Winter in Prague

After spending Christmas in Paris, it was time for us to go back to Prague.  This city is truly magical, but even more so in the winter.  The Christmas market in the Old Town Square is the best one I've been to in Europe.  You can't beat the atmosphere!  The food is delicious, the street performers are great, there's a petting zoo with cute animals, a huge Christmas tree, and the surrounding historic buildings of the square are beautiful.

This time around we went to some new places.  One that was recommended to us was called U Fleku - a traditional Czech pub.  It was great!  You eat at tables right next to other guests and a man goes around and plays the accordion.  The main draw is the meat dishes and beer of course.  I ordered a traditional Czech meal which was beef with cranberry sauce, lemon, and cream, served with bread dumplings.  This place is popular so if you get in right away you're lucky!  We also went to another pub called U Medvidku which was even more popular with a very long line, but the service was very disappointing and I don't think I'd return there again.  Our friends that visited before said it was worse than the last time they visited!

We also hit up my favourite restaurant Mlejnice which has cheap, delicious Czech food in a cozy setting, and the famous and very old Cafe Louvre for brunch.  The only problem with Czech food is that it's very rich!  You have to walk around a lot to burn all the calories you're eating.

No trip to Prague would be complete without a visit to the Charles Bridge, where we got engaged several years ago.  This year it seemed that Prague was extra busy, and the bridge along with the Christmas market were packed.  I don't remember our last Christmas visits to Prague being so heavily crowded... I guess everyone has realized that this city is the place to be during the Christmas season!

From the Charles Bridge, we returned to some great places like the John Lennon wall (one of my faves, it's so colourful!) and took a hike up to Strahov Monastery for some great views of the city and to check out the opulent monastery library again.  This time we stopped at a small pub next to the monastery to try some blueberry beer which was brewed there.  It was pretty good!

Something else we did that was new for John and I was attend a hockey game in Prague.  We went to O2 Arena by metro to catch a game - HC Sparta Praha vs. another local team called Mountfield Praha.  Tickets were very cheap, less than $10 I think, and it was a lot of fun!  The fans were actually really intense and always cheering and singing songs.  The Spartans won to the crowd's excitement!

Before leaving Prague we went to St. Jilji Church where we got married in 2014.  What a beautiful place!  I know that we'll be back yet again some day... :)

NYE in Prague

After spending several days in Krakow, we hopped on a minibus and then connected to a train to make our way back to Prague.  It was difficult finding accommodation in Prague for New Year's Eve.  Most centrally located hotels were fully booked, but we were able to stay in an apartment converted into a guesthouse which was right near the Old Town Square, and right around the corner from the church we got married in.

Many restaurants around us were fully booked on NYE, so we decided to wander over the Charles Bridge to the other side of the river where the "Lesser Town" (Mala Strana) is located.  Several years ago we had Christmas Eve dinner at a place called "The Three Violins."  We found the steep road that led up to Prague Castle, and then located the placard of the violins over the doorway.  Luckily the restaurant was not full.  We could choose a fancy set menu (quite expensive and not exactly what I wanted to eat), or we could go down to the basement of the restaurant to order off the menu.  We decided to go down to the basement.  It was quite cozy and there were only two other people down there (it only had four tables anyway).  It looked like a wine cellar and was lit by candles and lanterns.  The food was really good and it was almost as if we had the restaurant all to ourselves, as the other people left early and it was a long while before anyone else came downstairs to eat.

After dinner, we made our way to the John Lennon Wall.  The Lennon Wall was a cool burst of colour on a quiet street of Mala Strana.  People started leaving graffiti messages on it in 1980 after John Lennon's assassination.  Under a communist regime, the Lennon Wall was a symbol of freedom.  It became a tourist attraction after the fall of communism in the Czech Republic.  However, in November 2014, a group of student artists painted over the wall - some considered it an act of vandalism.  They thought that it was time to create a new art project, and after painting the wall completely white, they left a message in black letters "WALL IS OVER."  Since November, the wall has been filled with more graffiti, but it just isn't the same.  Last summer I wrote a message on the wall, but it's gone now.  I miss the old wall, but it isn't coming back.  It only exists in memories and old photographs.  I'm just glad I got to see the original wall twice before it got painted over.

