| A Trip Report from Prague by Renee King |
Our excursion into the wonderful Czech
Republic began with an eight hour trip
from Atlanta on March 3, 2005. We had a
4:35 pm flight on Lufthansa, so we made
sure that we got there in plenty of time to
park at one of the park and ride lots and to
get through all of the various and sundry
security checkpoints. I was really
impressed with the A340 airbus that we
flew on. It was much more comfortable
than the one we flew on last year to Rome.
I was very pleased with the service. We
booked our trip via
www.nordiquetours.com.
Republic began with an eight hour trip
from Atlanta on March 3, 2005. We had a
4:35 pm flight on Lufthansa, so we made
sure that we got there in plenty of time to
park at one of the park and ride lots and to
get through all of the various and sundry
security checkpoints. I was really
impressed with the A340 airbus that we
flew on. It was much more comfortable
than the one we flew on last year to Rome.
I was very pleased with the service. We
booked our trip via
www.nordiquetours.com.
Furstenberg Palace is part of the Czech Senate and Embassy row.
DAY ONE
We arrived in Frankfurt around 7:20 am the next day and had to catch the skyline train to the other
terminal to switch planes. We were at our departure gate all of five minutes before they called us to
transfer via a bus to our plane to Prague. We got a late start because the plane had to be de-iced. It was
snowing not only in Frankfurt, but in Prague as well. Nevertheless, we only arrived
about 5 minutes late at 9:25 am. It was a relatively smooth process to get through immigration. As we
left the baggage area to search for our ride from Prague Airport shuttle, I was upset to see that no
one was holding a sign with my name on it (later I realized that I had not called 24 hrs. ahead to
confirm!). After hanging around just in case they were running late, I decided to go to the nearby
ATM and get some cash so that I could find an alternate ride to the hotel. I withdrew 4,000 Czech
korunas which was the equivalent of $196.00 and headed over to the kiosk on the other side of the small
airport to find a shuttle. Luckily Cedaz Transportation had a shuttle immediately available for 480
korunas which covered me and my daughter.
Before long, we were on our way to our hotel, The Waldstein Hotel which was tucked right off of
Valdstejnske namesti. We checked in and were shown to our room. We were assigned the deluxe suite in
their Annex (or apartment suites). I was happy to get that as they had adjoining kitchenettes. The rooms
were adequate. The toilet was off of the kitchenette, there were two bedrooms and a tub and shower
was on the opposite end. The furniture was all antique. There was no room safe in the apartment-only in
the hotel rooms.
We arrived in Frankfurt around 7:20 am the next day and had to catch the skyline train to the other
terminal to switch planes. We were at our departure gate all of five minutes before they called us to
transfer via a bus to our plane to Prague. We got a late start because the plane had to be de-iced. It was
snowing not only in Frankfurt, but in Prague as well. Nevertheless, we only arrived
about 5 minutes late at 9:25 am. It was a relatively smooth process to get through immigration. As we
left the baggage area to search for our ride from Prague Airport shuttle, I was upset to see that no
one was holding a sign with my name on it (later I realized that I had not called 24 hrs. ahead to
confirm!). After hanging around just in case they were running late, I decided to go to the nearby
ATM and get some cash so that I could find an alternate ride to the hotel. I withdrew 4,000 Czech
korunas which was the equivalent of $196.00 and headed over to the kiosk on the other side of the small
airport to find a shuttle. Luckily Cedaz Transportation had a shuttle immediately available for 480
korunas which covered me and my daughter.
Before long, we were on our way to our hotel, The Waldstein Hotel which was tucked right off of
Valdstejnske namesti. We checked in and were shown to our room. We were assigned the deluxe suite in
their Annex (or apartment suites). I was happy to get that as they had adjoining kitchenettes. The rooms
were adequate. The toilet was off of the kitchenette, there were two bedrooms and a tub and shower
was on the opposite end. The furniture was all antique. There was no room safe in the apartment-only in
the hotel rooms.
