Monday, August 26th, 2019
Prague, Czech Republic
It’s 9:30am CES and I am slowly waking up. We take our time getting ready for the day and am eating breakfast at the hotel by 10:15am. The breakfast area is crowded and the coffee comes out of a machine in single servings. As I wait patiently for my turn, I start to miss Los Angeles, land of the 20 ounce, to-go cup of coffee. Eventually, it's my turn and I am rewarded with 4 ounces of black coffee.
As Sarah and I eat breakfast together, she points out a cat-shaped decanter on the bar across the room. This place is cute.
After breakfast we head over to Petrin Hill, which is a big hill in the middle of town, with a large, metal tower on top, that is shaped like the Eiffel tower. The walk to the bottom of the hill is easy. When we arrive at the base, we find the funicular, along with a very long line of tourists waiting for a ride to the top of the hill. We decide to walk.
The path up the hill is charming. We pass by several statues and viewpoints. At one point we pass an empty beer garden that is attached to someone’s house. We vow to stop here on the way back. About 30 minutes later, we arrive at the top of the hill. I am surprised to find a miniature complex of ice cream and drink carts, a small church, and a rose garden.
First things first, we check-in at the tower. For a small fee, we can take a series of elevators and stairs to the top of the tower where we’ll be rewarded with a panoramic view of Prague. We take the elevator to the first observation deck. The view is nice, but we want to go all the way to the top. Sarah and I embark on a narrow spiral staircase. At first, we are surrounded by solid walls, but as we approach the top, the stairs continue to narrow and the walls are replaced by a cage. Wow, we are far up. I am not prepared for the sense of panic that suddenly overcomes me. I power through to the top but am unable to lose contact with the inner wall to fully enter the viewing area. It’s okay though, I can see plenty from my current position. I force myself to take a picture, even though my brain and my stomach are screaming at me to get back down.
Once we are back on the ground I feel relief and then am immediately overcome with thirst. It’s getting hot outside and I have not drank any water today. I buy a few bottles of water and then wander over to the rose garden. The view is amazing and Sarah and I take some time to sit on a park bench and enjoy nature.
On the way back down the hill, we stop at the small beer garden and appear to be the first customers of the day. That’s okay though, it’s five o clock somewhere. We order two beers and sit at the table with the best view. The decor is super kitschy and the view of Prague is amazing. On a whim I decide that I would like to have dessert for lunch, a trdelnik to be specific. Sarah agrees this is a good idea and we finish the walk to the bottom of the hill.
On the way to the main square we stop in a quaint candy shop, that’s in the shape of a pirate’s ship. This is so cute, but I do not buy any candy. I am on a mission for a grander dessert. When we finally arrive at the main square there are at least 5 trdelnik stands to choose from. A trdelnik is a dessert built for people on vacation. It's essentially a cone-shaped donut, filled with whipped cream and a fruit of your choice. I choose strawberry.
We spend the rest of the afternoon wandering the streets of Prague and attempting to shop. I am prepared to buy clothes and would like to find something unique, but am just not inspired. Around 4pm we decide that it’s time to try out some of the famous Prague breweries.
First stop is U Fleku. This is one of the oldest breweries in Europe, having been in operation for over 500 years. It’s actually more of a complex than a brewery with 9 different beer halls. We opt to sit outside in the beer garden and easily find seats at the end of a long picnic table. This brewery only sells one kind of beer, which is dark and keeps track of the bill by giving us a piece of paper and adding tallies each time we’re served a round. I start my first beer and sadly it’s not very good. Sarah also points out a strange smell that I can all of the sudden not ignore. After one round we attempt to close out our tab, but can not get a server to take our money. Eventually, we decide to walk out slowly and someone finally stops to take our payment.
Well, that was a flop. Next, we try U Supu, which is a little newer, but still well known. We are shown to a nice table on the patio and offered a menu of beer from which we can actually choose the kind that we want. I already like this place better. I order an amber beer and it tastes amazing. The menu also looks great and we end up ordering a variety of cheese and sausage to share. Soon a Chinese family sits at the table next to us. I am worried it will get too loud, but instead, the opposite happens. I notice the matriarch of the family is asleep in her chair. I can relate.
After a nice, long dinner I end up buying a few liters of beer to bring back home. Sarah and I walk back to the hotel to drop off the beer and then decide to take a walk by the river. We quickly find a little pub, with lawn chairs sitting right next to the river. Sarah and I grab two chairs, which are incredibly comfortable. We slowly sip on beer, while watching the riverboats pass by.
Around 10pm we decide to continue the adventure down the river to a wall of Beatles-themed graffiti known as the John Lennon wall. The surrounding neighborhood is cute and eventually, we find the wall. We try taking a few photos, but the light is too low for any of them to come out.
We slowly meander back through town to the hotel. I am tired and tomorrow will be a long day.