After our visit to the Lennon Wall, we took our free bottle of champagne courtesy of the guesthouse owners, and headed down the street to the Charles Bridge, where the fireworks show was supposed to be held at midnight.  We got there about 20 minutes to midnight, and it was already packed.  After getting on the bridge it became ridiculously packed.  We could barely move... it was a claustrophobic person's nightmare!  I was very uncomfortable and people were getting a bit rowdy, so we left the bridge before the fireworks show.  We had to literally push people out of the way to get off the bridge.  We wandered down the street where we could at least move around, but had an obstructed view of the river fireworks.  We didn't mind too much because we got to see fireworks being lit off in the street right behind us.  It was cool at first, but then the fireworks tipped over and were shooting in all sorts of directions!  People were running away and we decided we were safer just at our guesthouse, so we went back there for the night.

Early the next morning we had to wake up to catch our flight back to Dubai.  The streets had trash strewn about them and there were a few drunk people still wandering around at 6 am.  After a few awkward conversations with drunkards we got onto the subway and then transferred to the airport by bus, along with a surprisingly large number of people considering it was before 7 am!  Another NYE has come and gone... I wonder what will be in store for next year?

Prague... Christmas market heaven!

Over the Christmas break John and I were lucky enough to visit Prague again.  Since getting married there last July, we didn't expect to be back so soon, but a cheap flight made it an easy choice.

Prague's best Christmas market is in the Old Town Square.  There is such a wintery, magical atmosphere there at Christmas time, and we actually prefer visiting the city in the winter because of it.  The Christmas market had a stage set up with a choir singing carols at night, a stable with cute animals, the usual street performers, souvenir stalls, a HUGE Christmas tree, and the best thing of all... DELICIOUS FOOD!

Having lunch in the square was great.  We picked up a few sausages and some hand-made chips, and warmed up with some hot chocolate and mulled wine.  Of course there were tons of other things to eat and drink as well, such as trdlo - the traditional rolled pastry, and Prague ham sandwiches grilled with cheese.  Prague is definitely a food-lover's destination (especially those of the carnivore-type).  While I don't eat much meat, it was hard to pass up one of those sausages...

Prague is a very special city to us, and the first time we ever visited it was during Christmas time.  It is such a beautiful place, you feel like you've just stepped into a fairy tale.  Despite travelling there three times already, we aren't sick of it yet.  It just keeps us wanting to visit again and again and again!

Czech it out! ... Prague, Karlstejn, Cesky Krumlov

Excuse the bad puns within this post, but they're so hard to resist.  The Czech Republic is a beautiful country which allows you to travel comfortably without breaking the bank.  It's Europe for a bargain!  Meals are usually under $10 Canadian, beer is cheaper than water, and you can hop on a train or bus for a fun and cheap day trip, no problem!

Old Town Square, Prague

We have been to Prague in both winter and summer now.  Well, what's the Prague-nosis you may be wondering?  I can say with confidence that this city would be beautiful in any season and everyone should try to visit if you find yourselves in central Europe.

John Lennon Wall, Prague

Vanessa and I went on a cheap day trip from Prague to Karlstejn to see the castle there.  The castle was founded in 1348 by Charles IV.  It was only 45 minutes away by train, and a lovely walk up the cute main road of town up to the castle.  If you don't want to walk up the road, there are horse drawn carriages that can take you up most of the way.  After our little hike, we got a cheap Gambrinus (local beer) to cool off... when in Czech Republic, do as the Czechs do.  Got it?  Czech!

View from castle, Karlstejn

Cesky Krumlov is sort of like a mini-Prague.  The town is small and picturesque, with a river running through it.  We wandered through the streets and stumbled upon amazing vistas overlooking the town.  I could get used to living in a small town like that!

We took a train/bus combination from Prague to get there, and checked into one of the first places in the town centre that we saw - "Pension Ametyst."  We were lucky because this place ended up being so cute, and they served us a huge breakfast to our room.  It was one of the best accommodations I enjoyed on our trip this summer.

Breakfast at Pension Ametyst

Cesky Krumlov also has a lot of lovely shops and restaurants.  We ate at a place called "U Dwau Maryi" (The 2 Marys).  The name came from the fact that two wall paintings of the Virgin Mary were discovered there during restoration of the building.  We both ordered the "Old Bohemian Feast."  I got the vegetarian version which included:  puffed barley with vegetables, steamed buckwheat with spinach, baked millet casserole, potato cakes with cabbage, dumpling, potato, and salad.  It was one of my favourite meals on the trip, and it cost around $8!