Right away we asked the hotel receptionist where the metro was and how to get to the Charles Bridge.
As luck would have it, we were about five minutes from either going in opposite directions. If you
steered to the right on Valdstejnske namesti, you would end up at the Malostranska metro station. Their
metro system was as user friendly as the Paris metro. If you turned left, you would end up on the
little square where you could take one of the trams. Make another left and keep straight you would end
up at Charles Bridge. On the way to the bridge we decided to try our first Czech meal. We stopped
at a pub located in a hotel on nearby Tomasska street called U Schnellu. I ordered beef goulash (the
servings were small though) with potato pancakes and my daughter ordered the same. The price was
extremely cheap along with two sodas the price was a little over 12.00 for both of us!
As luck would have it, we were about five minutes from either going in opposite directions. If you
steered to the right on Valdstejnske namesti, you would end up at the Malostranska metro station. Their
metro system was as user friendly as the Paris metro. If you turned left, you would end up on the
little square where you could take one of the trams. Make another left and keep straight you would end
up at Charles Bridge. On the way to the bridge we decided to try our first Czech meal. We stopped
at a pub located in a hotel on nearby Tomasska street called U Schnellu. I ordered beef goulash (the
servings were small though) with potato pancakes and my daughter ordered the same. The price was
extremely cheap along with two sodas the price was a little over 12.00 for both of us!
The Charles Bridge was magical. It
was as if we were crossing through
a time barrier. Prague has such
architectural beauty and is easily
the most beautiful city that I've ever
seen. We walked the length of
the bridge, taking care to admire the
Vltava River and the work of
the hopeful artists lined along the bridge
selling their wares then
walked back toward the hotel. We
made a few pit stops at the many
souvenir shops and decided to stop at
the Bio-Market grocery store to
pick up a few items for the fridge.
was as if we were crossing through
a time barrier. Prague has such
architectural beauty and is easily
the most beautiful city that I've ever
seen. We walked the length of
the bridge, taking care to admire the
Vltava River and the work of
the hopeful artists lined along the bridge
selling their wares then
walked back toward the hotel. We
made a few pit stops at the many
souvenir shops and decided to stop at
the Bio-Market grocery store to
pick up a few items for the fridge.
| A panoramic view of Charles Bridge |
The Charles Bridge was magical. It was as if we were crossing through a time barrier. Prague has such
architectural beauty and is easily the most beautiful city that I've ever seen. We walked the length of
the bridge, taking care to admire the Vltava River and the work of the hopeful artists lined along the
bridge selling their wares then walked back toward the hotel. We made a few pit stops at the many
souvenir shops and decided to stop at the Bio-Market grocery store to pick up a few items for the fridge.
On the way back we discovered a Jazz restaurant called Por Favore (also on Tomasska Street) that
offered free internet access. We were able to log on with very little problem except the keyboard had a
slightly different layout. After awhile, we decided to go back to the hotel. We weren't feeling
that great, so we decided to go back to the hotel. I was fighting a cold and my daughter still hadn't gotten
over hers the week before. So, rest was definitely in order!
architectural beauty and is easily the most beautiful city that I've ever seen. We walked the length of
the bridge, taking care to admire the Vltava River and the work of the hopeful artists lined along the
bridge selling their wares then walked back toward the hotel. We made a few pit stops at the many
souvenir shops and decided to stop at the Bio-Market grocery store to pick up a few items for the fridge.
On the way back we discovered a Jazz restaurant called Por Favore (also on Tomasska Street) that
offered free internet access. We were able to log on with very little problem except the keyboard had a
slightly different layout. After awhile, we decided to go back to the hotel. We weren't feeling
that great, so we decided to go back to the hotel. I was fighting a cold and my daughter still hadn't gotten
over hers the week before. So, rest was definitely in order!
