Prague

Day 411 (August 13, 2019) – Prague, Czechia

We had a blast in Prague, but it’s hard not to. We were there for a full seven days and we never ran out of things to do. We also breathed a small sigh of relief to learn that Prague offered us a bit more affordable living and travel than Germany. We were paying the same nightly rate for our Airbnb accommodation as in Berlin, but unlike the dump we had in Berlin, we had a beautiful, enormous apartment. Huge windows, plenty of space, a nice bathroom, a separate bedroom and living room, and a well-equipped kitchen. It wouldn’t have been a bad apartment to live in.

The streets of Žižkov, where we were staying in Prague.

We were staying in Žižkov, which is primarily a residential neighborhood. Our apartment was at the top of a huge hill that we had to hike up and down every time we went somewhere. We usually end up in residential areas on the outskirts of downtown because of cost, but now I prefer these locations because I feel like we get a more interesting experience than if we were in the center of the tourist area. Our street was home to many apartment buildings but also some scattered convenience stores, pubs, and restaurants. We were still in the city, but it was a place where people lived, ran errands, and came out at night to grab dinner or a drink at one of the pubs. 

The view from the apartment during sunset one night. 

There were some good restaurants near us, and we were able to find all the Czech staples. The Czech food was meaty, hearty, and full of flavor. Lots of stews and potatoes, each prepared in a dozen different ways. Most dishes came as a hunk of meat in gravy with some sides but there were also potato dumplings stuffed with meat, pork schnitzel, potato pancakes, slow roasted pork and beef, and lots of expertly cooked duck. Every plate came with some combination of sauerkraut, red cabbage, potato dumplings, and/or bread dumplings. Everything was also drenched in gravy, which was perfectly fine with us.

A dinner of svíčková na smetaně and beer.

Ordering dinner at one of the restaurants on our street.

Travis’ go-to dish was always svíčková na smetaně, two slices of beef sirloin served in a creamy gravy topped with a slice of lemon and a dollop of whipped cream, served with bread dumplings. I tried all sorts of different things and could never pick a favorite. I usually went for the roast duck when I couldn't decide. The one thing Czech food doesn’t do well is vegetarian. I always laughed at the vegetarian section of the menu which always included two items: fried cheese and spätzle. The spätzle was also covered in cheese. They were both very good, but heavy. Wanting to have a few lighter meals every once in a while, I ordered a lot of Caesar salads, but they always came with an enormous portion of grilled chicken on top of a few, tiny leaves of lettuce. Despite the lack of veggies, we were very happy with the Czech food we found in Prague, which was great news because we were going to be eating a lot of it over the next few weeks.

The hearty Czech food always left us feeling full.

Spätzle with cheese and fried onions.

Prague is also very serious about their beer. However, they have an almost singular focus on pilsner. We normally don’t think much of pilsner, usually opting for something more flavorful, but Prague changed our minds. Pilsner Urquell is probably the most popular brand around Prague (or at least the most advertised), although Kozel, Staropramen, and Gambrinus were also common. They are all great beers. Czech beers are served by the degree, with a typical beer ranging from 10° to 12°. The number has to do with the original gravity, which is the sugar content of the beer before fermentation. In other words, a lower degree is going to be lighter and more refreshing while a higher degree is heavier and more flavorful (and usually slightly more expensive too).

From our very first lunch in Prague we were greeted with a "two beers, yes?" from the restaurant waiter. Our answer was usually yes, but for lunch I always went for one of the non-alcoholic ones. I think Travis' Czech heritage makes him a better day drinker than me.

A board advertising beers outside a pub. The choices were almost always the same. The options were an 11° pilsner (Kozel), a 12° pilsner (Pilsner Urquell), a 10° dark beer (probably Kozel dark), and a non-alcoholic option (Birell). The most expensive beer, Pilsner Urquell, is 46 Czech Koruna for half a liter, which is only $2. These were our kind of drink prices.

