European Adventure: Day Four - Prague

I didn't manage to fall asleep until almost 4:30 am so Friday felt like a super long day. Brian got up and left around 7:00 to visit the newer Jewish Cemetery where the author Kafka is buried. I vaguely remember him telling me he was leaving and that he would meet us at Starbucks for 9:00.

Dad and I left the hotel at 8:45 with the plan being to see the Astronomical Clock do it's "show" at 9:00. Of course we just hit the square when the bells started going and by the time we turned the corner it was over. Brian was there and assured us we hadn't missed anything (he found it boring) but it was still something I wanted to see. We had a quick coffee and croissant at Starbucks (seriously I have never had such amazing Chai Lattes before! That Starbucks was fantastic) and then we went into the Astronomical clock tower. For about $5.00 CAD you can ride an elevator to the top and see views of Prague. I am terrified of heights but had heard the view was amazing, so I did it. The elevator ride wasn't as high as it seemed and there were guardrails around the entire area, so I was fine. I am so glad I went as the views were incredible. To be able to look down and out at the city gives a whole new perspective on the beauty of Prague. 

We stayed up there for a bit admiring the views and walking around the perimeter taking photos. I realized it was 9:50 so I left first wanting to see the clock hit 10:00. I made it down just as it was starting and the crowds were gathering. The clock is over 600 years old and many legends surround it's history. Basically the clock hits on the hour, bells chime, music plays and "figures on the sides of the clock become animated and two windows open up to reveal 12 apostles greeting the city. On the sides of the clock you’ll see a skeleton ringing a bell, a Turk shaking his head, a miser with a purse full of money, and Vanity looking in a mirror. The whole performance ends with the crowing of a golden rooster and the ringing of the huge bell at the top of the tower." (http://www.czechtourism.com/c/prague-astronomical-clock/). It was okay - I didn't notice the skeleton, Turk or Rooster from where I was standing so I obviously missed something! But thinking about how long ago this clock was built, long before technology and modern elements it is pretty amazing. And the fact that it's still here and working is equally great. So while I wasn't wowed per say, it's definitely something to see if ever in Prague.

There were two exhibits in Old Town Square that Brian wanted to see - a Salvatore Dali one and a Tim Burton one. I was somewhat interested in the Tim Burton one but figured it was easier to come back and do it later in the afternoon as Dad wasn't a interested. Plus there was a doll museum near by that boasted hundreds of Barbies and Monster High Dolls, so I figured I could hit that one while Brian did the Dali one.

We made our way to the hop-on bus and took that to the Strahov Monastery which was founded in 1143. It acted as a Monastery until the 1950's when communism began and was turned into a Memorial of National Literature. It was returned to the Premonstratensian order at the end of the 1980's and has been rebuilt/repaired over the years. Of course me being Chantal (aka a klutz) I fell right after getting out of the bus and scrapped up my leg pretty bad. This was met by concern by Brian and exasperation by Dad... Apparently I need to be more careful! Yes, because I go about my day purposely trying to injure myself! *eye roll*

We walked around the grounds and into the main building where Brian snuck a photo. It was very peaceful and beautiful up there - it offered some pretty views of Prague and is away from anything busy or noisy. There were only a few tourists, but also what seemed like locals sitting on the grounds reading or riding their bikes through. It reminded me a bit of the Monastery we saw in Greece, but a much more laid back one. Still as pretty as it was, the views couldn't compare to that in Meteora.

There has been a working brewery on the grounds since the 13th or 14th century which still remains. We heard good things about the brews from the bus guide so we decided to have a light snack at the brewery. We followed the signs up the hill to this old cellar which had been converted into a bar and restaurant called Pelko. Going down the stairs we found it was all made of stone and lit by candlelight and looked like a much fancier version of the venue we went to our Medieval Dinner at. Dad and I had Blueberry Beer (which was good) and Brian had a dark lager. We shared a platter of meats and cheeses and enjoyed some time there. Later when exploring the grounds further we saw another restaurant with beer - so I am not quite sure if we actually had the beer from the monastery!  But whatever we did have was great. 