DAYS TWO & THREE
The next day (Saturday), we
got up around 9:30 am to get
breakfast at the hotel. The
breakfast was a nice array of
ham and cheese slices,
assorted breads, scrambled
eggs, smoked sausages, fruit
cocktail, yogurt, fresh
crudités, orange juice and
coffee. We made a mental
note to make sure that we
never missed breakfast! We
had contemplated taking a
hop on hop off bus tour, but
decided against it after we
figured the city was small
enough for us to
The next day (Saturday), we
got up around 9:30 am to get
breakfast at the hotel. The
breakfast was a nice array of
ham and cheese slices,
assorted breads, scrambled
eggs, smoked sausages, fruit
cocktail, yogurt, fresh
crudités, orange juice and
coffee. We made a mental
note to make sure that we
never missed breakfast! We
had contemplated taking a
hop on hop off bus tour, but
decided against it after we
figured the city was small
enough for us to
| Mausoleum in the Vysehrad cemetary. |
investigate on our on via the suggested walking tour. We had already made plans to visit the Jewish
Quarter (Josefov), Old Town (Stare Mesto) & New Town (Nove Mesto) and Lesser Town (Mala
Strana-our home base) on succeeding days.
So, after perusing some of the pamphlets in the reception area, we decided to visit Vysherad in New
Town after reading about the legend of Princess Libuse who was widely considered to be the mother of
the Czech nation. We took the metro to the Vysherad stop and had a short walk to what was essentially
a large park surrounding the 10th century Vysherad Castle, St. Paul's cathedral and the National
cemetery. With all of the historical significance of this area aside, I must say that one of the most striking
aspects of Vysherad is the breathtaking panoramic view of Prague and the Vltava River that you can
witness from hillside west of the Cathedral.
We took the metro back to the hotel, but decided on a whim to take the #22 tram from the Little Quarter
Square in Mala Strana to TESCO, a variety store to see if we could find some goodies to bring home.
Once you cross the bridge, Tesco is the second stop on that route. We found an American Pub whose
name escapes me now on Mostecka Street in Mala Strana and decided to have dinner there. For some
reason, we never really got to experience a lot of Czech cuisine during our visit.
After spending the day in non-stop snow showers we decided to put off visiting the Jewish quarter the
next day. Although we had been advised that Sunday was the best time to visit, we reasoned that we
had better take the time to recuperate if we wanted to be well enough to survive the rest of the trip. On
Sunday, we stayed in comforted by the abundance of cold medication, orange juice and groceries at
our disposal.
Quarter (Josefov), Old Town (Stare Mesto) & New Town (Nove Mesto) and Lesser Town (Mala
Strana-our home base) on succeeding days.
So, after perusing some of the pamphlets in the reception area, we decided to visit Vysherad in New
Town after reading about the legend of Princess Libuse who was widely considered to be the mother of
the Czech nation. We took the metro to the Vysherad stop and had a short walk to what was essentially
a large park surrounding the 10th century Vysherad Castle, St. Paul's cathedral and the National
cemetery. With all of the historical significance of this area aside, I must say that one of the most striking
aspects of Vysherad is the breathtaking panoramic view of Prague and the Vltava River that you can
witness from hillside west of the Cathedral.
We took the metro back to the hotel, but decided on a whim to take the #22 tram from the Little Quarter
Square in Mala Strana to TESCO, a variety store to see if we could find some goodies to bring home.
Once you cross the bridge, Tesco is the second stop on that route. We found an American Pub whose
name escapes me now on Mostecka Street in Mala Strana and decided to have dinner there. For some
reason, we never really got to experience a lot of Czech cuisine during our visit.
After spending the day in non-stop snow showers we decided to put off visiting the Jewish quarter the
next day. Although we had been advised that Sunday was the best time to visit, we reasoned that we
had better take the time to recuperate if we wanted to be well enough to survive the rest of the trip. On
Sunday, we stayed in comforted by the abundance of cold medication, orange juice and groceries at
our disposal.
