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Tuesday 29th October
After an incredibly early start the previous day, we slept in until we woke up. The beds were extremely comfortable so no problem sleeping for 10 hours or so.
It was 10am when we made it down for breakfast. Plenty of choice. Callum quickly sussed out where the pancakes were along with the maple syrup, bacon and sausages! Jon and I opted for toast, eggs, bacon and sausages. Plenty of choice of Danish pastries / bread and the cold meats / cheese were also really good.
As breakfast finishes at 11am prompt, some bits aren’t replenished, especially if most people have already been down for breakfast.
After breakfast, we headed out. Today we were exploring the castle area. Callum was disappointed we weren’t catching the tram to reach the castle, especially as it looked an awfully long way up a steep hill. A 10 minute stomp across to the Old Town Square and another 5 mins to reach the Charles Bridge. First things first, we needed to buy a belt for Callum. His trousers seemed to have relaxed (not shrunk!) in the wash and were constantly slipping down.
We then worked our way around and up the lanes to find the route to the castle. All very picturesque and a great view over the city at the top.
Remarkably we made it to the top in time for the for the midday Changing of the Guard. This was the only time during the day the band appears. A good crowd had built up around the entrance so we opted to view from the restaurant terrace. It was closed for serving food (a little chilly as no outside heaters) but full of people with the same idea as us.
Similar to Changing of the guard back in London. Some of the guard changing was in other areas of the castle so long pauses between anything happening but lasted about 15 mins in total.
From there, we headed off to explore the area immediately outside the castle. Some stunning buildings although some parts were closed for renovation.
Callum wanted to pop into the gift shop. Very “friendly” lady running it shut the door in Callum’s face as we were entering. Charming! We decided to join the queue for security to go into the main part of the castle grounds. Once inside, the queues to buy tickets was huge and not moving at all. Completely different to our last visit when the whole castle was free to visit and explore. Now most is only accessible to ticket holders. The outside of St Vitas Cathedral is very impressive.
We wandered through and eventually made it to Wenceslas Vineyard. There were a couple of hours selling hot drinks and joined the queue. With only one person serving and having to make proper coffee … and the person at the front ordering for about 20 people (and more orders coming in as we waited), we gave up and headed back into Prague town centre.
We stopped at a bookshop-cum-cafe for a quick lunch – beef broth washed down with a beer/wine/cola.
After lunch we walked through the Jewish Quarter and found the Spanish synagogue was undergoing renovation. Quite a cool Franz Kafka statue outside.
From here we decided to find the Powder Tower. A stomp through the lanes and we found it. It was one of 13 original gatehouses into the city and divides the old and the new town.
From here, we started to make our way back to the hotel. It wasn’t far and before too much longer we came across another small square with some huge selling souvenirs and hot drinks. Jon spotted the cherry punch he remembered from our last visit … Callum opted for hot chocolate. These stall must be left up all year round … They were decorated with autumn leaves so it probably won’t be too much longer before these get switched to a Christmas theme.
Decorations were starting to go up across the city. I found a Christmas shop and bought a bauble for the Christmas tree to remind us of our travels. Callum added another flag to his collection.
Back at the hotel, we chilled for about 30 mins or so, awaiting for a text from Jim. Jim is a colleague of Jon’s who lives in Prague and originally from Australia. He recommended a place about 10 mins walk from our hotel. We found the street on the map and headed off. We found the road very easily … the bar/restaurant took a little more searching. We suddenly realised we were on the opposite side of the square to where we had drinks earlier … big golden oval statue gave it away.
The place, Kolsice Celnice, only served one beer, Pilsner Urguell, so the only decision was what size. Callum started off on Cola, before Jim suggested trying a local concoction called Kofola. It was bit like Dandelion and Burdock. Jim recommended this place for trying out the Czech food. Jon went for goulash, Jim the schnitzel and Callum and I shared the tasting plate. Variety of the various meats with the three types of dumpling, red and white cabbage (the duck and the cabbage were the best bits). Really good value for money too. Jim confirmed that Prague Zoo was well worth a visit. He also explained how to get there. Metro from Florenc for two stops North, then hop on the bus from the station directly to the zoo. He also explained how the tickets worked. Buy either a 30, 90 minute or 24 hour ticket for unlimited travel with those times on public transport. Just stamp to validate the ticket when you start your journey.
Afterwards, we went to explore Prague Old Town at night. It was all very picturesque. Jim had suggested seeing the castle lit up at night. Apparently this is paid for by the Rolling Stones. They met the then President who had commented that he would love to have the castle lit up at night but there were too many other things the money would be better spent on. So the Rolling Stones offered to pay and continue to do so to date. It does look pretty spectacular.
We didn’t walk across the Charles Bridge at night but headed back to the Old Town Square which again took on a fairytale appearance with all the towers and turrets illuminated. From here the usual stomp back to the hotel.