"Bohemian feast" (vegetarian version)

Dinner with a view, Cesky Krumlov

The restaurant was located right on the river, where we could enjoy a nice view of the castle tower.  The weather in Cesky Krumlov was pretty cold when we were there... it felt like fall!  We still enjoyed the town and did a nice free walking tour there run by a company called Wiseman, started up by one of the locals there.

Cesky Krumlov, view from the castle

The population of the town is only about 14,000 people but they get plenty of tourists per year.  The castle within the town centre is the second largest castle complex in the Czech Republic, behind the one in Prague.  It was built in the 13th century and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.  The castle area is surrounded by a moat with real live bears in it.  If I had to describe the town of Cesky Krumlov in one word, it would be "charming!"

Great view of the town!

Wedding in Prague

Our wedding was July 7, 2014... it was a beautiful sunny day in Prague.  We arrived at the church (St. Jilji) for the ceremony at 2:00pm.  Everything was beautiful.

Photo by:  Petr Pelucha Photography

After the wedding ceremony we made our way onto a boat for a nice little river cruise.  It was great to take in the sights of Prague while cooling off with a nice cold Czech beer.  On the cruise we passed by the Charles Bridge, where we got engaged on Christmas Day, 2012.

Photo by:  Petr Pelucha Photography

The reception was at Hotel Paris, another beautiful venue.  It's an art deco hotel built in 1904, located right in the old town.  The food and service was outstanding.  I wish I could eat that meal over and over again... (without packing on all those calories)!

Photo by:  Petr Pelucha Photography

Photo by:  Petr Pelucha Photography

I'm still amazed that we were even able to get married in Prague (the city we got engaged in).  It wouldn't have been possible without our wedding planner Magda.  I would highly recommend the company Prague Weddings to anyone considering a wedding in Prague.  Our photographer, Petr Pelucha was also amazing and took many gorgeous photos for us to remember our special day.  We couldn't have asked for a better wedding.

Photo by:  Petr Pelucha Photography

A free night in Dubai, and on to Prague!

Our trip to Europe began with a flight on Emirates Airline to Prague, connecting in Dubai.  Emirates is a great airline and since we had over 8 hours in between our flights from HCMC-Dubai and Dubai-Prague, we qualified for the free stopover program (free hotel near airport including free breakfast, and complimentary transit visa).  Unfortunately, we arrived late at night and had to wait a long time in the lines in the Dubai airport to get through immigration.  By the time we got through and took the free shuttle to the hotel, we only had a few hours to sleep, shower, eat a delicious free breakfast, then shuttle back to the hotel for our flight to Prague.  Even for a few hours, it was worth it!

The flight to Prague was great... I had the most delicious meal I've ever had on an airplane (Arabian "mezze").  We arrived in Prague to cold temperatures and a few flurries.  Luckily we had stocked up on cold weather clothing at the Russian market before going to Europe!

Prague was a beautiful city.  We were staying at a guesthouse only a few steps away from the old town square, where a big Christmas market was being held.  At the Christmas market there were tons of delicious snacks, mulled wine, and touristy souvenirs.  There was even a manger complete with animals and a HUGE Christmas tree.  It was so festive!

Trdelnik... delicious pastry covered in sugar and nuts.  Yum!  This was all over the Christmas markets.

On our second day in Prague we did a day trip to Kutna Hora, just a short train ride away.  We visited the famous Sedlec Ossuary which exists under a small Catholic church.  The ossuary was built after the cemetery became overcrowded with bodies after the plague.  The place has bones of somewhere between 40,000 and 70,000 people.  The bones are even arranged into a chandelier!  It was interesting and creepy at the same time.

Sedlec Ossuary in Kutna Hora

In Prague we also did 2 walking tours, one of the city and one of Prague Castle.  If anyone is ever going to Europe, I would highly recommend the tour company Sandeman's New Europe.  They do excellent tours in many cities across Europe, including free city walking tours.  Very informative and a great way to orient yourself to new surroundings.

Anyway, continuing on... Since we were celebrating the Christmas holiday in Europe, we went to midnight mass at St. Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle.  John and I walked back from the castle after the mass and he proposed to me on the Charles Bridge!!!  I was surprised and happy about it, and obviously I said yes!!!  Prague will always be a place we remember because we got engaged there!

View of Prague from Clock Tower in Old Town Square

 

Prague!!!

John and I with the Charles Bridge in the background!

Prague was one of the nicest cities I've seen in Europe due to its charm... old churches, cobblestone streets, cute shops, cozy Christmas market stalls... I hope we can visit again some day!!!