Monday morning, we arose bright and early and headed out
after breakfast to the Metro. Our goal was to visit the Jewish
Quarter and Old Town since they were essentially in the
same area. Our first stop was Namesti Republicky…as soon
as you walked up the steps to street level; you are greeted by
the very ornate "Municipal House". This Art Noveau
masterpiece was built in the early 20th century and is where
the Prague symphony performs. Walking ahead, we made
our way past other notable structures such as the House of
the Black Mother, the Powder Tower and eventually to the
Old Town Square where you can find St. Nicholas' Church
and Kinsky Palace. To the west of the Church was the
birthplace of the writer Franz Kafka.
In the center of the town square (right next to the tourist
bureau) was the Astronomical Clock. We had just missed
the "show" by 10 minutes, so we decided to wander around
the square for another 50 minutes until we could come back
and videotape the event.
after breakfast to the Metro. Our goal was to visit the Jewish
Quarter and Old Town since they were essentially in the
same area. Our first stop was Namesti Republicky…as soon
as you walked up the steps to street level; you are greeted by
the very ornate "Municipal House". This Art Noveau
masterpiece was built in the early 20th century and is where
the Prague symphony performs. Walking ahead, we made
our way past other notable structures such as the House of
the Black Mother, the Powder Tower and eventually to the
Old Town Square where you can find St. Nicholas' Church
and Kinsky Palace. To the west of the Church was the
birthplace of the writer Franz Kafka.
In the center of the town square (right next to the tourist
bureau) was the Astronomical Clock. We had just missed
the "show" by 10 minutes, so we decided to wander around
the square for another 50 minutes until we could come back
and videotape the event.
| The Astronomical Clock |
Every hour on the hour, a skeleton figure that is located right
next to the top clock (with the astronomical signs placed on
top of it) pulls a cord that opens the two top windows that is
located on either side of the statue above the clocks. For a
few seconds, the twelve apostles paraded pass in front of
those windows as if to say hello.
Later, we began our excursion into the Jewish Quarter where
we visited the Maisel and Pinkas synagogues. We actually
walked back to our hotel from the Jewish Quarter…it was a
short walk to the Charles Bridge and our hotel was on the
other side of it.
We decided to have a late lunch at Por Favore where I
ordered a large portion of Grilled salmon rolled in sesame
seed on a bed of freshly steamed spinach and
a side of steak fries au gratin. My daughter ordered Chicken
next to the top clock (with the astronomical signs placed on
top of it) pulls a cord that opens the two top windows that is
located on either side of the statue above the clocks. For a
few seconds, the twelve apostles paraded pass in front of
those windows as if to say hello.
Later, we began our excursion into the Jewish Quarter where
we visited the Maisel and Pinkas synagogues. We actually
walked back to our hotel from the Jewish Quarter…it was a
short walk to the Charles Bridge and our hotel was on the
other side of it.
We decided to have a late lunch at Por Favore where I
ordered a large portion of Grilled salmon rolled in sesame
seed on a bed of freshly steamed spinach and
a side of steak fries au gratin. My daughter ordered Chicken
St. Nicholas Church in Old Town Square
Noodles, which we thought would be a soup which would be great for her cold, but it turned out to be a
huge bowl of a bed of noodles topped off with what appeared to be a whole chicken! We each had apple
strudel as desert and sodas. The cost for everything including tip was only $27.00! After that meal, we
seriously doubted that we could make room for dinner and we were right!
DAY FIVE
Tuesday Morning we decided to visit the Globe Café and Bookstore because we had heard very good
things about the café from the people on various travel boards. We were not disappointed; there were
quite a few Americans there milling about reading books, surfing the internet, engaging in compelling
conversations or just doing as we did: enjoying their lunch. I ordered a chicken b.l.t. sandwich and a
coke and my daughter ordered an amazing hamburger sandwich that was slathered with sauce,
mushrooms, onions and bacon with a side of potato salad and a sprite. Our order cost about 17.00. After
taking a few pics, we said our goodbyes and headed on to Wenceslas square.
huge bowl of a bed of noodles topped off with what appeared to be a whole chicken! We each had apple
strudel as desert and sodas. The cost for everything including tip was only $27.00! After that meal, we
seriously doubted that we could make room for dinner and we were right!
