Prague City Break

You may not believe this, but I have a blogging calendar.  I use a notebook calendar and post it notes.  A pending post goes on a post it note (I currently have 36 of them) and once it gets published, I write it in the calendar. I have this plan delusion that I'm going to post three times a week so every time I sit down to blog, I have to go through the process of moving the 36 post it notes further along in the calendar in sets of three.  When was the last time I posted three times in one week?  No idea.  Since I started working full-time, I often don't post three times in a month.  But I am still a blogger and I'm determined to continue.  In fact, I'm going to sit down right now and write three posts to publish this week.  No really.  I am.  I also have the perfect location to write about this week... Prague. 

I'm sure you've heard about Prague.  It's one of those places that travel bloggers rave about.  It's the capital of the Czech Republic and is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.  I'm sure you know all of that, too. 

Did you know that the population of the city is about 1.2 million and 6 million tourists visit each year?  They likely all come for this yummy pastry that you can get about every ten feet.. 

It's called a Trdelnik.  Dough is wrapped around a wooden dowel that rotates over heat.  As they cook, they are sprinkled with sugar and spices.  Yummy?  Yes!  Traditional Czech pastry?  No.  They actually originated in Transylvania.  But, still worth a taste. 

One of the most iconic sites in Prague is the Charles Bridge.  Walking along the bridge you'll see vendors selling some of the most gorgeous moody photographs of Charles Bridge.  That's about the only way to get a good photo of the bridge, because it's typically packed with tourists, vendors and buskers.

The bridge connects Prague castle to the old town and dates back to the 1300's.  The bridge is lined with 30 Baroque statues, all now replicas of the originals from the 18th century. 

I'd recommend that you get up early to visit the bridge and get some photographs.  It's a well-used pedestrian bridge that often experiences foot-traffic jams as the day progresses.

The river that the 16 arches of the Charles Bridge span is the Vltava River and it's crossed by 17 other bridges in Prague.  We stayed at the Questenberk (an old converted church from the 1600's) which is close to the castle so crossed the Charles Bridge several times.

It took us to the medieval Old Town of Prague which is exactly where you want to explore.  And eat.  And drink beer.  Really good cheap beer.  Would you believe Matt often selects our city breaks based on the price of a pint of beer?  

It seems that everyone heads straight for the Old Town Square first.  Every hour people gather around the fantastical astronomical clock.  It's the oldest working clock of its kind and was built in 1410.  On the hour, the apostles march and the figure of death strikes the time. 

We couldn't really get close enough to see the workings of the clock in action, so sat back in a local cafe with a beer to watch from afar.  To avoid the crowds in the Old Town Square we spent plenty of time exploring the rest of the city. 

From medieval clocks to large shiny naked pregnant woman, Prague has it all.  This sculpture is called In Utero by Czech artist David Černý.  You'll see much more of his interesting and controversial work as you walk around Prague. This one happens to be hollow, so that you can crawl up into her womb.  We passed. 

Here is his most recent piece, Franz Kafka as a mechanical head that constantly moves and changes.  His modern sculptures are always a bit of a shock in a historical European city. 

I read that according to Guinness, Prague Castle is the largest in the world, but I thinks that's been refuted.  It sits high atop a hill overlooking the red tile roofed city.  We spent a bit of time walking around the site but the line was enough of a deterrent that we didn't actually go inside.  

Even if you don't go in, it's worth a visit just for these magnificent views.  You can almost see all 18 bridges that cross the Vltava. 

Within the castle complex is St. Vitus Cathedral which is a gargoyle/grotesque hunters dream.  Unfortunately, I didn't have my telephoto lens. 

It's a magnificent menagerie of animals, demons, whimsical creatures and tortured humans.  I even spotted a lobster. 

We happened to visit on Easter weekend (that tells you how behind I am on my blogging) so there were probably more tourists than a usual weekend.  So we just took our time exploring and didn't get too fussed about keeping to a schedule. 

You can imagine the number of people standing around this young fellow, most holding up their ipads for the perfect shot.  This young bronze god is called Youth.  Those brave enough to advance for a little rub will surely have luck.  Or something.

Another of Černý's work, the Dead Horse is being ridden by King Wenceslas.  I'm sure there is a political statement in there somewhere, but I'm afraid I don't know what it is.  You can find lists of his work and make it a sort of Prague scavenger hunt of controversial modern art. 

Instead, we decided to get a traditional Thai massage.  Prague is the place to get a Thai massage for a great price.  (Well, besides Thailand).  I think my foot massage was less than £8 and was just what I needed after walking around this lovely city. 

Doesn't the cloud formation in this picture look like a giant wolf bounding over the city?  No?  Just me?  

Less than a two hour flight from London, Prague is a top city break experience.  Later this week, I'll tell you about a food tour and the Easter markets.  LIke I promised, three posts this week.  No, really.  

Have you taken a Prague City Break?  What do you recommend as a must see?

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