As you can imagine our expectations for Prague were at an all time low after the taxi scam incident when we arrived. Arriving at the hotel we were left quite deflated and after checking in we headed straight for the hotel restaurant for a quick bite to eat before bed. We woke up the following morning still slightly unenthusiastic about Prague, however stepping into the streets of Old Town, we were soon blown away by the beautiful and amazing city that Prague really is! The taxi drama aside, we would definitely recommend Prague as a must for anyone planning a Eurotrip of their own!
As some of you may have seen from my Facebook, Stu and I decided to start our Prague experience with the Sandman's free walking tour of Prague. Arriving at the Old Town Square far too early for the tour, we wandered around, ogling at the amazing period architecture and gothic towers of the square. Before we knew it 11am was soon upon us and we headed off with our guide Colin (the Scot) for a 3 hour walking tour of the city. We started the tour with the history behind Old Town Square and the Tyn Church, St Nicolas Church and the Astrological Clock within it. Moving into New Town (which is really not that new at all) we learnt about Wenceslas Square and the Communist regime. During this segment we leant about the sad demise of Jan Palach, a 21 year old man who set himself alight at the square to protest Communism - very sad story. He now has a plaque at the top of the square under the National Museum in memory of all those who lost their lives to Communism. From here we moved onto the Jewish Quarter where we again heard sad stories of the many Czech Jews who lost their lives in WW2. There is a synagogue which displays the paintings of some hundred Czech Jewish children who were imprisoned and soon died in the many concentration camps. This is the only record that they ever existed. Very sad. To liven the solum mood, Colin our guide started to tell us about the Travi (a Russian plastic car), Franz Kafka (kookie writer), the legend of Jewish Gollum (no not the Gollum from Lord of the Rings) and the history of 'defenestration' (an interesting art of throwing people from windows in protest)! Before we new it our 3 hours were up and our next tour was about to begin; the Prague Castle tour.
Our new guide at the helm (Brisith Emma), a few of us headed across the Vltava River and into the Mala Strana. After once again hearing a brief history of the Czech Republic and how it came to be, we headed into the Secret Garden of the Senate; a traquil escape from the bustling city streets just outside the walls. There were a few quirky items located in the grounds which I have to mention, namely the giant man made grotto, the huge owls and the white peacock (see photo link below). From here we boarded a tram up to the Loretanske Monistery (famous for the beer the monks brew "St Norbert's Beer"), took in the scenery from a few elevated sites and then headed to the Prague Castle. Now before the tour started, I though the Prague Castle was the gothic building dominating the hills of the Mala Strana - I was wrong! Turns out the Castle is a sprawling compound that encapsulates numerous architectural styles, from the numerous rulers who resided there. You really must have a look while you are in Prague! You can see a few shots of the Castle by following the photo link below.
As you can imagine after 6 hours of straight walking and learning (in the cold rain I might add), we were soon tired and hungry. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at "El Toro Negro" in Old Town Square for a seafood paella and some local brew before crashing out.
Opening the curtains the next morning we were greeted with blue skies and bright sunshine - perfect! We decided that we would spend the day taking in a bit more of a few of the stops from yesterdays walking tour. We first climbed one of the towers in the Old Town Square for some panoramic shots of the city and then headed across the famous Charles Bridge (as seen in Vin Diesel's action movie XXX) and up to the leafy green park on the Mala Strana hinterland. All in all a lovely relaxing day in the sun and the perfect conclusion to an amazing time in Prague. This has to be one of our favourite stops so far.
To CZECH out our photos CLICK HERE or got to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=435101&id=664955104&l=f43027cc8a
No comments:
Post a Comment