Friday, 16 January 2015

Take me back to Czech Republic...

Ah....What can I say....
I have recently come back from a 4 day trip to the Czech republic and must say
I fell in love with it, couldn't get enough of it and left much to see next time.

I am deffinitely visiting again as I have sooo much more to see.We stayed at Prague, the capital city near the Republic square.
Firstly we had to sort out our transportation from the airport to our hotel. Since taxis are really pricey the best option is to get the shuttle which can take you to the republic square in 30 minutes for 150czk (roughly 6 euros).
Getting to our hotel was quite easy from then on as we stayed quite close to where the shuttle passes.
We stayed at the Grandior hotel which although does not look much from the outside is a wonderful place to stay.
Although it is a 5star hotel, the prices in January where quite reasonable, especially for what they offered. The prices included breakfast and has available a spa, bar and restuarant and offers free wi-fi. The breakfast was quite an experience.
As you walk to the entrance of the restaurant there is a hostess which offers you a drink and takes you to a table. The food was absolutely delicious with a huge buffet and the staff was wonderful.

The rooms where another pleasant experience.
Especially in the winter with low temperatures, the heated bathroom floors are quite a treat. Not to mention the matresses and pillows which I fell in love with and woke up every morning feeling so rested.

Although there is a really good public transport system we prefered to walk around as everything we wanted to see was at a walking distance and could get a better feel of the city.
Our first day was limited so we only visited the republic square and the old town square.

The first stop was in La Republica for something to eat. This is a great choice as the prices
are decent and you get value for money. Drinks came quite cheap as well and there are a few noghts which they have live music. The atmosphere is lovelly and the staff quite polite.

After our lunch we headed to the republic sqaure only 5 minute walk from la republica, where shops, theatres and the powder tower is located.


This goth tower is one of the original city gates and you can either go under the arch and make your way into the old town which is only 5mins walk or pass it and walk down the shops as it separates the old and new town.


File:Prague Old Town Square Church of Our Lady.jpgWalking your way to the old town you can pass through the marionnet shops which you can shop or just admire the lovelly marionnets or make a stop and shop at the lovelly Botanicus shop which has a wide range of teas, soaps, etc. Their 'calm me down' tea is quite nice. Passing through you get to 'church of our lady' on your left which is quite impressive especially at night or sunset.

At this point you have passed a number of bars and restaurants. We only hit a couple of bars during our stay, both of are located close to each other and are close to the shops I just mentioned and before the church.
The first bar was dejavu. This bar has a great atmosphere, nice music which is not too loud so you can talk. Also, we tried a couple of cocktails and where quite impressed with the prices (4 euros each). Their 'Jack daniels Tenesse honey' seemed to taste quite good in cocktails!

       The second bar we made only a quick stop where we tried a shot of absinthe and Bechaerovka which is produced in the Czech Republic. Now I must sayI havr never seen a decor as such in a bar- I was quite impressed! The prices again were quite good.

Carrying on into the old town town square there is a wonderful set of buildings. The architecture is quite admirable and you can see the astronomical clock which is medieval and quite famous and worth seing.
Every hour there are puppets of the apostles which come out and the clock shows not only the local time but also the zodiac ring.

From then astronimical clock and the old town square you can head to the Jewish quarter which even though is a must see we did not visit as we didn't have the time. We only walked through it, without making any stops in the cemetery. Walking down in you will see all the high end shops: Louis Vuitton, Bulgary etc.

Another choice when you are in the old town square is to buy the fab mulled wine, red wine which is drank hot and has a sweet but a little strong taste. Also you can buy the local 'trdelnik' which tastes like a pretzel but is round. If you are into trying avoid doing so near the castle. There was a price difference especially in souvenirs. After trying the wine we made our way to the little cobbled streets where the souvenir shops are. Prague is famous for its Bohemian crystals so it is worth buying something as a souvenir although prices can go up high.


Day 2: Charles bridge, Prague castle, kampa

Our second day was planned for the area around the castle. What is good in Prague is tha there is a lot to see around there and within walking distance. From where we stayed the nearest was through the old town but instead went around and walked down the river -by my mistake I admit but nevertheless was quite nice as we got to see the national theatre and didn't get the temperatures we expected and the weather was ok to walk.
Walking down, we got to charles bridge, and crossed to the other side. Now the bridge is a sight itself. it has staues all the way, every statue is different. The view is great as you can see kampa underneath, the castle opposite and at night it can be quite a romantic walk to take.
Crossing the bridge underneath you have kampa which is a quite nice place to walk and stop to get something to eat although the place we sat was quite pricey - almost double prices although it was right next to the wheel.

