Nostalgia for Prague

First day: so many people!

We left at 9 on January 1, 2006 from Rome Fiumicino bound for Prague. We sacrificed the end-of-year holidays... but in the end they never interested us all that much. The first surprise was finding so many people at the airport leaving on the morning of New Year's Day! Two hours of flight and we arrive in Prague. The weather isn't kind, we knew that, and you shouldn't kid yourselves. In Prague winter is with a capital "W"! Temperature -1°C, fog and lots and lots and lots of snow! The week between Christmas and New Year it snowed enormously, with temperatures that during the day didn't go above -10°C! The customs formalities are very quick, we grab our luggage and head to the bus station across from the airport, but not before buying our pass.

Before exiting the terminal, on the right there's a ticket office with the sign DPP (Dopravnì Podnik) that sells tickets and passes for public transport. We bought a pass valid for 7 days, on the entire Prague transport network, with no restrictions, for 280 Kr. To reach the metro network (3 lines) just take one of the following bus lines: 119, 100, 179, 225. Anyway, don't worry! When you buy the pass you'll also be given a useful map of the Prague transport network, clear and indispensable especially for the tram network. Our hotel is very central, in the Old Town district of Staré Mesto, 50 meters from the metro stop (yellow line) of Námesti Republicky. We arrive at the hotel around two in the afternoon. It's very nice, the staff even speak a decent Italian. The rooms are very spacious and clean.

Plus in the lobby there's a free internet station for hotel guests! We unpack and go in search of something to eat since it's almost three... and we take the opportunity to see the last day the Christmas market is open in the Old Town square, Starometské Námesti. The atmosphere is fairy-tale-like even though it's very cold and there are tons of people. We get two hot dogs (30 Kr each) and two glasses (50 Kr each) of mulled wine (you'll drink plenty!). We find the prices a bit high compared to our memories, but it's also a very touristy market right in the center... so it's normal. We head toward Charles Bridge (Karluv most) and the crowd of tourists becomes less and less manageable... there seem to be several thousand people on the bridge... impossible to enjoy the walk. We continue toward Prague Castle (Prazsky Hrad) and go all the way up to take some photos.

We move at a brisk pace both because of the cold and because we know the city and so don't have to stop every two minutes to consult the map. Heading back toward the lower part of the city we stop at one of the many places that crowd the streets toward the castle. Our choice falls on the Pivnice U Glaubicu brewery, in Malostranske Námesti, where we get a dark beer (25 Kr... less than 1 €!) and a hot tea (45 Kr). The aim is to thaw out because between the cold and the snow we're rather dazed. Unfortunately winter has the handicap of very short days... at 3:30 pm it's already pitch dark and you always have the feeling that it's the middle of the night... We continue our wandering around the center, looking at the shop windows still decorated for the holidays, trying not to be swept along by the crowd.

For dinner we choose a very famous brewery in Prague, Kolkovna, owned by the Czech Pilsner brewery. It's at V Kolkovne 8, but when we arrive we realize that, since it's New Year's Day, almost all the places offer fixed-price menus, many of which (because of the thousands of tourists crowding the city) don't have the slightest appearance of a local dish! Not to mention the prices, which come close to those in the center of Rome. We don't give up and head toward Wenceslas Square (Vaclave Námesti) where we remembered a couple of not-bad places. But here too disappointment: even though it's only 9:30 pm they're already closed because they're "tired" from the night before... luckily we come across an Irish pub nearby, which may not be a local place but at least lets us eat without problems. It's called Jama and it's at V Jame 7 right behind the square.

We get two beers, a steak and a portion of fried cheese and spend 335 kr for two (a little more than 10 €). We go back to the hotel rather stunned by the cold, but still determined to do what we'd set out to do at the start of the vacation: see the surroundings of Prague.

Kutna Hora

Morning with 1°C and cloudy sky. But we're determined and nothing can stop us from our plans. After a rich breakfast at the hotel (a very rich and well-stocked buffet) we go to the central train station (Praha Hlavnì nádrazi). You get there by metro, getting off at Hlavnì nádrazi. We have to go to Kutná Hora, 65 km east of Prague. Buying the ticket isn't exactly an easy undertaking, since some counters sell only local routes, others national ones and still others international ones. All the signs are in Czech and few people at the ticket offices speak a little English. In the end we manage to make ourselves understood, we buy two round-trip tickets (224 kr) and run to the platform. We have only a few minutes; at 10:01 our train leaves.

