I remember going to the Czech Republic with friends as part of an inter-rail summer trip when I was a student. I remember thinking how beautiful and friendly this country was, and I also remember thinking how cheap everything was! Now, I’m no spring chicken and it’s a fairly long time since I was a student, I mean we’re talking nearly two and a half decades ago. But guess what, first impressions as we cross the border and drive towards the capital city of Prague: those same thoughts are echoing in my head. The drive from Germany takes you through the beautiful Lusatian mountain range consisting of majestic tree covered peaks which eventually give way to rolling green meadows. We stop for diesel, and I’m pleasantly surprised at the price, its the cheapest fuel we have found so far, and this is a very welcome bonus with the fuel prices as they are!
After our first night in our friendly (and very reasonably priced) campsite, we walk down to the local bus stop to catch the bus to the local tram station. The public transport system here is fantastic, every bus or tram we caught was exactly on time to the minute, and a 24 hour ticket allowing unlimited use of buses, trams and underground was only about seven quid with the kids travelling for free.
We jump off the tram right next to the beautiful Charles Bridge because I had read some recent reviews about a hidden antiques market in one of the rear alleys of the Clementinum buildings. However, after 15 minutes of aimless searching we asked the ticket lady for some help, and she informed me that the market hadn’t existed for 15 years! Apparently we were the third group of bargain hunters she had disappointed with the same information that day. Whoever is out there copying and pasting old reviews and information for your current travel websites, you should be ashamed of yourself!
Disappointed at our lack of vintage Czech shopping, we decide instead that we’ll head into the Old Town Square to grab some lunch. It’s pretty hard to not get ripped off in an environment like this, when all the “authentic” offerings are obviously aimed squarely at the heaving masses of tourists. So we opt for an easy lunch of hot dogs all round, with a pint of crisp Czech lager to wash it down obviously.
We finished our lunch with five minutes to spare before the amazing astronomical clock performed its hourly parade of apostles from its doorways, so we joined the crowd of eager tourists and waited. This clock dates back to 1410, and as such is the oldest clock still in operation. The kids watched and waited, yet seemed somewhat underwhelmed by the clocks 600 year old performance. Nevermind, next on the list was a quick perambulation of the old town in a traditional horse and carriage. This is a tourist practice that has recently been banned In many European cities due to concerns over the working conditions for the horses. I can understand that in cities like Paris or London where the hideously congested and polluted streets are understandably hazardous for the poor old nags. But Prague by contrast is very quiet and subdued, and we barely came across any cars at all on our 20 minute journey. Not only that but it seems like there is no more suitable way to gaze at this most medieval of cities than from the velvet clad bosom of a horse drawn carriage. Nonetheless Prague has decided to follow suit, and these rides will cease to be an option from January 2023, so I’m glad we had a chance to take one now.
Feeling the need for an intake of sugar, the kids visit one of the many sweet shops in the city centre (again aimed squarely at the tourists) whilst I indulge in a Prague delicacy – the chimney cake. This most unhealthy of snacks consists of a spirial donut-like cone stuffed with either whipped cream or soft ice cream with a sprinkling of fresh fruit as a token healthy element.
This gave us enough energy to start the long walk across the Charles Bridge and up towards the castle. This stone bridge over the river Vltava began construction in 1357 with the first stone being laid by Charles IV himself. It is lined on both sides by a series of stone statues (all now reproductions of the 18th century originals), 30 in total, which provide ample photo opportunities for the selfie-seekers. This bridge leads you directly over the water towards the steep ascent to Prague Castle. This ancient castle is sat at the top of a long and rather arduous flight of stone steps which lead you to Hradcany Square, but the views you get from the top over the ancient city are well worth the walk. The buildings that make up the castle complex span many different centuries and styles of architecture. It is the largest ancient castle in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records, and its history dates all the way back to 870.
The real showstopper for me was the gothic Basilica of St. Vitus whose spire is visible from everywhere in the local area. The space you are confronted with as you enter the doors is quite simply epic and really takes your breath away. You are surrounded on all sides by stunning multi coloured stained glass windows, and the effect they create is incredible. I don’t know if it was due to the time of day we visited, but luckily it was a glorious day outside, and the colours cast from those windows were dancing over the interior walls like some kind of medieval nightclub!
Having conquered the mountain of stairs to get to the castle, we were treated to an altogether easier descent down the other side towards our tram stop to catch our ride home for the night.
We have one more day to kill in Prague, but today is Monday 5th of September, and that can only mean one thing – THE START OF HOME SCHOOL! Argh, we’ve been dreading this day. Well, thats a bit harsh, but we’ve certainly been anticipating it. We were prepared, we had our print-outs and school books ready, laptops charged and ready to go! I setup inside to teach Hunter, and Kate took Bam outside, and the first day of school got underway. What were we worried about, the first days lessons were concluded without (much) trouble, and by lunchtime we were ready to take a trip somewhere. The kids fancied visiting the Zoo, so off we went! We had a quick stop for lunch at a little restaurant near the bus stop called Trumpety – they served me up a massive portion of proper home made goulash, and Kate had what google translated as ”two colour meat”! The kids struggled slightly due to the distinct lack of anything they recognised, but eventually agreed to try the chicken roulade. The portions in Czech restaurants are huge, and its proper hearty food for a good price, just what we needed to fuel a trip round the zoo.
This zoo is apparently the fifth best in the world according to TripAdvisor, and I’ve gotta say it is pretty good! I have previously mooted on the pros an cons of zoos, but altogether I’m in favour as long as they meet certain criteria. This place does, and it is also massive! We spent three hours here and couldn’t see all of it, despite the fact you can get a ski-lift (wow!) to the top and wander back down. Suffice to say this is well worth a visit if you find yourself in the area with a day to kill, but definitely allow a whole day. One absolutely hilarious, and probably pretty rare, event that we witnessed here was at the giant tortoise enclosure. While stood staring at these magnificent dinosaur like beasts, we spotted one particularly gnarly looking old tortoise making a (rather slow) beeline for what turned out to be an unsuspecting female right next to us. What followed was 4 and a half minutes of gratuitous x-rated shell on shell tortoise action accompanied by the most bizarre cacophony of grunts and coughs. The kids wondered why one tortoise was attacking the other, but when I explained they were just trying to make some baby tortoises Bam actually decided it was pretty sweet after all!
That’s it, bye bye Prague, “Czech” you later (see what I did there, funny right!) – next stop Austria…