Prague: Day One

Is there anything so romantic as Prague? Land of charm, soft orange rooftops, Art Nouvea buildings and beer that is cheaper than water. Prague is what I imagined and dreamed it would be. Much of city avoided bombing so it is rich and beautiful. So, let's Czech it out.

We had 3 days in Prague.
Day One: Old Town
Day Two: day trip to Konopiště Castle
Day Three: Castle Hill


Day One

We popped into Prague early when no one was awake. We dropped off our bags at our apartment in Old Town (Staré Město), fought the urge to sleep (overnight trains ≠ good rest) and started at the very beginning (a very good place to start). Enough parentheses for you? :)

Old Town Square is flanked by Church of St. Nicholas, Tyn Church and Old Town Hall. It has served as a market square since the 11th Century and if you get there early enough, you beat the tour groups on Segway.

As Prague continued to wake up we made our way through Old Town Square to Wenceslas Square which is a long, Art Nouveau style street with a strip of grass down the middle of it. At one end is the National Museum and a statue of King Wenceslas (from the Christmas carol) who ruled in the 10th century.

While you could see a typical equestrian statue out in the square, you can see an even more exciting Wenceslas riding an upside-down horse in the Lucerna Gallery. Because he is just that bad ass.

Nice to know that grumpy cat translates

After some retail therapy in forms of traditional shopping along Wenceslas Square and at the open-air Havelska Market, we wandered through the massive crowds and randos hawking Thai massages to the famed Charles Bridge.

There is a bridge tower (pictured left) and you can climb to the top of the tower for great views of the bridge. We  paid 75 Koruna for the pleasure. Even though it is crowded, it is worth the visit. The statue below is of the famed St. John of Nepomuk. Look for the rubbings on the bottom of the statue. Good luck?

We wandered back to Old Town Square and made two mistakes. First, we had dinner at one of the restaurants on the square where water was the equivalent of $8 and the food was less than mediocre. But the view was sure nice.

The second mistake was buying tickets to a second-rate Black Light Theater performance. Already seeming a little sketchy, the popular Black Light Theater company was sold out. We bought tickets for another one and it was, weird. Now don't get me wrong. I don't mind different or experimental, but it wasn't for me. If you can, I have heard that Ta Fantastika is the best one.

And with that, success for day one in Prague.


Practicalities:

• Money: Czech Republic used Czech Koruna. Get your monies at the ATM. In terms of sights, many are free. If given the chance, always pay extra to climb up for a view. 
• Transportation: the train station is on the east part of town. You can either to the metro or the tram. But Prague is incredibly walk-able so we mostly walked. 
• Accommodation: most of our activities centered around Old Town so it was worth it to pay a little extra to stay close and not have to pay for a tram/metro ride in. We liked our place here. 
• Crowds: Prague is a popular place. If you want to avoid crowds try to get to popular outdoor locations early (before 8 or 9 a.m.)
• Eating: avoid eating on the big squares if you want good quality that is affordable.  

Traveled May 2015.