We picked the bus back up and took it along the route where we passed a really old - and ugly - stadium. This was actually a stop because it was close to the observation tower but no one got off. The whole area looked run down and not a place I'd choose to tour. The bus made its way back into the city where we passed some beautiful homes. Apparently many of these are vacant or being rented to multiple families because they have price tags upwards of a million euro. Many people love living in Prague but can't always afford to own their homes, which is why so many buildings have been converted into apartments and rentals. If you are interested in moving to Prague keep in mind homes that have gardens or a view help rise the cost/value. The guide talked a bit about life for people of Prague and touched on the ways in which communism life effected them. Apparently the trend of going to the cottage and getting away to the country became popular at this time as a means for citizens to "temporarily escape" the realities of life. Taking up hobbies such as gardening was another means and both of these remain popular now. (http://www.private-prague-guide.com/article/life-during-the-communist-era-in-czechoslovakia) has some information on life in Prague during this time). 

I was happy that the bus route took us past what is known as the "Dancing House" or "Fred and Ginger" which had been on my list to see. It's this recent build from 1996 on a site that had been bombed in the 1940's. It was designed and built in a very unique style that gives the appearance of two people dancing. Apparently many locals were unhappy with the building because it is so drastically different then the surrounding architecture. It definitely does stick out like a sore thumb, but I loved how whimsy and fun it looked!

The three of us decided to get off at the last bus stop which was supposed to be 10 minutes from Wenceslaus Square. Because Prague is such an old city there are a lot of rules and regulations on tour buses, thus the sightseeing bus has some stupid drop off/pick up areas. The main pick up area (if you don't do the walking tour over) is in this industrial area behind the local train station, and this last stop was in front of the international train station. There was road work everywhere so the guide told us to go inside the station, down the stairs and out the other side. This train station is huge and confusing so that wasn't exactly helpful advice. We must have spent around 45 minutes trying to get to the other side. Now this did have one benefit, it gave a sense of the station which we are leaving from the next day. Up until then we had thought there was only one train station in town and that is where we were planning to head to... Thankfully we learned this is the one we needed to be at and got a crash course in the layout and amenities. 

We made our way to the square which was torture. By this point my foot was in agony and the cuts on my leg were stinging like crazy - plus we had planned a long walk in the evening through the old Jewish Quarter and over to Charles Bridge. So once we reached the main area Dad and I decided to head back. Brian didn't mind doing the exhibits alone so we got a cab and arranged to meet him back at the hotel. 

As soon as I got back I iced my foot and got my leg cleaned up. Thankfully we had packed the first aid kid on Brian's suggestion of "well... we are travelling with you..." I could have slept right then but knew if I did I wouldn't sleep again that night so I forced myself to stay awake by packing, reading and FaceTiming. The manager of the hotel came up to the room at one point to give us a fruit platter, some postcards and a note again apologizing for the room change and thanking us for our consideration. I was very impressed with the gesture - way to go Clarion Hotel Prague Old Town! 

Brian got back to the room at 6pm and looked exhausted seeing as he had been out walking since the early morning. He ended up getting turned around by bad directions and sent the opposite way to the New Town Square. That doubled his walk back to the Old Town Square. He enjoyed seeing the exhibits but didn't find them worth it for the price he paid. He couldn't take photos at the Tim Burton one and it was mainly sketches (but he still snuck some photos!) Still he's happy that he went. 

About an hour after Brian got back we left to visit the Jewish Quarter and the Charles Bridge. All the recommendations were to visit the Bridge at night, so we went to into the Jewish Quarter first. It wasn't too far from our hotel, but we hadn't gone that way before - it was a nice walk along the river.  This area of Prague was a very poor area for awhile as so many Jewish people died in WWII or didn't return to Prague. After that it became a ghetto with very few people living in the area. Within the last few years they revitalized it and now it has become a high end shopping sheet with stores like Louie Vuitton and Burberry. It's sort of strange as you walk because just a street over remains the original architecture and the old Jewish Cemetery, but then on the other side you have this street looking similar to Rodeo Dr or 5th Avenue. 