Be careful! Stay away from the pretzels on each table hanging - they are not free!!! We only realised after we had scoffed down 2! They charge for them something like 30czk which is more than a euro. Near the wheel you can find the John Lenon and on the other side of the wheel there is the John Lenon pub which we unfortunatelly could not go as we run out of time.
Making your way from the bridge to the castle you pass 'mala strana' which is a really nice area. walking up the castle is filled with beautiful buildings and many souvenir shops. The prices were shocking. The previous day we had bought a few paintings and the shops near the castle charged more than double for the same ones so avoid these shops when visiting. Getting to the castle the view was of all Prague and it was a good chance to take photos. The castle is free to go in but they charge for going in the cathedral and some parts. We only paid to go to the 'small circuit' which was worth it. It cost about 200czk and you got to see 'golden lane' where there is a small building which you can tell has been kept as it was and you can see armours, a torture room and the view. Next there are a series of houses where some of the castle staff stayed. Leaving the castle you exit on a different end making your way down via steps.

 All these are within walking distance and you get to see them in half a day if you are not into too much detail pr standing in one place too long. We where not interested in going in the cathedral and rather walk through these places so it only took us a few hours to see everything. It probably takes longer if you want to see everything.

Day 3: Karlovy Vary

We saw our trip as an opportunity to see places outside Prague. We decided to take the bus from 'florenc' station to go to Karlovy Vary. Although the train is said to be a much nicer journey the bus takes about 1 hour and 30mins less so we decided to go with the bus in order to get more time there. It takes about 2.30 with the bus and we travelled with the student agency. The bus has free wifi and was very comfortable. On the way back we each had a tablet in the seat in front which had many films-iin English which you can watch and plugs on the side.
Getting to Karlovy Vary we passed the Becherovka museum.
We did not go in the museum but we did sit inside where a small cafe is located and the restaurant. It was very dissapointing to see that in the train station and the Becherovka building you had to pay to go to the toilet. It was 5czk in the station and 10czk in the cafe.
From the train station we crossed the street passing the Becherovka building and carrying on straight. After a couple of minutes you get to an info spot which we pressed English but still got Chech so we decided to carry on down hill which got us to the river where horses with carrieges are waiting to take you around. We prefferd to walk because someone was being miserable and didn't want to go on a carriege. Karlovy Vary has a river which runs in the middle so we took one side and walked up and came down the other side. Once we started walking we were amazed by the buildings!
Karlovy Vary is also known as Carlsbad famous for its spa's.
It is full of spa's, shops and shopping centres. There are a few museums like the glass museum which unfortunately didn't get the chance to see but we did drink from one of the springs with a nice little cup we bought from a souvenir spot. These cups are quite a nice little option for a gift as there is a good selection of unique designs. We tries the water which is warm and a little salty. Also we tried the famous waffles which are like a thin, crunchy layer rather than the ones we know.
A day at the spa an the glass museum is deffinitely on the list for next time!

Day 4: Kutna Hora

We wanted to see as much as possible while in the Chech Republic so we thought visiting another place oustide Prague was a good idea. Having found Kutna Hora online we where excited to see it was only 1 hour away by train.
What was more appealing was that the famous bone church was located there where 40.000 bones decorated the interior walls of the church.
These were actual human bones and the were everywhere. Even the chandelier was made out of every single bone you can find on the human body. We decided to walk from there to the town but realised walking takes more than half an hour from the station so keep that in mind!
Leaving the church at about 1.00pm we started making our way to the town but started to feel a little uneasy as we realised there where no people there.
For the next hour we did not meet any person or animal. All the shops where closed-even the police station was closed!!!! We started thinking that maybe all the people where made decor for the church.
When you are especially in a medieval town this can make you feel uneasy especially when it starts snowing. As much as that may seem romatic, you must admit it can be a littloe freeky a
fter seeing so many bones of people who once lived there!
Seing that we didn't have enough time to make it back to the station for the next train we decided to try and find somewhere to have a drink. At this point I must say how cookoo the train time are - there was a train 3 minutes to every hour except at 2.00pm!!!!
Anyway, we started going down the hill where we came across a place that looked like a restaurant.
This was a pleasant surprise as not only was it open, we saw it had a certificate for excellence for 2014!
Walking in we were taken by the wonderful atmosphere. The bar and room resembled a middle ages environment. The restaurant had an excellent service, better prices than Prague and great food!
Their apple strudel was really tasty as was their mushroom and potatoe soup-both highly recomended!
The staff was really nice and service really fast! Dacicky Pivnice is deffinitely recomended!

