A Week in Prague

A week in Prague ferny Forner

I had wanted to visit Prague for a long time, all my friends talked to me about it, and since every year in May I take a one-week trip, I started looking on the internet. Searching for low-cost flights, hotels, reading blogs and travel diaries. As for the flight, no problem, I immediately find a Skyeurope flight from Turin (40 euros a head all included per leg and per person); for the hotel I find a 3-star, the residence Bologna (100 euros a night) run by Italians, near Charles Bridge.

10 May, departure with my wife from Turin. Flight duration about 1 hour. Arrival in Prague at 14.00; despite having left late we arrive early; at the airport the hotel minibus was waiting for us with the usual sign with the name. The hotel is in an excellent central position, near Charles Bridge; the building a bit anonymous, the accommodation comfortable, full bathroom with bidet, satellite television (few channels, in Italian only Canale 5), a rather large room with a living area, a kitchenette, wifi (only on the first floor). We put away our few things and immediately begin visiting the city, helped by magnificent weather (the forecast was terrible), visiting Charles Bridge (construction begun in 1170), which is a symbol of Prague known throughout the world; at 19.00 you can visit it calmly and admire the 31 statues of saints along its sides.

They say that touching one of them (I don't remember which) brings good luck; even at this hour people queue to pose and be photographed; moreover, while crossing you enjoy a magnificent view of the castle, the river with its various bridges, and admire the stupendous Tower. Note that in the immediate vicinity of the bridge there is a suggestive corner: the museum and monument dedicated to the great composer Smetana. We head towards the Staromestske Namesti (Old Town Square) where the famous astronomical clock (from 1410) is located and which every hour (even at night) attracts a lot of people; you will always see them with their noses in the air and cameras ready to shoot. The whole area is closed to traffic; you can move freely through the dozens of little alleys, full of life until late, with shops open until late in the evening as well as bars and beer halls.

Safety? Never had any problems. It has got to 21.00; we head towards the Kolkovna beer hall, located about 500 metres away, the street leading to Josefov, the Jewish quarter; we can't find a table, they tell us you need to book. We book for the following evening; moreover we notice a young and very cheerful atmosphere. We fall back on an anonymous restaurant in the old square, whose name I don't remember and which anyway is not worth remembering.

11 May: buffet breakfast at the hotel, an exploratory tour of the city, to get an idea of the situation; we are about 400 metres from Stare Mesto (Old Town), passing by St Nicholas church, the Klementinum, the Old Town Square; we visit the Church of Our Lady before Tyn, with its spectacular towers, then on to the fourteenth-century church of St James, then the elegant Celetna Ulice with its shops and the Karolinum.

Lunch at the restaurant U Supa, on Via Celetna; the food is decent; we had a tomato soup with basil purée (2.80 euros), and an old-Bohemian-style goulash, served in a bread loaf hollowed out like a bowl (3.50 euros), mixed salad (3.30), apple strudel with vanilla sauce (€ 4.40), chocolate fondue (€ 4.80), all for a total of about 13 euros a head, beer and coffee included; in the afternoon we continue visiting without particular goals; I had also brought my pda with satellite navigator, but I can guarantee that you don't need it in Prague, you find your way around perfectly.

In the evening we return to Charles Bridge (the hotel is nearby) and go to the Kolkovna beer hall, an interesting and rich menu, with typical Czech dishes based on chicken, rabbit, duck, pork, soups; we eat abundantly with potato and mushroom soup served in a bread loaf, goulash with meat and potatoes, rabbit with garlic and spinach as well as an excellent dessert, spending about 27 euros for two, large beer and coffee included. I also note that the various courses (very generous) generally constitute a single dish, so even the tagliatelle are served with pieces of chicken; two courses are plenty, but we wanted to taste Czech cuisine, all with rivers of beer; if you want, you can have Czech wine. Around 23.00 we leave the place to take a stroll and we find ourselves, without meaning to, in Wenceslas Square.

The square, very busy, has the shape of a slightly narrow and long rectangle; it has a modern style, shops and boutiques with large windows, a massive presence of department stores (Rinascente style); there are restaurants, bars, even outdoors, discos; the square is open to traffic

12 May: the usual breakfast; we set off to visit the surroundings of the modern Wenceslas Square, rich in Art Nouveau buildings and decorations, a square created in 1300 to host the horse market; then the Powder Tower, taking advantage of the fine day; we pass through Republic Square, Karlova Square, we visit the church of Our Lady of the Snows. Interesting, although almost all the churches in Prague seem to me to have a mainly Baroque interior. We return to Wenceslas Square for lunch at the Grand Hotel Europa; we have 2 courses each with beer and wine; we manage with 27 euros for two; the setting is a bit formal.

In the afternoon we go to Strahov Monastery (built in 1140); the Philosophical Hall and the Library rooms are beautiful; then we take a stroll in the old Jewish quarter (Josefov) and take a look at the old cemetery; the colourful stalls selling souvenirs, set among the synagogues, are charming too; reserving a more detailed visit, we go to the riverbank, which in that quarter makes a wide bend. In the evening another trip to the Kolkovna, choosing from the menu based on traditional cuisine; I also let myself be tempted by (a somewhat expensive) Bohemian wine; we spend 26 euros for an abundant and well-prepared meal, soup, roast duck, chicken tagliatelle, dessert, beer and coffee for 26 euros. (to be continued)