The Main Street of this area leads back into the Old Town Square. From there we walked back around (we didn't go the most direct route) and over to the bridge area. We went the wrong way first but got some great photos, and then walked back around to the entrance. It's a pedestrian bridge with vendors, artists and musicians lining it. It offered some incredible views of Prague and the sunset made it even prettier. We only walked about half way before turning back and wandering aimlessly to find something for dinner. At this point it was late and everyone was getting tired, hungry and cranky. We looked at a few places but Dad finally choose an Italian restaurant. Seriously we were in Prague for three dinners and two were Italian! At this point I banned anymore Italian food until Italy but I doubted that would last! It was a nice dinner - yummy mussels, and a delicious tomato soup. 

We walked back to the hotel and took some final photos of Prague. It wasn't until after midnight that I got to sleep as we had to pack for the next morning - a morning we had to be awake by 5:00am! 

Prague was lovely and has become one of my favorite cities, but I was exited to move on to Hungary the following day and the possible adventures that awaited us.

European Adventure: Day Three - Prague, Czech Republic

This morning we planned to be out by 7:30 but I delayed that a bit by being so tried! Brian actually got up at 3am but I stayed in bed until 7:10. Dad was up earlier, went for a walk and had breakfast, then Brian went for breakfast so we left the hotel at 8am. There had been some rain last night and the forecast called for a chance of showers. As such it was a very cool and overcast day - probably one I could have gotten away with wearing jeans and a sweater rather then capris. But the breeze was nice as it never got too hot, even on those rare moments the sun peaked through. 

We walked up to the Old Town Square and to the Astronomical Tower - which was beautiful. You can take tours of the inside and get photos from the top, but they didn't open until 9:00am so we figured we could do it later. But the amount of detail and workmanship that went into the clock is amazing. All of Prague is stunning - very old, but beautiful building line the streets, and there are these cute little side streets and alley ways everywhere. The cobblestones are a bit hard to walk on with my foot so sore, but I am managing. I did have to stop and take off the tensor bandage today - it was making the pain worse. I was trying to think of what place Prague reminds me of in Europe, but I couldn't. There are similar features to parts of England, France and Ireland but it really is it's own place. Dad never had a huge desire to come here but he's happy I picked it because it's a place worth seeing. 

We stopped at a Starbucks for Brian and I to get our elixir of life and for me to get something for breakfast. The Starbucks was great - friendly, English speaking staff and some really different drinks and pastries. I was unadventurous and stuck with my chai latte and croissant which  were delicious. It was expensive though - for two drinks and the pastry it was 14.00 CAD! It made me wish I had mom's magic Starbucks card! ;) 

Dad and Brian had seen a brochure about a Cold War/ Communism tour which took you down to a bunker below the city and went into detail on the this period in history as it related to Prague. That tour wasn't something I was interested in - just like the Toy Museum that I wanted to see wasn't their thing. So we decided to spilt up (Nanny don't be worried! The fact that this post is up and posted means it turned out fine!) We found a hop-on hop-off bus tour that left from the town square and bought 48 hour passes. Their tour started in the square and my toy museum was along the route. The plan was I would take the bus to Prague Castle (where the museum was) while they did their tour and then they would meet me at the castle in the afternoon. The hop-on bus couldn't come into the Old Town square so the first part was a 20 minute walking tour which took us to the bus. This was great because while we had seen some of these buildings yesterday in our wandering, we didn't know the history or details. This tour gave me the chance to learn about certain buildings and areas. 

(Outdoor market) 

One of the sights we saw yesterday was the Powder Gate - which we passed today. This tower was built in 1475 by King Vladislav II Jagiello to replace one of the original Old Town gates where some of the kings and royalty were living. They only stayed in the area for a few years though as the religious fighting worsened and Old Town became unsafe. This was when they moved back to Prague Castle. We also walked past an opera house which is gorgeous. It's styled after early 1900's Paris and many movies are filmed there when they are set in that time period. 

(Powder gate) 

The bus was parked a few blocks from the train station and was about half full. As with all City Sightseeing Buses there were headphones with tourist information in various languages. We drove out of Old Town and into Mala Strana which is the "little quarter". I think the three of us are doing the bus again tomorrow so we may stop there then. 

