Prague, Czech Republic
{Warning Picture Overload!}
Prague Castle
{Warning Picture Overload!}
Prague welcomed us with open arms and freezing temperatures. We spent a lot of time walking around and it never even got up to 32F degrees the entire time we were there. No matter the cold weather, I enjoyed Prague's beauty. It's easy to feel miserable when you can't feel your toes and fingers, and your eyes are burning from the cold wind, but thankfully we had some sun that made it bearable and cozy cafes that offered sweet relief.
Prague Castle
We hit the ground running when we arrived from Vienna. A friend met us at the train station, we went back to her place and dropped our stuff, and then hightailed it up to the Castle only to find out that the indoor portions had already closed for the day. Closed castle or not, we took tons of pictures of the outdoor areas. The view of the city was incredible!
When our bodies could no longer take our outdoor wanderings, we made out way to Vytopna, a restaurant suggestion from Liz (friend we were staying with). And while warmth was not its strong suite (we were sat right near the entrance where the breeze would come in every time the door was opened), the food was delicious and abundant. The drinks are served by toy train and, yes, Micah's beer in the photo below is green.
Upon making our way back to where we were staying, we were exhausted but determined to enjoy more of the evening, our first night in our new city. We followed another of Liz' suggestions to Sudicka, close to home I might add because it was FREEZING.
The door opened low and I followed the steps down into the cave-like, cellar restaurant. It was filled with people, people toasting and people laughing and people relaxing. For a busy Saturday night & no reservation, we lucked out on the only table open, a table for 2. The walls were brick, the warmth was palpable, and the tables and chairs were wooden and worn. I was in love. The place I stepped into felt cozy, removed, and a touch magical.
The fact that our evening also consisted of beer/wine, tea, and desserts, all of which were incredible, just added to its charm. My wine was from Moravia, a cabernet sauvignon, my tea was chamomile, and my desserts (that I begrudgingly shared) were chocolate cake and cheesecake. To re-live this night again...I would do it in a heartbeat.
The next morning we were running a tad slow and ended up having to book it over to Old Town Square in order to join Sandemann's New World walking tour, a "free" tour that you decide at the end how much to tip your guide.
Three hours later I had seen lots of sites, heard a fair bit of Prague history, and felt quite proud that I had managed to survive hours in the bitter cold without abandoning ship in exchange for a warm cafe.
One of the unique aspects of our tour was actually some of the tourguide's research that she shared about Terezin, a fortress built by the Hapsburg monarchy that was converted into a concentration camp by the Nazis. There was a woman named Friedl Dicker-Brandeis that during the time she was imprisoned at Terezin, she provided art lessons to children and encouraged them to express their emotions through art. It was one of the early forms of art therapy by helping children cope with the horrors and fears of their lives in the camp. The Jewish Museum in Prague actually holds an exhibit of some of the artwork that was hid (by Friedl Dicker-Brandeis) and later found after the war. I would have loved to visit it, perhaps next time...
After touring around Prague, we crossed the Charles Bridge, where I rubbed the bronze plaque under the statute of St. John of Nepomuk. Legend says that if you rub the righthand side you will have good luck and you will return to Prague, and if you rub the other side you will have bad luck and never return to Prague!
These red doors reminded me of some of our wedding pictures that we took, so I suggested that we recreate the poses. :)
Finally, we hunkered down at Cafe Savoy for a couple hours to return our fingers and toes to normal temperatures. We shared some lentil soup and ate another piece of cheesecake (who knew Prague had such great cheesecake?!?)
Our second and final morning in Prague, we returned to the Castle to see the indoor, ticketed areas that we had missed on our first attempt. We went inside both St. Vitus Cathedral (pictured first) and St. George's Basillica (pictured second). The two had vastly different styles, as you can see below.
To sum up my Prague experience, I loved, loved, loved Sudicka. I found the city as a whole to be beautiful as it navigates the line between sticking with tradition and engaging international influences. It appeared that Prague is finding its own self apart from its rocky, changing history. I also really enjoyed seeing the city through other people's eyes (Liz and our tourguide, both of whom have been there awhile) because it gave me a slightly broader perspective.
Next up: Berlin
Upon making our way back to where we were staying, we were exhausted but determined to enjoy more of the evening, our first night in our new city. We followed another of Liz' suggestions to Sudicka, close to home I might add because it was FREEZING.
The door opened low and I followed the steps down into the cave-like, cellar restaurant. It was filled with people, people toasting and people laughing and people relaxing. For a busy Saturday night & no reservation, we lucked out on the only table open, a table for 2. The walls were brick, the warmth was palpable, and the tables and chairs were wooden and worn. I was in love. The place I stepped into felt cozy, removed, and a touch magical.
The fact that our evening also consisted of beer/wine, tea, and desserts, all of which were incredible, just added to its charm. My wine was from Moravia, a cabernet sauvignon, my tea was chamomile, and my desserts (that I begrudgingly shared) were chocolate cake and cheesecake. To re-live this night again...I would do it in a heartbeat.
The next morning we were running a tad slow and ended up having to book it over to Old Town Square in order to join Sandemann's New World walking tour, a "free" tour that you decide at the end how much to tip your guide.
Three hours later I had seen lots of sites, heard a fair bit of Prague history, and felt quite proud that I had managed to survive hours in the bitter cold without abandoning ship in exchange for a warm cafe.
One of the unique aspects of our tour was actually some of the tourguide's research that she shared about Terezin, a fortress built by the Hapsburg monarchy that was converted into a concentration camp by the Nazis. There was a woman named Friedl Dicker-Brandeis that during the time she was imprisoned at Terezin, she provided art lessons to children and encouraged them to express their emotions through art. It was one of the early forms of art therapy by helping children cope with the horrors and fears of their lives in the camp. The Jewish Museum in Prague actually holds an exhibit of some of the artwork that was hid (by Friedl Dicker-Brandeis) and later found after the war. I would have loved to visit it, perhaps next time...
After touring around Prague, we crossed the Charles Bridge, where I rubbed the bronze plaque under the statute of St. John of Nepomuk. Legend says that if you rub the righthand side you will have good luck and you will return to Prague, and if you rub the other side you will have bad luck and never return to Prague!
These red doors reminded me of some of our wedding pictures that we took, so I suggested that we recreate the poses. :)
Finally, we hunkered down at Cafe Savoy for a couple hours to return our fingers and toes to normal temperatures. We shared some lentil soup and ate another piece of cheesecake (who knew Prague had such great cheesecake?!?)
Our second and final morning in Prague, we returned to the Castle to see the indoor, ticketed areas that we had missed on our first attempt. We went inside both St. Vitus Cathedral (pictured first) and St. George's Basillica (pictured second). The two had vastly different styles, as you can see below.
To sum up my Prague experience, I loved, loved, loved Sudicka. I found the city as a whole to be beautiful as it navigates the line between sticking with tradition and engaging international influences. It appeared that Prague is finding its own self apart from its rocky, changing history. I also really enjoyed seeing the city through other people's eyes (Liz and our tourguide, both of whom have been there awhile) because it gave me a slightly broader perspective.
Next up: Berlin
2 comments:
I'm loving reading about your adventures in Europe, but the bit about Terezin is seriously fascinating!
- Shely B.
It is fascinating, isn't it? I've actually been reading a little more about it and wishing more that we had had the time to visit the Jewish museum to see the children's art exhibit!
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