Of course on the platform only the final destination is indicated, and to be sure about the train we get on and ask two guys: Italians! Unbelievable but true... anyway they're also going to Kutná Hora and they confirm the train is the right one. The trip takes about an hour and the trains are nicely heated. We chat a bit with our neighbors and decide to do the outing together. Kutná Hora was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1996. It's one of the oldest cities in the Czech Republic, and for a long time it contested the title of Capital with Prague. To see it today you wouldn't think so: it's a small town, very well-kept, but it has nothing to do with Prague. The train stops at Sedlec, about 3 km from Kutná Hora.

The first thing to see is the Sedlec Ossuary (Kostnice): there are the remains of over 40,000 plague victims, which a self-styled artist turned into works of art: gigantic chandeliers, murals, lampshades... all made from human bones! Entrance to the ossuary costs 70 Kr (to which you have to add 30 Kr if you want to take photos... I played dumb and nobody said anything to me). Remember that in winter it closes at one, reopens at two and closes again at 4. So don't think of going back after seeing Kutná Hora because you risk finding it closed, as happened to several people. We then walk toward Kutná Hora under a nasty drizzle. The town is nice but nothing special, and above all we kick ourselves because the most beautiful things to see are closed on Mondays: St.

Barbara's Cathedral, the Little Castle and also the Czech Silver Museum, nice because you can even take tours in the silver mines. Kutná Hora owes its former splendor precisely to the silver mines that ran (now exhausted!) beneath the ground. On the advice of some residents we went to eat at a small guesthouse, U Kata, which also has a very nice restaurant. The menu is written in Czech and hung on the wall. If you ask for the one written in English they'll bring you a menu with much higher prices and international dishes. Don't give in to temptation and do as we did: order from the blackboard; after a few attempts the waitress will give you a hand just to reward your effort! We ate very well, a nice plate of little dumplings and meat accompanied by a good beer, and we spent 170 Kr for two (6.5 €!). The prices are definitely lower than in the city, and you notice this in the shops too.

Crystal costs half what it does in the city, as do the ceramics and souvenirs of every kind. The advice is obvious: if you decide to take a trip outside Prague, don't miss the chance to buy your little gifts right there away from the Capital, you'll save a lot and also avoid getting ripped off. We continue our sightseeing; the weather gets worse and the rain, always very icy, becomes heavier and heavier. The temperature is 1°C. To get back to the station we take a bus (9 kr each for the ticket) but we make the mistake of getting off about 1 km early to go to a crystal shop we'd seen on the way there... it's 5 pm and the shop closed at 4! So, happy as clams, we walk to the station where we discover that the direct train to Prague won't come for another two hours! We missed the 4 o'clock one big time. But no fear: we take one to Kolnin and then a connection to Prague.

On the second train we find a big crowd of people and we're very lucky to find a seat in a compartment. We travel with the light off, convinced it was broken, since the passengers present had been chatting in the dark since we arrived. But when the conductor comes we discover that the light works, and well too, but that these people had decided to stay...in the dark!! Strange people! When we arrive it's almost 7 and we decide to stop by the hotel, change, and go get something to eat. In 2002 we had been to a wonderful little local restaurant, near Vaclavske Námesti (Wenceslas Square) right in the center. We remembered a rather "hostile" environment toward foreigners, with a menu written only in Czech and impatient waiters. But great prices and food truly up to scratch. We find it on the Lonely and the description confirms our memories.

The place is called "U Purkmistra" and it's at Vodickova 26 in Praha 1. The interior is still the same, but the atmosphere you breathe is quite different: we're greeted by a multilingual waiter who in rather good Italian shows us to a table and asks what we'd like to drink. The menu is still only in Czech, but we notice that inside there are only foreigners, mostly Italians and Germans. The waiters are friendly and speak several languages, and it's inexplicable why the menu is in Czech. The prices are rather high for this type of place and we even hear the waiters mention "Lonely Planet" for the various menus offered.