Just like wine was a staple of Georgia, beer seemed to be a staple of the Czech Republic. As soon as we sat down at any restaurant the waiter looks over and says, “two beers?” It’s said more like a statement than a question. It only takes a nod and two beers appear on the table. The beer glasses are short and wide and are poured with a solid inch of foam on the top. As soon as the mugs are down to a half inch of beer the waiter is back confirming an order for two more. They keep track of how many you’ve ordered by putting tick marks on a beer coaster or little piece of paper. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is, either. Lunch get the same, “two beers?” question just like at dinner. It’s just assumed that everyone will be drinking with every meal.

Prague Old Town was beautiful but crowded. Honestly, the architecture on any given street in Prague is just as pretty as in Old Town.

Fortunately, the Czech Republic, just like Germany, also did non-alcoholic beer very well too. It’s available everywhere. Most places keep them on tap as well as in bottles. The most popular brand was Birell, which came in different beer styles. Other than the lack of alcohol, I honestly couldn’t tell a difference in taste from a normal beer. They were extremely popular during lunch time and they were usually my drink of choice during the day. 

A riverboat on the Vltava River.

Prague was a great city to walk around because the architecture was so impressive. It just looked so, well, European. The most striking architecture wasn’t just limited to the Old Town, although the main square of the Old Town seemed to be the center of touristic activities. We could walk in any direction from Old Town and find buildings covered in stonework and statues. Most of the city sits close to the Vltava River (which later connects to the Elbe River, flowing past Dresden). There were many bridges across the river but the most famous is Charles Bridge. It’s a pedestrian bridge, but it was so packed with people it felt like sitting in a traffic jam at times. The bridge is lined with statues and street performers and you can watch the river boats passing underneath. 

Walking past Charles Bridge, we eventually ended up at Prague Castle, a huge complex on a hilltop overlooking the river and the rest of Prague. It was so crowded with people it was reminding us of some of the tourist sites in China, but it was free to enter the grounds, so we spent a few hours exploring.  There were manicured gardens to walk around, a few art exhibits to see, as well as Saint Vitus Cathedral and the Prague Castle itself. Although we considered getting tickets to see the inside of the castle and cathedral, the line to buy them was so long we decided to forget about it. It would have taken us an hour just to buy the tickets. They were still impressive sites from the outside.

A square inside the Prague Castle grounds.

Saint Vitus Cathedral.

The view from outside Prague Castle.

On another day we walked down to Vyšehrad Fortress, another huge complex from early Prague, although not much remains other than the fortress walls. The most interesting part was walking through an old cemetery next to the Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul in the center of the fortress. Some of the tombstones were really elaborate and most had fresh flowers on them, so whoever was buried under them must have been pretty important, or at least left a lot of money behind.

Rotunda of Saint Martin inside the Vyšehrad Fortress complex.

Basilica of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

The view from Vyšehrad Fortress looking across the Vltava River to Prague Castle and Saint Vitus Cathedral.

We also just happened to be in Prague during their Pride Parade and festival. Unfortunately, it was raining for the parade on Saturday afternoon, but it still went on. It drew a pretty sizable crowd given the weather. There were rainbows everywhere. The funniest part was that after watching the parade for a while we left to go get lunch for an hour. After a very filling Czech lunch we started walking around the city and ran into the tail end of the parade again. It was still going on! We followed it over the Vltava River and to a park on the other side. The rain had turned the park muddy and most people were hiding under rainbow umbrellas. We only had our rain jackets, so after becoming tired of being damp we took the tram back home to dry off and warm up.  

The Prague Pride Parade. It was a bit rainy but people were still out. 

The parade continuing across the river, many hours after it first started.

The festival grounds were a bit muddy from all the rain.

Prague was a really fun city for us. It was affordable and easy to get around. The food was great, and the beer was even better. The only downside were the crowds. We were there in the middle of summer so we should have expected it, although from what we read it sounds like Prague is always crowded at all times of the year. It’s understandable though. The city is beautiful, and the architecture is amazing, not just in Old Town, but all over the city. Even the most basic of buildings seemed to have carved stone entrances and rooftop spires, which makes the simple act of walking from one place to another an interesting experience. We would love to return one day.