Praha, for so long a cultural centre of Europe, it had since bore the front of the Holocaust, witnessed communism, as well as becoming the very place where the Velvet Revolution took place. Through all of these, it remains a city full of beautiful architecture and a very strong cultural sense with daily concerts happening in all parts of the city. The four of us were there for a glorious weekend.
Here are the points for Praha:
1 point goes to the Praha-hlavní nádraží (Prague Main Train Station). This main station was only very close to you accommodation, but whether it was because it is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment or if it is just plain old, it simply didn’t look very safe to us. The fact that strange young men were loitering (yes, loitering) around the stairs that connect the ground (being refurbished) floor with the lower, main floor also didn’t help. All it lacked were Gypsy beggars and muggers to complete the picture of destitute.
2 points go to Vaclavské nám (Wencelas Square). For a Square dedicated to the ‘Good King’, this strip has become a hanging ground for teenagers, thanks no less to the numerous fast food joints, restaurants, pubs and clubs that line both sides of the square. Needless to say litter, noise & cigarette smoke are the main issues here. But then again, when is cigarette smoke not an issue through Europe?
3 points go to Town Hall Astronomical Clock. Most guide books would direct you to the hourly show that happens around Town Hall Square, and undoubtedly you would find hoards of tourists gathering in front of the clock from around 10, 15 minutes to the hour. Sadly the ‘show’ is a bit of a disappointment, with less than a handful of the clock’s figures actually move, the bell-ringing skeleton being 1. The whole ‘show’ is also over in just a couple of minutes. You can, however, see all the different star signs towards the bottom of the clock. For a different view, you can climb up the Town Hall’s town and look back down at all the tourists as they wait for the show.
4 points go to Kampa Island. Tauted as an artistic district of Praha, the architecture in this district was supposed to be reasonably different (more nouveau & pastelly) to the rest of the city (Gothic, Renaissance, Neo-renaissance, Kubist, etc), but with the rest of the city so beautiful this district just paled (only a bit though) in comparison.
5 points go to Karlúv most (Charles Bridge). A famous bridge in Praha, it is decorated with loads of stone statues on both sides of the bridge. Sadly it is currently undergoing refurbishment so we couldn’t see it in full glory/effect. It, however, still has a pretty good view of the Vltava, Staré Město, the district of Kampa, and back up to the hrad.
6 points go to Staromeské nám (Old Town Hall Square). This is a beautiful square surrounded by historical and/or religious buildings. Týn Church to the west, for example, has a gold-plated Virgin Mary high up its front façade, with the view of the square and the fountain is also great from in front of this church. There are loads of souvenir shops, glassware shops & eateries around and in the nearby Týnská.
7 points go to the Jewish quarter. Easily the most beautiful residential area of the whole of Praha, it is amazing how it managed to survive through/been painstakingly restored since WWII. There are several museums and synagogues within this district, such as the ‘Museum of an extinct race’ which display Nazi artefacts from Bohemia and Moravia. All of these cost $$ to enter. You can buy tickets from pretty much any of the synagogues or Jewish community centres in the area. You can also find the statue of Kafka in the Jewish quarter.
8 points go to Havelský Market. This daily market is situated on Havelská west of the Vltava and very close to the tourist attractions of the Staréměsto nám and St Nicolas’ Church. Stalls sell a whole array of things, from touristy souvenirs like beautifully crafted wooden Christmas decorations, to food and fresh fruits, to some vintage gear like this old Russian soldier’s hat that I got. Things are also cheap and you can easily spend hours just gawking and awing at stuff.
9 points go to the Pražský hrad (Praha Castle). Sitting high on a hill east of the Vltava, the Pražský hrad is quite a large complex that now incorporates a bunch of museums (most of which require entry fees). You can buy different ticket options at the information centres. Guide books would direct you to the Golden Lane, south gardens (Garden of Ramparts) and Bohemian crown jewels. Apparently ticket option B covers all of these attractions. For non-payers, however, there are still plenty to see, such as the medieval armour dress-up, the cathedral, as well as the hourly changing of the guards.
10 points go to the Wallenstein Palace & Garden. Though opened on weekends only and cost €3 entry, it offers a great short cut up from the banks of the Vltava up to the Pražský hrad. We were there in the midst of autumn and there were still plenty in flower. You can easily spend more than ½ hour in the gardens just wondering every nook & cranny, taking action shots at the windows, ledges, & of Staré Město. Guide books would also direct you to the statue of Hercules.
And finally, 12 points go to cheap foods. Praha easily offered to best and cheapest meals we have had so far on the trip. Our sit-down meals for 4 generally only went for around CZK750, which is a tremendous bargain by European standards (OK, it is Eastern Europe, but still it’s cheap!). The quality was also very excellent, that includes the local brew (we only sampled in-house brew or beer brewed locally within Praha), ‘dumpling’, fried cheese, pork knuckles, guláš & all.