Indeed, the guide says that this is the top place in Prague for pork with dumplings (on the menu it appears as purkmistrova misa) but the helpful staff keep pointing you to other dishes, obviously much more expensive! Anyway, we order two plates of pork with dumplings (185 Kr each) two medium beers (45 Kr each) a strudel (89 Kr) and a Becherovka (80 Kr) for a total of 674 Kr!!! A truly illogical amount for this type of place and for the quality of the food, typical of a tourist spot. Made without passion, without any interest, like a fast-food joint, to put it the Italian way. An incredible disappointment, if you can, avoid it like the plague!

Karlstein Castle

The sky is cloudy and the temperature is -1°C. By now we've given up on seeing a patch of sky; the forecast is not good and above all the hotel staff take away any remaining hope. The day is dedicated to visiting Karlstein Castle. It's about 30 km from Prague and the train takes about 30 minutes to get there. The ticket for two people round trip costs 116 Kr, and if you want to make the lady at the ticket office at Prague Central Station angry...pull out your credit card! We take the 9:55 train and arrive at our destination at 10:25. From the station you walk about twenty minutes, crossing a long bridge over the frozen river. A fine sight awaits you on arrival in the small town of Karlstein: on top of the snowy hill towers the imposing castle built in 1348.

The air, however, is almost saturated with coal dust from the heating of the houses (here gas is still a pipe dream) and after half an hour your clothes will be impregnated to an unbelievable degree! Along the road to the castle there are dozens of souvenir shops selling everything, in particular crystal at definitely more convenient prices than in Prague. If you need to do some shopping this is the best place, without a shadow of a doubt. It takes about thirty minutes to reach the Castle, and once you get to the top the view is worth the effort! The whole valley at your feet, dozens of kilometers of small snowy hills, roads and small villages, truly a beautiful sight. Entrance to the Castle costs 200 Kr and you can't go in without a guide (English only) and above all forget photos and filming, they're forbidden and you can't do them even for a fee.

I of course took a few "contraband" photos, also because the reason is purely economic: at the end of the tour there's a small souvenir shop that sells photos and little films...they're behind the times but they're not stupid, these Czechs! The tour lasts about an hour and the guide speaks English that's understandable even for those like us who don't chew it very well. I'll spare you the commentary on the Castle's history, which you can read in any guidebook. After the ritual photos we go down toward the town in search of something to eat, and along the way we find a very nice place (there are many!) called Restaurace Bohemia. Inside a big lit fireplace, furnished in wood with benches and flowered curtains at the windows. We order a fixed menu for 95 Kr (each) and two beers (45 Kr each) for a total of 280 Kr for two.

The menu offers a potato soup (piping hot and with plenty of dark bread!) and an excellent plate of goulash. Refreshed and half tipsy (the beer is locally produced and has a strength of 12 °C) we go make some purchases in the town's various shops. Among the souvenirs we buy a set of liqueur glasses made of worked crystal (with a guarantee and everything) for 660 Kr. In Prague we'd have paid double! I also recommend the wine as a gift for friends or relatives (90 Kr for a bottle of red). Chilled to the bone (the temperature is definitely lower than in Prague) we head for the station and at 4:30 we take the train that brings us back to the city. In the evening. We wander the streets of the center and near Wenceslas Square we go to another place suggested by the Lonely (we always give everyone two chances!) the Ceska Hospoda V Krakovske at Krakovska 20.

It turns out to be an excellent choice: the menu is in Czech and the girl waiting tables speaks and understands two words of English. The atmosphere is typically Bohemian: we ordered two dishes of the day, the Staroc Panev and the Kralik. They're two meat dishes (I honestly don't remember what kind) one stewed and served with potato dumplings and sauerkraut and the other with blueberry jam. One beer (32 Kr) for a total (for two) of 411 Kr. I really recommend this one to you, because the food is prepared well and the portions are generous and full of sauce.

