Nanda & Nathan The Travellers: Prague, Czech Republic (Day 1)

November 28-30,2014 ---- Prague...what a beautiful city! It was worth every minute we were there. Aside from the freezing cold weather, everything was enjoyable. The scenery, the buildings, the food, the beer and the people all have made a memorable impression and we will definitely go back if we ever have a chance.

The Czech Republic sounds so foreign to an Asian like me. Had I ever heard of this country before? Probably only from the Miss Universe beauty contest I watched on TV two decades ago. What brought us to Prague then? Well, it was our adventurous minds while living in Europe...

Prague is only a four-hour ride from Munich, and there are buses from the Main Bus Terminal going to Prague's train station everyday. The IC Bus we took was very nice and comfortable, and I can say that it was the best bus I have ever taken.

We arrived Prague in the evening, got cash from an ATM, bought 24-hour public transportation tickets and went straight to our hotel to check in. We stayed at EA Hotel Jeleni Dvur located right behind Prague Castle and right at Brusnice tram station. We paid only 35 EUR a night. Our suite was specious, clean and comfortable, and breakfast was plentiful and delicious. The front desk also gave us maps of the city, and they also sell tours and tickets for public transportation.

After settling in our room, we went to a restaurant around Strahovský klášter because there's a famous brewery called Klášterní pivovar Strahov located in the church area, but we were confused with the directions and ended up in a big beer hall located right next door named Velká Klášterní Restaurace. Well, the food was very good but a little expensive, and Nathan didn't like the beer there.

The first full day in Prague we spent half a day at Prague Castle. It was the seat of Czech rulers for almost 1000 years and it is where the current president lives and works. We bought "Circuit A" tickets, which included St. Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace, exhibition The Story of Prague Castle, St. George's Basilica, Golden Lane with Daliborka Tower, Powder Tower, and Rosenberg Palace. All these are located in Prague Castle's area, and I felt like we spent only 20-30 minutes in each spot. Our favorite part was the exhibition of "The Story of Prague Castle."

We first went in St. Vitus Cathedral because it was going to close at noon that day. This Gothic-style church was dating back to the 10th century, but it wasn't until the 14th century when the cathedral was found. Inside was containing the tombs of Bohemian kings. Then we went visiting all the sights on our tickets till lunch time. We walked to the Old Castle Stairs to get a good view of the city, but it was a cloudy, foggy day, so we didn't really have a nice view. Then we walked down the 121 steps to have lunch at a local restaurant located about two blocks from the castle. It was really nice to be in a warm, cozy place and eat a hot bowl of soup when the temperature outside was close to zero degrees Celsius.

Lesser Town of Lesser Quarter was my favorite neighborhood in Prague. There were a lot of Renaissance bourgeois houses, Baroque palaces and many interesting gift shops. I found many potential Christmas gifts there, but I didn't buy anything because I thought I could find a better gift at the Christmas Market in the Old Town. I was wrong....

In Lesster Town we also visited two churches. St. Nicholas Church is very beautiful and worth it to pay 70 CZK for a visit. At the Church of Our Lady Victorious, the entrance was free and there was a famous baby Jesus statue and a museum about his dress inside.

Charles Bridge is probably the most famous tourist site in Prague. It was built in the mid 14th century but wasn't finished until the early 15th century, to replace the small bridge that connected the castle to the Old Town of Prague. On each end of the bridge were Gothic towers which guarded the Charles Bridge, and the most famous one is the Old Town Bridge Tower where you can pay to see an exhibit inside.

One of the reasons I visited Prague in the end of November was to see its Christmas Market. There were many Christmas Markets around the city, but the biggest and most famous one was at the Old Town Square. There were a ton of people in that square, and a lot of vendors selling food and souvenirs. We walked around and I tried some local sugar-sprinkled bread and Nathan had a glass of hot wine. One disadvantage of traveling in the winter is that the day-light time is so short and many places close early, so we just went back to our hotel around 4.30 p.m. and rested a little before dinner.

We finally found the famous brewery we wanted to go on the first night. Klášterní pivovar Strahov is a small brewery making great Czech beer. Nathan really enjoyed his dark beer, but less liked the auburn-color one. The food was just ok or else we might have ordered the wrong dish. Overall, it was still worth coming for an evening relaxation.