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Published: March 19th 2014
"I know you can be overwhelmed and you can be underwhelmed.... but can you ever just be whelmed?" "I think you can in Europe..." Who would have ever thought that quote (any guesses from what movie?) would enter my existence? But I think that pretty much sums up my experience. I actually waited this long to write this final Prague blog (combined days 3 & 4, which is unusual for me) because I left the city feeling dejected.
Wow - that was difficult to write, but yes, this is my final impression of Prague. How unfortunate! This is a city that I've longed to see for years! That my friends long to see or one they love! A truly beautiful city with fantastic people.
I read on trip advisor some recommendations from a woman who claimed to live here for years. I thought she was a judgmental, elitist, bitter betty when I first read her - she mocked the hourly show of the Astronomical Clock and the Old Town Square. While, I agree that the hourly show at the Astronomical Clock was ridiculously underwhelming, I think the Old Town Square was quite lovely and a definite must
see, and if it happens to strike the hour while you're there, take a peek at the clock. However, now I completely concur with the point she was trying to make:
Avoid the Tourist traps! There is a lot more to see of this city than what is being sold to you.
The Tours: Scam By now, most of you are aware of my tour catastrophe. Each day there are a half dozen tour groups waiting by the clock with various excursions to take you one. The one I really wanted to attend, Kutna Hora, was supposed to be available daily at 10am under a green umbrella. They never, ever, ever showed, not in three days. Another company told me they had one at 11am on Saturday. So, Friday, I instead took a 3.5 hour Grand City Tour. It advertised many things, among them a 70-min tour of the Prague Castle (which was us walking into the free zone of St Vitus Cathedral and around the outskirts of the castle - maximum time: 35min) and it was barely two hours, not the 3.5 as advertised. Not that I complained too hard, as we definitely had a nice
and exhausting walk, but I should have known as it set the tone of the tourist marketing.
Later that night, I booked an "Underground at Night" tour - I was the sole attendee. I debated continuing, but what else am I going to do? Fortunately that kid really knew his stuff and was completely delighted in telling the history of his hometown. However, the tour was not as advertised. There were no legends, no lanterns (flashlights that are built as tiny lanterns and use batteries are not lanterns), limited access points... So, the kid told me plenty of other things regarding the city that I found fascinating and many of which contradicted my earlier tour (with the photos to back it up!). However, this tour I still found to be a scam because if there had been many others in this tour, would it have been the same? I would have been completely scammed - take my money, go to two points, and out.
The next day I arrived at the clock at 10am for another attempt at the Kutna Hora tour when it was pouring rain. Again, no green umbrella. I went to the group that told
me the previous day of their trip at 11 - "oh yeah, come back 15 minutes before - we have a trip at 11am". I came back 20 min before and tried to sign up "Oh we may not go because of the rain and lack of interest." Understandable, but I said, "Please tell me if I should attempt to go on my own via the train station?" They said, no, even if they don't go, another group down the street will and they would take me over. I waited 20 minutes in the rain and they took me and another guy halfway down the street and told us to wait in front of a random building another 5 minutes walk ahead for a tour - basically the girl completely abandoned us. We chatted, but after about 30 minutes of waiting, it was obvious no one was coming. By that time, I was p*ssed and couldn't bring myself to start an unknown journey on my own. I saw the girl walking towards me on the way back and I said she abandoned us and the tour never showed - she didn't seem too upset about it. I went back to
Pizza Cafe
Good beer at a cute Italian cafe - opted for this one over the more touristy ones. Think I made the right choicemy hotel, grabbed a bottle of wine and read a book.
So, to reiterate:
avoid the tours. They are falsely advertised and give you incorrect information anyway. In other words, entirely unnecessary. The town is completely walkable, so check out the sites on your own and wikipedia it later.
Impressions - A Facade Why?
Well first question: Why is it so highly recommended? If you talk to the younger crowds or people who visited in their youth, the answer is obvious: beer, beer, and more beer. Oh and absinthe. And head shops. And cheap prices. If you talk to the older group, it is a beautiful, authentic medieval city. Great answers, right?
I concur that once you actually get here, it is still relatively cheap (trying to do the conversions in my head to AED was mind numbing).
Strip away the beer. I'm ten years past my prime drinking age; I love trying new beers and having one with my dinner, but i'm well beyond the point of wanting to get drunk every night on a vacation from my demanding job. So, what's left?
The history. This place has a great history: The
Tyn Cathedral
This church was quite lovely and up against a crowded part of Old Town Velvet Revolution. Communism. World War II. Bohemia. Wenceslas. I went on two tours successfully and both were full of false information or advertisements, so I couldn't bring myself to go on another. Why would a city so steeped in such interesting history LIE? However, I believe if you take yourself to the hot spots, you'll get a better impression - this was my mistake (I never do tours and this was a rude reminder as to why!)
The architecture. The more successful of my two successful tours was one-on-one, meaning I asked a lot of questions and got a lot of information back from my knowledgeable young guide. While the buildings themselves are the real thing (for the most part), the facades are new. Like post WWII new in many cases. They think it adds an authentic flavor for the town - it does, but own up to it! The Jewish Quarter is completely post WWII. I don't even know what is going on with St Vitus Cathedral, but when I saw photos from 1890 showing the actual construction of this old gothic cathedral, I started to question everything.
The good I don't want to make it
sound like I hated Prague - I actually enjoyed myself. The first two days were fantastic!!! But the last two days here left a bad taste in my mouth and I came away completely disappointed.
There are some incredible things though. Strip away the facade and you do have a great town steeped in history, beautiful architecture, cobblestone streets, narrow alleys, beautiful churches, friendly people, etc.
The food is a meat heavy diet, but delicious. Make sure you Czech out restaurants that are not located directly on the main tourist centers or streets - head to an alleyway and there is almost always a restaurant or two that is the real deal and about half the price. The beers I was a bit underwhelmed with, but only because I was expecting something to blow me away, which I never experienced. However, every single beer I had was good, which I guess is a testament to the overall beer quality.
My hotel was absolutely amazing - loved it! Hotel Friday - definitely recommend. The counter staff was beyond friendly, especially the poor lady who checked me in - I think she was there for three days straight; no
matter what time of day I walked by the desk, she was there. I finally mentioned it and she said she has just as many days on as off, so it sounds brutal but nice too. The included breakfast was delicious - lots of choices! Of course, I went straight for the ham, bacon, salami every day. I don't want to know my cholesterol levels at the moment, but it's worth it - i miss pork so much sometimes! I Czeched out and requested a shuttle to the airport; instead, a nice mafia-type man arrived in a smooth sedan and took me on a scenic route to the airport at a third of the price of a taxi. THAT was an excellent send off!
And further on the plus side, I got a window seat and an empty seat between me and one woman all the way to Dubai.... So, definitely an up-and-down trip!
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
Ten Things I Hate About You...
I cheated by using the internet. Glad to hear that it wasn't entirely a wasted trip. Nothing like hot chocolate on a cold rainy day.