Around Prague

When we get up, besides the usual cloudy sky we also notice a few flakes swirling in the sky. We decide to do a nice tour of Prague, focusing on the Petrin Hill area, which in 2002 we hadn't had time to visit. We also take a stroll through the neighborhood at the foot of the hill, looking for the advertised "open-air markets" but which, of course, in the winter season just aren't there! The hill is very nice; to go up you can choose the tiring way (on foot!) or the comfortable way (by cable car). If you have the pass the cable car is included, otherwise it costs like a bus ticket. Halfway up the cable car makes a (brief) stop to let you get off and go to the adjacent restaurant. Once at the top the cold is biting and the visual spectacle is a little disappointing: you imagine seeing the city at your feet but the trees prevent a really clear view.

At the top a large slice of the hill is occupied by a military installation, and then there are several attractions: the labyrinth, the Petrin Tower (similar in construction to the Eiffel Tower in Paris) and the Astronomical Observatory. When we went everything was closed except the observatory. The intense cold and the heavily snow-covered ground were hardly the right conditions for a nice walk, but we decide anyway to go down on foot along the little road that leads to the eighteenth-century Kostel Sv Michala (church of St. Michael), a wooden construction that came from Ukraine. Taken apart and rebuilt piece by piece, it sits in the Petrin woods in a state of semi-abandonment. Near the cable car departure point (Vitezna, where the tram passes) we had lunch in a small place (Stara Praha). For 275 Kr we got two hot soups, two beers and two desserts.

In the afternoon we take a tour of the northern part of Prague, going as far as the university area and the Toyota stadium (where, for the fans, Sparta Prague and the Czech national team play). For anyone interested, across from the stadium there's a Sparta souvenir shop, unfortunately closed for the Christmas holidays! The university area is full of parks, but the season and above all the day don't encourage a walk. So we decide to duck into the metro and go to one of the big shopping malls that represent the "new Prague." By metro we get off at Andel station and head to Novy Smichov, a shopping mall in the Prague 5 area (southwest area). It dates back to 2002 and is enormous, extending for several hundred meters. When we arrive it starts snowing! The mall is full of shops of every kind. It's sale time so there are many tempting offers.

Inside the mall there's also a cinema, a bowling area, several restaurants and a big Carrefour. We leave the mall and go across the street (at Lidickà 42) to the cafe KAVA.KAVA.KAVA. It's an American-born chain, where you can have a coffee and get some pastries. Also, if you have a laptop, you can surf the internet via wi-fi. There are tons of students inside who, with their laptops, spend the afternoon studying, doing research, or simply surfing the internet. We get a hot chocolate (45 Kr), a hot tea (35 Kr) and a strudel (35 Kr) just to spend an hour sheltered from the snowfall. For dinner we decide not to go far; the bad weather and tiredness suggest we stay in the area. And so we go right near the Andel metro exit where the Pizzeria Corleone is (Na Belidle 42).

The Italian origins are beyond doubt, the place is very large with huge windows on the street and paintings inside recalling the most famous mafia figures in history. Of course the staff isn't Italian and the menu is (at least!) in English/Italian. I'll tell you right away that the pizza is wood-fired and very good (better than several pizzerias in Rome!). The crust is thin and the pizza is well-topped. There's also a big selection of pizzas and appetizers. We get two bruschettas with tomato (46 Kr per portion) and a pizza with eggplant and zucchini (98 Kr) and a Corleone (119 Kr). Two medium beers (26 Kr) and a small one (16 Kr). The total bill is 377 Kr and honestly we get up truly full and satisfied. One word of advice: regardless of what you order, the waiter will bring you bread.

The usual story: if you don't want to pay for it (and what am I supposed to do with bread if I order bruschettas and pizza?!), send it back!

Discovering Prague

On the morning of the 5th, the sky is obviously gray and a few flakes fall, making the atmosphere even more magical. After breakfast we head toward the Jewish cemetery of Zidovske Hrbitovy, where Franz Kafka's grave is. To get there, get off by metro at the Zelivského stop; the cemetery entrance is right across from it. Kafka's grave is well signposted and easy to find. The atmosphere is truly eerie, with the snow covering the graves and the little paths leading to the various sections of the cemetery. We head toward the northern part of the city and go see the Convent of St. Agnes (Klaster Sv Anezky) in Stare Mesto. The entrance costs 40 Kr and the visit to the monastery is rather interesting, though in our view it isn't a "must" of Prague: if you don't have time, feel free to skip this visit, there are plenty of other things that deserve it! For lunch we move to the Dejvicka area.

