Billed as the land of stories, the capital of the Czech
Republic surely features in a variety of tales, and now it stars in a few of
mine.
Prague is pretty, delightfully so and it certainly is a
tourist hotspot. At times, I felt a tad bit like a salmon swimming upstream.
Old Town is steeped in history, the buildings magnificent – of course, set in
Europe.
I snuck in for the 2017
FIBA European Women Basketball Championships; my days were filled with exploring the delights of Old Town and
surrounds, and my evenings filled with cheering for Les Bleus in the early
stages of the tournament.
Home for the duration was
a wonderful, comfortable, friendly spot; Parkhotel was a fab tram ride away
from all the main touristy action but a short stroll to the arena. In my hood,
attractions included the Planetarium, the home of ice hockey team HC
Sparta Praha, the Výstaviště exhibition grounds, Křižíkova amphitheatre which
boasts a dancing water fountain and the giant glass pyramid of the Goja Music
Hall.
My first morning I got wondrously lost. Discovering, that
my map reading skills had a slight flaw when weary from all the travel. In my
aimless wanderings, I stumbled upon the 2017 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup,
on display a multitude of talents surfing rapids alongside the Vltava River.
Having only ever seen this on the box during the Olympics, I watched with sheer
admiration as these paddlers challenged the torrent of water, zigzaggedly
navigating their way around a hanging course.
I strolled beyond the impressive Troja Castle, snuggly
set away from the road. Passing the massive expanse of the Prague Zoo, all the
way to a dead-end: a dock entitled Podhoří. Deciding that perhaps now was
either a good time to turn around, or ask for directions, as there wasn’t
anyone to question I did a U-turn and made my way back to the Zoo entrance.
Here, I hopped on the first public bus, not knowing which direction it was
going but sure I would get somewhere more central, and I wasn’t wrong.
Apart from basketball, I had one reservation on my
itinerary that I was eager not to miss at a craft brewery, Výtopna. I
discovered this place through social media and was keen to try it due to its
quirkiness. Set on the top floor in a massive upmarket shopping centre called
the Palladium, I went and had lunch there, not once but twice. The menu offered
traditional, hearty, affordable, simple food with a small but interesting
choice of beers on-tap.
What sets Výtopna apart is the fact that my ‘waiters’
Erik, Marcel and Nela dropping off my liquid refreshments, were in actual fact
gorgeous model trains. The ‘waitrons’ travel over 10kms of tracks every day,
having served, astonishingly, over 6 million patrons in the three Výtopna
restaurants in the Czech Republic since 2009. The Palladium Výtopna has over
400m of tracks cleverly laid around booths, where the trains can chug into your
section, allow you to grab your drinks and then expertly reverse out.
As with most first world cities, getting around Prague to
see the sights, everything imaginable is on offer. If you fancied a horse-drawn
carriage; running tours; guided electric bikes; the Hop On – Hop Off bus; river
cruises, or even handsome vintage cars, you could comfortably get around.
Chatting to Durban’s Chef, Andrew Draper on his return from Prague, he
mentioned a fabulous outing around deserted buildings and communist areas on a
Segway. He said the abandoned, ruined stadium, especially stood out for him!
Prague, mostly, is flat so I opted for trams to get
central and then ND 10 toes to get around. The trams were easy to navigate,
sprouting off in all directions.
Years ago, after a trip to Paris, I posted a pic of a
bridge in Paris, Annie - a Finnish mate of mine commented that she liked my
shot of Charles Bridge. Admittedly this was the first time I had ever heard of
Charles Bridge. Since then I have seen numerous gorgeous shots: a famous
capture has mist swirling around, or a haunting sunrise shot. In these dreamy,
inviting images there is hardly a soul around. In real life, in summer – this
was far from the case.
Connecting Old Town and the Lesser Quarter, the
pedestrian crossing known as Charles Bridge is gorgeously ancient. Lined with
traders peddling souvenirs, the 500m of historic bridge is a throng of weaving
people. An alley of 30 guardian angels look down on you as you stroll across
the Vltava River, these mostly baroque statues are all replicas with the
priceless originals being housed in the National Museum.
Climbing up to the largest ancient castle in the world,
Prague Castle sits proudly overlooking the Lesser Quarter and beyond, I
discovered a gem of a tourist trap hidden down a short passage. Tucked away, a
cave-like shop stocked with beautiful handmade delicate wooden wares. Christmas
shopping for the family was easily done, including collecting some gorgeous
wooden postcards.
Something that fascinates me in Europe is how each
country cleverly introduces modern architecture around century old structures.
In Prague, The Dancing House is a statement of how the city is embracing and
entwining old and new. This quirky, shiny building rose out of a vacant
riverfront plot a couple of decades ago, it rejoices in its surroundings.
A ritual in each new location is to spend quiet time in
religious spaces. Before I flew north, Gloria Hoff from the KZNSA Gallery urged
me to visit the Jewish Quarter, saying how vibrant, and historic the area was.
I strolled around admiring the compact area, housing six synagogues and a 15th
century cemetery. Admittedly, everything was closed at the time I visited and
peering through the iron gates of the cemetery, it looked sadly run down!
Headstones crumbling or knocked over and long over grown grass added to the
sorry state.
Hanging out in the square around Town Hall, I admired the
Astronomical Clock. A mate of mine, Vishal Ramphal posted an image of the third
oldest medieval clock in all its glory. When I was there majority of it was
under wraps getting a well-deserved make over. Gratefully, the intricate clock
face was on show, while the rest of the building was gently being restored.
I stopped in at the exquisite St Nicholas Church trailing
along with fellow passionate French supporter Melanie Gallais. The frescoes
donning the high domed ceilings were of Michelangelo quality, the halo of
subtle lights equal to those from the Blue Mosque and I loved the door knocker
type handles on the massive, bold red doors. I sampled a chimney cake or a
Trdelníks, a Czech cinnamon-flavoured pastry, while watching excited tourists jump
into buggies with bored looking horses ready to take them on a sightseeing
loop. The home-made ice cream was dreamy, the sugar-coated doughnut cone, not
so much!
A poignant moment in the heatwave that Prague was
experiencing, a chef from a popular pavement café stood with his hosepipe with
a refreshing mist being sprayed on passing tourists.
The whole city is incredible, Prague has a lot to offer.
There is a lot to do off the tourist track. Little hidden treasures like the
Hanging Man – remember to look up, or the modern-day, public art splattered
around the city, listening to funky buskers at the foot of Charles Bridge. Or
dining out in one of the best spots around, sitting on a public bench
overlooking the Vltava, enjoying Turkish take out, watching yoga while concert
goers dressed up in ballgowns head into the Rudolfinum Concert Hall as the sun
sets on yet another magnificent day in the Czech Republic.
PS - Wear comfortable shoes – nobody told me this and I
learnt it the hard way!
