaxed and cosy, with blankets provided in case the cold was too much, but they were definitely not needed. We started the evening with a glass of champagne and for entree both decided on the seared scallops wrapped in pancetta with leeks. Yum! Main course for me was a delicious duck breast, with baked eggplant, parmesan / potato purée, duck rillettes and red wine sauce and for Andrew venison with turnip fondant, figs, peach, foie gras and venison reduction (don't worry my obsession food is not that great, I have cut and paste these descriptions straight from the restaurant website!). To top off one of my most perfect evenings ever I enjoyed a chocolate-whisky terrine with Sabayone sauce and raspberries and Andrew had a pear tart á la Tatin with dill ice cream, which was beautiful, despite sounding a little unusual. All washed down with a lovely Italian red. Life doesn't get much better than this, happy anniversary!
The next morning was time to look around the new town, including Wenseslas Square, and I couldn't resist stopping in to look at a few clothes and shoes on the way ... but
this was no time for buying! I must say that we were not that enthralled with this area and actually found it quite bereft of character and like any other main road through a major city. Photos we had seen in the Lonely Planet looked beautiful though, so perhaps it was just the time of year and lack of flowers and greenery which took the shine off the view. We wandered through the local market, which had lots of random sweets and odd wooden carvings and got lost in the back streets of the old town looking for a lunch spot. This was probably the highlight of the morning bumping into the locals returning to their homes, looking at the buildings away from the main tourist strips and feeling like we were some of the only people in the city. After another much needed break to warm up we walked all the way along the river stopping again to admire the bridge from another angle and made our way all the way down to a small cemetary and church on top of hill, which is said to be the original birth place of Prague. It was very atmospheric wandering around
the old grave stones covered lightly with snow and listening to the church bells chime. But once again we were freezing and on the way back to our hotel found a typical dark, smoky and gothic-esque coffee house with lino tables and chairs right out of your grandmother's living room, where we sipped on gluwein and ate pistachio nuts. It was a fabulous place for people watching and soaking up the culture.
That evening we decided to experience the more roudy side of Czech lifestyle and joined a group for a guided pub crawl. It was great fun which was helped along by a group of typically friendly and fun-loving Scots who encouraged every member of the group to sing a song from their homeland (Andrew and I opted for Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree, but they were not impressed as it was 'too short') and great conversation courtesy of two girls working as nannies in Hamburg, one from America and one New Zealander. I did surprisingly well for a non-beer drinker, but Czech beer is renowed for being the best in the world so I had to give it a go ... and must have liked
it as I found myself having finished four pints. Oops! Dinner was in a great underground beer hall and was hearty pork knuckle with horseradish and red cabbage as well as copious helpings of dense, dark bread. Delicious and just what we needed to soak up the beer! The nannies and the two of us finished off the night in the biggest Irish bar in Prague ... where else of course!
We awoke on Sunday morning and looked out the window to see huge, soft, pure white flakes of snow drifting through the air slowly before they settled on the surrounding buildings or made their way all the way to the ground. It was absolutely freezing out but walking through this fairytale city with the snow falling about our shoulders made it all worth while. We walked once again through the old town and across the bridge, stopping to purchase a beautiful black and white print of Prague. It was lovely walking across the bridge on a quiet Sunday morning, peering over the edges to the surrounding squares and tiny streets watching the locals going about their business in the all but deserted city. We made our way up
the steep cobblestoned streets between the bridge and the castle, made famous by movies (of which I can't remember!) for one last view over the city. The streets were lined with lovely shops and cafes and looked all the more beautiful thanks to the falling snow. The atmosphere was made even more magical by the chiming of the bells from the church on the hillside underneath the castle.
After soaking up the atmosphere for as long as we could before our toes, fingers and the tips of our noses froze we huddled into a warm, cozy cafe for a hot drink and apple strudel and our last look of Prague before it was time to pack our bags and head for the airport. The sad part about living in London is that you can all too quickly be home and your trip seem but a distant memory!
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mum and dad m
non-member comment
wow
What a wonderful trip. Glad you saw falling snow, isnt it wonderful