Monday, August 19th, 2019
Prague, Czech Republic
It’s 9:30am CES and I am wavering in and out of a state of deep, melatonin-induced sleep. I keep thinking that I am awake and getting ready but I am still dreaming. Eventually, I drag myself out of bed. Laura and Sarah are almost completely ready. I quickly get ready and then head to the basement of the hotel for breakfast.
I am ecstatic to find a station of self-serve, drip coffee. The plates are small and I fill mine up with cold cuts, cheese and a boiled egg.
Today we will attempt a self-guided, urban hike to 2 of Prague’s most famous monastery breweries. After breakfast, I make a quick stop at the town square for a look at the astronomical clock. We continue past several beer spas and a puppet store on the way to the train station. As an afterthought, we pick up our tickets for the train to Vienna, for tomorrow afternoon. One train and one tram later we are at the starting point for the walk, located on the west side of town.
The walk starts along a quiet, tree-lined path. It soon meanders into a residential area and around an empty schoolyard. As we pass by an old cemetery, we stop for a look. The land is terraced and overgrown with plant life. The cloud-covered sky and general stillness of everything makes it feel as though we just stepped into the opening scene of a horror movie.
Eventually, we approach the Brevnov Monastery. We spend some time exploring the garden; the area is completely silent and it’s starting to feel like we are the only 3 people on the planet. Once we are sure that we’ve seen everything on the grounds, we go into the pub to sample the beer. I am feeling adventurous and order something called “pork scratchings with chop onion”. Laura and Sarah swear they will not try any, but I don’t care.
The beer is surprisingly refreshing, though the food turns out to be chilled fat with something crunchy mixed into it. I smile and power through nearly one-third of the appetizer before finally giving up.
Soon we are off to the second brewery of the day. We pass through a large garden and eventually end up in another residential neighborhood. We follow a cobblestone street into an ally way where we are basically walking only a few feet from people’s back doors. The path wanders through a smaller, more urban park and eventually down to the main road. We follow that street to the end, where we meet a long, steep stairwell, at the top we find the Strahov Monastery.
This monastery is substantially more populated than the first and we have to wait in a short line to buy tickets to see the library. The Strahov Library is old and famous; we are able to view manuscripts printed as early as the 1500s. There are a few other churches that are also open for viewing.
Eventually, we wander into the brewery. The outside seating area is vast and has an amazing view of the city. We find a table with an unobstructed view and order a round of beer. After a long morning of walking, it’s nice to sit back and relax. A little mouse scurries under the table, but I am so tired that I can only prop my feet up on the lowest rung of the fence next to my chair. After a brief discussion about visiting the Petrin Tower, we decide to take the tram back to old town instead.
As we exit the tram, we are immediately greeted with a row of outdoor pubs, set against the Vltava river. We can not resist sitting at one of the tables and ordering another round of beer. We watch the paddle boats float by as the sun begins to set. We even see some nutria hanging out by the river and take like 15 pictures of them. By the time my beer is empty, we’ve made the decision to rent a paddleboat.
The boat is fun and we are on the river when the sun officially sets for the day. The air quickly chills and once we are off of the boat, the group is in agreement that is it definitely time for dinner. We sit at one of the hundreds of cafes in old town. Everything is crowded and we end up sharing a large table with a couple who smokes the entire time. I order roasted pork and potato dumplings, which are just okay in my opinion. Laura and Sarah enjoy their food much more. After dinner, we decide that it’s time for dessert. We want to try trdelniks, which are basically phallic-shaped pastries, with a donut-like shell, filled with whipped cream, ice cream, nuts and fruit. It’s everything that I hoped it would be.
It’s nearing midnight and I am drunk and bloated from dessert. We wander over to the main bridge. The lights of the bridge and the town reflect into the river, creating a scene of such beauty and wonderment that I take about 50 pictures in an attempt to capture this moment.
Eventually, we go back to the hotel. I load up on more melatonin and fall asleep immediately.