The university area is here, and as former students we were curious to see how our Czech colleagues were doing. In Prague too, as in other European cities, the university campuses are nothing like ours. They're not in congested parts of the city; there are ample green spaces and functional buildings. Prague is no exception either, though the signs of communism are evident in the buildings and school structures. There are several university faculties, all well connected to each other. Since it's the holiday period there isn't much going on and the classrooms aren't hosting any lessons at the time of our visit. On our way out we head to a place flagged by the Lonely Planet, La Pizzeria Grosseto (metro Dejvicka). You go along the huge tree-lined street (Jugoslavskych partyzanu) and at number 8 is this pizzeria run by Italians.

Compared to the description the atmosphere doesn't thrill us; it has little to do with the Pizzeria Corleone we already visited on the other side of the city. Undecided, we continue south along the same street in search of a Czech tavern. We find it about a hundred meters past the Pizzeria; the name is "U Popolu." I don't think there could be a more typical place than this. Spartan but clean interior, two very, very bored waiters and few but select patrons: an old lady, a retiree and a few construction workers. Of course the (only) language is Czech: for both the menu and the waiters, and so if you're not armed with a guidebook, a small vocabulary or a good dose of intuition, this place isn't for you. We got two medium beers (18 Kr each), a Gambrinus goulash (79 Kr) and a "Moravian Sparrow" (Moravisky Vrabec) for 59 Kr.

This is one of the typical dishes of Prague and it's quite hard to find in its original version. It's a nice piece of stewed pork, with sauerkraut and other vegetables that are rather complicated to explain. Lunch for two cost us 174 Kr, that is, less than 7 €! These are the real prices of Prague, of the popular Prague that has by now disappeared because of the great tourist flows. We round the bill up to 200 Kr and the waiter almost has a fit: twice he asked us if we'd made a mistake, making frantic gestures at the amount of the bill. But he was really patient and very helpful, so we decided to buy him a couple of beers to our health. We devote the afternoon to visiting the Loreto shrine. It's in the Castle area, in the western part, and to get there take tram 22 or 23. The metro doesn't stop right nearby.

The entrance is quite expensive (90 Kr) and along the route you'll find stern guards who will stop you from photographing and filming. Be careful because compared to other places, here they are very strict, and some tourists have had their equipment confiscated (promptly returned at the exit) after violating the ban. The main attraction of the shrine is its treasury and in particular the "Prague Sun," a monstrance 90 cm tall in silver and solid gold decorated with over 6,200 diamonds...on the way out of the tour a nice surprise awaits us: there's an event to celebrate the Magi bringing gifts to Jesus. The Magi are even carried on real camels, and there are tons of children and families following the event amid photos and emotional applause.

Needless to say, a heavy snowfall began, making it all very evocative! We grasp the scale of the event when we see the cameras of Czech state TV filming and commenting "LIVE" on the event! At the end we head to a pub for a restorative grog...the cold is truly intense and the Shrine is mostly visitable outdoors! After a necessary restorative break we're ready (though not enthusiastic!) to go out again and go to dinner. The chosen destination is Pizzeria Kmotra (V Jircharich 12). Flagged by the Lonely guide and confirmed by our hotel's reception, it seems to be the most famous pizzeria in Prague, serving giant wood-fired pizzas. To get there, get off by metro at Narodni Trida, a 10-minute walk and you'll reach your destination. We followed our receptionist's advice: go early! The place isn't very big and seats

End of the trip

Last day. We're a little sad, we pack our bags and have a hearty breakfast. We go out for some last shopping at some supermarkets near the hotel (Becherovka and Absinthe are the most popular liquors) also because shopping at the airport is very expensive…around noon we pick up our bags left at the hotel and off to the airport. Subway and bus, in half an hour we're at the terminal. Ready for the trip back with a lot of sadness but with the satisfaction of having once again been swept away by the breathtaking beauty of Prague. After all, we tell ourselves, there's no two without three! See you next time!!