Prague

Onward to Eastern Europe – Prague

Having been on self-directed travel for over two months, we started June with a welcome change. Today we’re headed to Prague with new friends as part of a Globus tour. I remember this part of Europe mostly for its isolation until the fall of communism in 1990. For me, Prague, Budapest, and Vienna are places you read about in spy novels and watched in movies. Now this region had totally remade itself with new countries, new ‘free movement’ borders and a welcome openness to tourism.

Prague is in the northwestern portion of the Czech Republic. The main part of the city is on the east bank of the Vltava (Moldau) River that cuts through the city. As soon as we crossed one of the seven main bridges into the old part of the city, the eastern European/old world ambiance soaked in. The old stone bridges across the river, the cobbled streets, and even the trams told me I was in Prague – the Prague I’d read about in books. We navigated through narrow streets with classic stone buildings rising up on both sides until we got to our hotel in Old Town Prague. This was going to be great.

Prague at Night

That first evening we headed north across the Moldau River to visit the Strahovský klášter (Strahov Monastery) in Strahov. The monastery sits on a hill, north of the city and has an awesome view of the river and the main city of Prague. Curiously, they produce a beer there that reportedly has ‘antidepressant’ qualities. Sadly, we didn’t get a chance to sample any. The monastery also has two ghosts that we heard about. We were warned against returning at midnight lest we would get to meet the two in person. And these were just the first of many ghosts in Prague… welcome to Eastern Europe.

The Charles Bridge is a 500-year-old bridge for pedestrian traffic only. We climbed the stairs to the bridge after learning of another ghost, a beautiful woman dancer that preys on men. From the bridge, we were reminded that this was the location of the Prague Bridge scene took place in Mission Impossible I. Crossing the bridge gave us beautiful views, one after another as the sun was setting. If you go to Prague, walking across the Charles Bridge is a definite sunset activity!

Meeting the Locals

Our tour guide arranged for a local musician to meet us in a pub. We spent about 45 minutes drinking local brews and singing along with the skilled accordion player. While none of us got up and started dancing, it was interesting how much our knowledge of local songs improved as we drank more beer. It was a great way for the members of our tour to start to get to know each other.

Castles and History

The parks and architecture in the city are wonderful. Most of the city was undamaged from WWII, leaving many classic Eastern European neighborhoods and a great many well-maintained older buildings. On our second day in Prague, we visited the Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. The castle is home to the Czech president and includes the cathedral. This is one of the oldest European castles, dating back to 870 AD. It’s also the site of some of the most significant historical events in the region.

The Second Defenestration of Prague in 1618 took place at the castle. I missed many of the details in the tour, but it had something to do with throwing people out a window. (defenestration noun – the action of throwing someone or something out of a window.) Being defenestrated was not overly popular with those getting thrown…. Regardless, that sparked the Bohemian Revolt and a resulting war. Like I said, there’s lots of history here. Julie and I also walked many of the streets and neighborhoods and especially enjoyed Václavské náměstí (Wenceslas Square).

Wenceslas Square

Although it’s referred to as a square, Wenceslas Square is really a half mile long wide boulevard with a park down the middle. While having dinner one night we found out that it is a traditional setting for demonstrations, celebrations, and other public gatherings. Several thousand peaceful demonstrators gathered to voice concerns that we never quite figured out. The large TV screens, speaking platforms, flags, banners and public speakers left us feeling like we were in the middle of a documentary. There was a continual flow of more and more people into the square as we dined. The crowd in the square was still full of energy and enthusiasm as we walked back to our hotel after dinner.

There was so much more to this city that I could go on and on. Prague is an easy city to get around in on foot and we found it friendly and offering a lot to visitors. As we headed out of the city for Bratislava in Slovenia we’d already decided that it was going to hold a top spot on our list of favorite cities in Eastern Europe.

Prague Photos (Flickr)