I got off at the 4th stop which was Prague Castle. I had read in Fodors that exploring the grounds and gardens of the castle is worth it, but the actual castle tour/admission is not. The castle is set up that you can enter the inner walls where there are many other museums, shops and cafés without admission, but can't get inside the actual castle or churches without a ticket. The Toy Musuem was located at the very far end if the castle grounds (the opposite end from where the bus dropped me off at). 

( main entrance to the castle) 

It took about 25 minutes to walk through the grounds, but I was stopping and taking photos. The Guinness book of records lists Prague Castle as the largest ancient castle in the world. It dates back to the 9th century and is still the official residence and office of the President of the Czech Republic. 

One of the most impressive sights was St. Vitus Cathedral which is a massive, gothic structure located in the middle of the castle grounds. I read it is worth seeing, but you need the Prague Castle ticket to get all the way inside. I was able to get into the entrance - this allowed me to at least see inside and it was amazing. The inside was just as impressive as the outside with high ceilings, gorgeous stained windows, and a grand alter way at the front. There seemed to be a lot of other areas inside (ones you needed a ticket to see) but I'm glad I got to at least go in. 

The Toy Museum is in one of the castle buildings, in the former Supreme Burgrave’s House. It is the second largest Toy Museum in the world and consists of two floors with seven rooms of toys from all around the world. They have toys from Ancient Greece, and from all century's and decades including traditional and non-traditional toys, toy cars, planes, motorcycles, figures, dolls and stuffed animals. There was even an entire floor dedicated to Barbies! 

I am so glad I decided to see this! It was fantastic! There were 70 stairs to get up to the entrance which had my foot screaming at me, but it was worth it. (The fact that my foot is still killing me after almost 2 weeks is annoying). 

The toys displayed were organized by type, and their collection was massive. There wasn't much history and information provided - just a few notecards with a sentence or two explaining the origin/history or brand of a specific one. I was amazed at how much history there was in some of the toys - especially the trains and army figures. One display had an alien toy released during one the wars where aliens are envisioned as pink beings holding weapons. 

(Aliens) 

There were some crazy toys from the 50's that were mechanical and featured people doing things like seeing and drawing. One of them was called "the alcoholic" and he smoke and drank - with the card explaining that real smoke came out the end of the cigarette! Definitely not a toy you would see today! 

There were a lot of dolls ranging from the first ones made out of wax going into porcelain styles that are popular today. It was fun to see just how much the faces and clothing of the dolls has changed over the years. There were a few displays of stuffed animals - mostly just teddy bears some of which were from FAO Swartz. They did have a few displays on the origin of Christmas celebrations and Christmas trees which I of course found fascinating. Near these were Christmas Toys throughout time that included ornaments (which included creepy face ones!) and Santa's/Snowmen. 

The top floor was  devoted to Barbie and I was in heaven! I spent almost 45 minutes examining the Barbies and taking insane amounts of photos. I loved seeing the change in styles and clothing and was amazed at some of the Barbies - such as the pregnant one, and the 90210, Westlife and NKOTB ones! There was even a Brittney Spears one! Some of the dolls and clothes were similar to ones I had, but the whole experience made me want to A. Buy old Barbies on ebay and B. play with Barbies! 

There were some pop-culture items like Star Wars toys, and action figures - some of which Brian said he had had after looking at the photos. I wouldn't say I learned much from the museum but I loved every second of it! I would recommend that attraction to people of all ages! 

After leaving I went to the other entrance and got some amazing photos of Prague - people were pushing and shoving and the area was crowded but the views were breathtaking. There were a ton of viewpoints but I could only see the ones elevated by concrete steps - being a castle the walls are a bit higher then my 5'0! 

I walked back up the hill and stopped at a Christmas Shop which was really cute! I bought an adorable ornament that said "Praha" and was in the shape of a suitcase. Brian and I have started collecting Christmas ornaments on our travels! 

