Prague

You hear incredible stories about Prague and that it is a must visit destination but you really can't fully understand it until you see it yourself. So I'll do my best to convey what we experienced in Prague.

When you first enter Prague it looks like a picture out of the communist construction guide filled with white boxed buildings as far as the eye can see. The train station is a massive steel structure covered in grimy glass panelling. At this point you are thinking where am I? This isn't what I thought Prague was meant to look like.

This washes away as you approach the old part of Prague with its narrow cobbled streets lined with beautiful old buildings from multiple eras. The new part of town was built in the 1800s while the old town was started in the 1500s and the first Church within the castle complex was built in 800 AD. There is evidence that people were in fact inhabiting Prague at the time Woolly Mammoths walked the earth. So it is a city with a lot of history behind it. The streets are bustling with people and vendors. Cafes and restaurants flow out onto large squares. We found a quaint little Czech restaurant which we visited for the two nights we were in town. The local cuisine was delicious with roast duck and pork neck steaks with garlic sausage both accompanied by gnocchi.

I never fully comprehended the importance of Prague and the impact it  had on the development of greater Europe. King Charles IV, the ruler during the 1500s, was the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, King of Italy and Bohemia. During his rule Prague was the third biggest city in Europe. He built the first University in Central Europe, the largest stone bridge while overseeing the largest medieval castle complex in the world. Prague Castle and Charles Bridge were amazing. The Charles bridge was until recently the only bridge that crossed the Vlata river which separates the two halves of Prague. It took us most of a day to walk around the Prague Castle complex while taking a scenic route through the hills behind the castle giving us some great elevated views of the city. The castle and cathedral are furnished as it was during Charles rule.

This two day fly by visit didn't do Prague justice but we got a great look into the older part of Prague and an appreciation for the history of Prague. Definitely want to try and get back there at some point.

BT