After our great meal we headed back to the station where we finally saw people coming out - thank God! Turns out they must be eating at that time. We were quite happy to see there are people alive ha ha! It must have been the time locals eat or something.
Retirning to Prague we took a final stroll to the old town square and did some souvenir shopping before heading back to the hotel to get some rest.
After a little rest we decided to go for a proper dinner in Mala strana which is an area near Charles bridge leading to the castle up to a point. The restaurant we wanted to eat in was one we had seen before we arrived as we were impressed to read it a medieval type restaurant decorated with skulls. Although we had seen enough skulls to last us a lufetime, we were not discouraged. So we headed there around 7.30pm but our dissapointment the only tables that were available were in the room where a 'show' was taking place and had to pay 170czk for the show alone.
So we decided to go elsewhere and we made our way to kampa deciding to eat in 'Svejk' restaurant.
Big mistake!!! We walked in, starved. We ordered, got our drinks and food which was ok. After a while just before we decided to pay the bill, my partner, who was drinking dark beer, turns and says: 'I have found a finger nail in my beer'. My stomach still feels yuk thinking about it.
What was more infuriating was that the manager after asking to replace it and we refused and just asked for the bill, still charged it.
We thought that was very impolite no so much as for the money we paid for the beer but for the fact that it was charged after finding something like that in!
So I deffinitelly don't recomend eating there!
Even so, we tried to forget it and head back for an early night...


Leaving Prague:

Being close to the spot the shuttle left for the airport, it only took us 10 mins to get outside Marriot hotel where the shuttle leaves. The shuttle takes only 30mins to get to the airport which gave us plenty of time for duty free shopping. Buying alcohol is a little cheeper in the airport than in Prague centre so we decided to buy a couple of local drinks to try back home. The first was Cordial (35% alcohol) which is quite nice but maybe a little strong for some but still a little sweet. The second was a much sweeter drink with honey, Medovina (18% alcohol). This is more to my taste to be honest as it is sweet and not as strong.
 It was quite good to see we could pay in euro's as well and there was an ATM available although the staff told us there wasn't!

Final thoughts:

Even before our take off I had allready decided I would be back. It is one place with many to offer and I have deffinitely left allot I haven't seen like the Mucha musem dedicated to Mucha and his art nouveu work.
Sightseing and museums asside it is a place that I will be deffinitely going back. It is dreamy, good for couples, families, friends.
It is place that will take you to another time.....



sources:
La republica restaurant: http://www.larepublica.cz/?lang=en
Astronomical clock: http://www.staromestskaradnicepraha.cz/
Karlovy Vary: http://www.karlovyvary.cz/en
Dicicky Pivnice:http://www.dacicky.com/
Picture sources:
http://www.topteak.cz/wp-content/gallery/restaurace-la-republica/dsc_1256.jpg
http://www.tnetnoc.com/hotelphotos/211/1228211/2241284-Grandior-Hotel-Prague-Hotel-Exterior-1-DEF.jpg
http://images.travelpod.com/tw_slides/ta01/2e2/a62/powder-gate-republic-square-prague-prague.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prague_Old_Town_Square_Church_of_Our_Lady.jpg
http://s1.evcdn.com/images/edpborder500/I0-001/014/983/636-7.jpeg_/dejavu-music-club-36.jpeg
https://pragueorbust.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/prague661.jpg
http://www.topzine.cz/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/chapeau-rouge.jpg
http://t1.ftcdn.net/jpg/00/28/44/14/400_F_28441412_ld1s9B7B9xD0hJUbBUIVdQiCqoj7uSlW.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh73v9qHTJXF5N2lap-T_1cdMQIOXnNThajrphM_EpPVAo7Czm5uYTzzRCPKChR3a7fOUW3fW9lRM57GB7t1FG9AA04RWeiZ5dwsToTGG7e2CJrU0oUrDn4SCSl2rfwTDzNDGkTrrUfY0d/s1600/DSC_4940.jpg