Praha is simply a beautiful city with so much to see. It is yet another city that I can keep going back time and time again and not tire of. Next, we train down south to the Austrian capital of Wien.
Here are the points for Praha:
1 point goes to the Praha-hlavní nádraží (Prague Main Train Station). This main station was only very close to you accommodation, but whether it was because it is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment or if it is just plain old, it simply didn’t look very safe to us. The fact that strange young men were loitering (yes, loitering) around the stairs that connect the ground (being refurbished) floor with the lower, main floor also didn’t help. All it lacked were Gypsy beggars and muggers to complete the picture of destitute.
2 points go to Vaclavské nám (Wencelas Square). For a Square dedicated to the ‘Good King’, this strip has become a hanging ground for teenagers, thanks no less to the numerous fast food joints, restaurants, pubs and clubs that line both sides of the square. Needless to say litter, noise & cigarette smoke are the main issues here. But then again, when is cigarette smoke not an issue through Europe?
3 points go to Town Hall Astronomical Clock. Most guide books would direct you to the hourly show that happens around Town Hall Square, and undoubtedly you would find hoards of tourists gathering in front of the clock from around 10, 15 minutes to the hour. Sadly the ‘show’ is a bit of a disappointment, with less than a handful of the clock’s figures actually move, the bell-ringing skeleton being 1. The whole ‘show’ is also over in just a couple of minutes. You can, however, see all the different star signs towards the bottom of the clock. For a different view, you can climb up the Town Hall’s town and look back down at all the tourists as they wait for the show.
4 points go to Kampa Island. Tauted as an artistic district of Praha, the architecture in this district was supposed to be reasonably different (more nouveau & pastelly) to the rest of the city (Gothic, Renaissance, Neo-renaissance, Kubist, etc), but with the rest of the city so beautiful this district just paled (only a bit though) in comparison.
5 points go to Karlúv most (Charles Bridge). A famous bridge in Praha, it is decorated with loads of stone statues on both sides of the bridge. Sadly it is currently undergoing refurbishment so we couldn’t see it in full glory/effect. It, however, still has a pretty good view of the Vltava, Staré Město, the district of Kampa, and back up to the hrad.
6 points go to Staromeské nám (Old Town Hall Square). This is a beautiful square surrounded by historical and/or religious buildings. Týn Church to the west, for example, has a gold-plated Virgin Mary high up its front façade, with the view of the square and the fountain is also great from in front of this church. There are loads of souvenir shops, glassware shops & eateries around and in the nearby Týnská.
7 points go to the Jewish quarter. Easily the most beautiful residential area of the whole of Praha, it is amazing how it managed to survive through/been painstakingly restored since WWII. There are several museums and synagogues within this district, such as the ‘Museum of an extinct race’ which display Nazi artefacts from Bohemia and Moravia. All of these cost $$ to enter. You can buy tickets from pretty much any of the synagogues or Jewish community centres in the area. You can also find the statue of Kafka in the Jewish quarter.
8 points go to Havelský Market. This daily market is situated on Havelská west of the Vltava and very close to the tourist attractions of the Staréměsto nám and St Nicolas’ Church. Stalls sell a whole array of things, from touristy souvenirs like beautifully crafted wooden Christmas decorations, to food and fresh fruits, to some vintage gear like this old Russian soldier’s hat that I got. Things are also cheap and you can easily spend hours just gawking and awing at stuff.
9 points go to the Pražský hrad (Praha Castle). Sitting high on a hill east of the Vltava, the Pražský hrad is quite a large complex that now incorporates a bunch of museums (most of which require entry fees). You can buy different ticket options at the information centres. Guide books would direct you to the Golden Lane, south gardens (Garden of Ramparts) and Bohemian crown jewels. Apparently ticket option B covers all of these attractions. For non-payers, however, there are still plenty to see, such as the medieval armour dress-up, the cathedral, as well as the hourly changing of the guards.
10 points go to the Wallenstein Palace & Garden. Though opened on weekends only and cost €3 entry, it offers a great short cut up from the banks of the Vltava up to the Pražský hrad. We were there in the midst of autumn and there were still plenty in flower. You can easily spend more than ½ hour in the gardens just wondering every nook & cranny, taking action shots at the windows, ledges, & of Staré Město. Guide books would also direct you to the statue of Hercules.
And finally, 12 points go to cheap foods. Praha easily offered to best and cheapest meals we have had so far on the trip. Our sit-down meals for 4 generally only went for around CZK750, which is a tremendous bargain by European standards (OK, it is Eastern Europe, but still it’s cheap!). The quality was also very excellent, that includes the local brew (we only sampled in-house brew or beer brewed locally within Praha), ‘dumpling’, fried cheese, pork knuckles, guláš & all.
Praha is simply a beautiful city with so much to see. It is yet another city that I can keep going back time and time again and not tire of. Next, we train down south to the Austrian capital of Wien.
No comments:
Post a Comment