It has been a stunning Saturday in Prague and I am a happy girl. I have walked, I’ve climbed up towers to escape the tourist crowds and get the best views across the city, and my belly is full of roast pork and apple strudel. I have a few days here and looked at travel blogs to see what the ‘must not miss’ attractions are. If you are planning a visit I recommend The Invisible Tourist blog for Prague, it’s full of awesome information and suggestions for things to see that are off the beaten track. An absolute highlight of today was a tour of the Klementinum in the old town which houses some of Gallileo’s original scientific intruments, and a beautiful Baroque library built in 1772 that is full of priceless books and globes (you can’t take photos inside, and can only step into it for 5 mins in small groups, it wasn’t touched during the war or during Communist rule, it’s still in use ! and it is amazing). It also has a tower which has the best views of the city.
As my close friends will know, I am highly open to suggestion. Say the word cheesecake and I will want a piece. So, after several hours of walking past pigs on a spit and restaurants touting their pork as the best there is, I didn’t stand a chance and made a beeline for a cosy table where I ordered myself roast pork for lunch. With gluhwein (mulled wine but somehow more delicious!). It was so good. And only $20NZ.
Google will tell you that cash is king here but that’s not quite true. Cards are accepted most places, or euros. Unless you’re shopping from a market in which case you’ll need some Czech koruna. What Google won’t tell you is just how many people will also be visiting this beautiful city. The crowds were so chocka at times that I couldn’t turn around. And this isn’t even the peak time to visit :0 Luckily there are a lot of towers to climb, and quieter hidden gems tucked away to escape to.
Pig is big here 
Town Hall, home of the astronomical clock (see next pic) 
Chimney cakes 
Love the gluhwein 
Soup in bread 
Roast pork, bread dumplings and white cabbage 🙂 
I can relate 
Apple strudel 🙂 
Charles Bridge and a billion tourists 
Gallileo 
Meridian line 
Incredible tour of Klementinum library 
I love globes and these are incredible 
Bloody hell 
SO many people 
Anything for a photo 
Vltava River 
I have a hotel 🙂 
Every hour masses of people crowd around the astronomical clock to watch it chime, and the figures of the apostles dance
Did you eat pork knee?
Nope don’t think so. Germany served pork knuckle, here it’s the knee….what will be next :0
ah Prague, I remember that delightful city well. Did a Getaway programme story there or was it Air NZ Holiday, anyway my memories were beer cheaper than bottled water, a very very hard bed in the hotel I stayed in with an old bakerlite phone with dial and spiral cord. And I was going to query your astronomical clock reference as thought it was Astrological.. but then saw it written on a sign in your photos, so was my bad memory after all! I also committed the dumb sin of buying crystal in Prague, 2 sets of wine glasses, a few decanters etc, and then had the tricky job of getting them home carefully in the overhead airline lockers, as hand luggage, and MAN that crystal is HEAVY. I still have all the crystal though, looks as good as ever! Memories eh.
My bed is like a slab of stone 🙂 and those glasses oh my word…..I LOVE cut glass and only the thought of carrying them around for the next few months is stopping me buying some. That and the $3000 NZD price tag on the ones I really like ha ha ha. I’m off to Vienna next so let me know any recommendations. I think the clock in the square measures multiple things including Babylonian time (?!) so maybe we’re both right. x
I remember someone paying $50 each for some teacups in the Takapuna markets not that long ago!!
ha ha ha ha ha 🙂 yup