There was still time before Brian and Dad were scheduled to meet me, so I stopped for a drink at a outdoor cafe. It was a bit chilly so I ordered a hot chocolate which was delicious (being spiked with amaretto didn't hurt!) which warmed me up. Dad and Brian's tour ended at 12:30 so I turned on my data in order to iMessage them - and nothing. I also tried the walkie talkies and still nothing. From 12:30-1:30 I killed time wandering around the expansive castle grounds. Finally I used FaceTime and got ahold of them - their tour had just ended. We made plans to meet at the castle which was probably silly considering it has so many entrances! I started walking toward where I had come in and ended up at the whole new entrance - which I  assumed was the main one. I opted to stay here as I saw some taxi's and figured this is where they would be dropped off. The initial plan was for them to walk or take the hop-on bus but based on the time we decided a taxi would be best. My guess was correct and a few minutes later my walkie-talkie rang and I saw them heading toward me. 

They spent about 30 minutes wandering through the castle grounds and cathedral taking photos and seeing the main sights I pointed out. Then we walked over to the castle gardens were we had lunch at an outdoor cafe. It was starting to warm up and the sun was out so it was lovely. I tried a traditional dish which was like a potato pancake served with apple sauerkraut and it was yummy. We decided to take a cab back to the hotel afterward and headed to the main gates. Once outside dad walked over to the row of cabs and told the driver our hotel. Thankfully he didn't know where it was because I realized it was an unauthorized cab. Authorized cabs have the company name on the front, whereas many cabs in the city are just cars painted yellow with a taxi sign affixed to the top. The guide book and airport cautioned travellers to stay away from them as they have ridiculous rates. We managed to order a cab using a taxi commonly website and were picked up within minutes. Dad and Brian realized they must have used an unauthorized cab to get there earlier as the rate back to the hotel ended up being much less then they had paid for their shorter trip to the castle. 

(The unauthorized cabs in the background) 

Dad and I Face Timed mom for a few then Brian came to get me. The hotel had left a note in our room that we needed to move due to a plumbing issue. To make up for the inconvenience of having to repack and move everything they upgraded us to a much nicer room. We had been in a small double before where we were tripping over each other but the new room is large and spacious with a nicer view 

We all spent some time relaxing and resting in our rooms and met down in the lobby at 7:30 for our Medieval Tavern experience I had booked tickets for. I had first heard of this place from @OMGFacts on Twitter, when they posted a photo of the inside. It looked really cool, so I did some research and found what I hoped was the right place. When booking I couldn't tell if there were two Medieval Taverns in Prague, or two different ways to buy tickets. I went with the site I could actually understand and hoped for the best. (It was cool inside but not the one that I had seen a photo of!) 

The evening included a 5 course traditional Czech meal, wine/beer, and Medieval themed entertainment. Going into it I wasn't sure what to expect. Dinner consisted of Cheese mousse and fresh bread, followed by traditional pancakes filled with spinach and garlic. That was served with southern-Czech Kuba which is a pearl barley baked with mushrooms and garlic. This was followed by (what was supposed to be) boneless pork roasted in black beer with fried potatoes  (it ended up being a shank), and then some traditional brewer's style beef goulash which was served with bread dumplings. Desert consisted of a selection of homemade cakes.

The entertainment included a historical show and spanned the whole evening. There were performers like swordsmen, jugglers, and dancers who were all dressed in costumes from the Middle Ages. The tavern had a very Medieval atmosphere with candles everywhere, stone walls and wood features. There were iron and metal weapons hanging down and the whole look was really interesting. There were only a few single groups like us - the bulk belonged to a bus tour. Their meal was a bit different then ours, but I can't tell which one would have been better. 

The food was decent - the bread was tasty and Dad liked the cheese thing that you spread on top (Brian and I didn't). I loved the potato thing and the barely dish was excellent. The pork was incredibly fatty so I didn't eat much if that, but the need goulash was delicious! Desert was a bit if a disappointment (some strange mini-pastry) but the evening was worth it. 

The staff were friendly but there was a bit of a language barrier, and the entertainment was enjoyable. Some of the things got a bit repetitive (like the two running around after each other) but the music and dancers were awesome. At the end they brought out the dancers who now had some sort of fire with them - that was pretty cool!  

Overall I would recommend the tavern as a fun way to spend a night but it's not something I would do again. Still it was different and much better then similar dinner show entertainment I have been to in Scotland and Ireland.