Many of our readers have been to Prague so I want to highlight some of the things that I thought were readworthy on my recent trip.
People – I found them generally helpful. Some were very nice, but others could be a bit standoffish which I put down to the language gap.
People on the Charles Bridge
Restaurants – the food scene in Prague is all about sausages, pork knuckles and duck all served with masses of gravy and dumplings. On a cold day (-1) whilst we were there this could be said to be comforting. However, with a stroke of luck we found Kampa Park which turned out to be Prague’s most famous restaurant and has been a celebrity magnet since opening in 1994. People like Mick Jagger, Johnny Depp, Robbie Williams, Bill and Hilary Clinton and Liz Litzow have all eaten here.
The interior of Kampa Park Restaurant
The view from the restaurant
The food was yummy
Astronomical Clock is one of the world’s best known tourist attractions and is also one of its leading “is that it?” experiences. Death rings a bell, inverts his hourglass, and the 12 apostles parade through the windows above the clock. Then a cock crows and a guy dressed in medieval gear plays the bugle. That is it really, in 45 seconds flat.
The Astronomical Clock
The Clockface
Genius is Franz Kafka, Prague’s inspirational author. “Someone must have been telling lies about Josef K, for without having done anything wrong, he was arrested one fine morning” – that opening line to Franz Kafka’s The Trial is widely considered amount the greatest in world literature.
Kafka Museum
Uncertainty in the Past – Wenceslas Square was once the focal point for proud Czechs, demonstrators and communist protestors. It was also the focal point for the Velvet Revolution. Now, capitalism has reigned ever since, filling the square with British stag parties, greedy cabbies and a soulless procession of second-rate cafes and fast food outlets. But visiting the square is still a great thing to do to perhaps re-connect with the past, especially with small memorials to the victims of communism near it.
The good king Wencelas looked down.......
Ecclesiastic – There are many churches in Prague, mainly catholic. However only 27 percent of Czech’s admit to being catholic and 4 percent regularly attend church. The two main cathedrals are The Church of St Nicholas and St. Vitus Cathedral. Mala Strana is dominated by the huge green dome of Prague’s finest baroque building. The church boasts Europe’s largest fresco – The Apotheosis of St. Nicholas on its ceiling.
The magnificent dome of the Church of St. Nicholas dominates the city.
Although it was begun in 1344 and appears Gothic, much of the Cathedral was only completed in time for its consecration in 1929. It is a magnificent building with beautiful stained-glass windows and ornate chapels.
Is it not magnificent?
The interior
The Ceiling
Well that’s my take on PRAGUE – just a few highlights in this gorgeous Eastern European city.