DAY FIVE
Tuesday Morning we decided to visit the Globe Café and Bookstore because we had heard very good
things about the café from the people on various travel boards. We were not disappointed; there were
quite a few Americans there milling about reading books, surfing the internet, engaging in compelling
conversations or just doing as we did: enjoying their lunch. I ordered a chicken b.l.t. sandwich and a
coke and my daughter ordered an amazing hamburger sandwich that was slathered with sauce,
mushrooms, onions and bacon with a side of potato salad and a sprite. Our order cost about 17.00. After
taking a few pics, we said our goodbyes and headed on to Wenceslas square.
We had taken the #22 tram to get to the
café and we decided to go back on it to get
closer to the Metro. Little did we know that
the Metro stop, MUSTEK was right beyond
where we got off in the first place-actually
on the same block, so we decided to take
the train there.
Once we arrived at Wenceslas Square, we
decided to do a little window shopping on
this Czech version of Rodeo Drive. There
were a lot of high end shops there along
with the ubiquitous McDonald's in the
center of it all.
café and we decided to go back on it to get
closer to the Metro. Little did we know that
the Metro stop, MUSTEK was right beyond
where we got off in the first place-actually
on the same block, so we decided to take
the train there.
Once we arrived at Wenceslas Square, we
decided to do a little window shopping on
this Czech version of Rodeo Drive. There
were a lot of high end shops there along
with the ubiquitous McDonald's in the
center of it all.
| Lunch at the popular Globe Cafe |
Aside from the Charles Bridge area, it was the most congested. We continued our walk until we got to
Panska Street where we made a right to go to the Mucha Museum a couple of blocks
ahead. We were bowled over by the talent of this great man. I'd always been a major fan of the
impressionist movement...now I must count Art Noveau as a favorite too. Alfons Mucha led a very
interesting life and died tragically, but his talent was undeniable.
He designed the front of the Municipal House and some of the windows in St. Vitus's cathedral and we
were lucky enough to purchase some lithographs before we left Prague. We are forever changed by the
experience. Alas, our colds were kicking back up, so we decided to do the unforgivable: we got a couple
of sandwiches at McDonalds, loaded up on meds, and went back to the hotel to go to bed.
Panska Street where we made a right to go to the Mucha Museum a couple of blocks
ahead. We were bowled over by the talent of this great man. I'd always been a major fan of the
impressionist movement...now I must count Art Noveau as a favorite too. Alfons Mucha led a very
interesting life and died tragically, but his talent was undeniable.
He designed the front of the Municipal House and some of the windows in St. Vitus's cathedral and we
were lucky enough to purchase some lithographs before we left Prague. We are forever changed by the
experience. Alas, our colds were kicking back up, so we decided to do the unforgivable: we got a couple
of sandwiches at McDonalds, loaded up on meds, and went back to the hotel to go to bed.
DAY SIX
Sadly, this was to be our last
full day in Prague. Our flight
left early the next morning at
6:55 am and there could be a
delay as it has snowed
heavily once again last night.
Our plan of attack was to
visit the Prague Castle
complex including St. Vitus's
Cathedral. We caught the
#22 (you can catch the 23
also in the same spot as well)
going opposite the way we'd
traveled before up the steep
hill to the castle. We
ascended upon the Castle
gates and were greeted by
Sadly, this was to be our last
full day in Prague. Our flight
left early the next morning at
6:55 am and there could be a
delay as it has snowed
heavily once again last night.
Our plan of attack was to
visit the Prague Castle
complex including St. Vitus's
Cathedral. We caught the
#22 (you can catch the 23
also in the same spot as well)
going opposite the way we'd
traveled before up the steep
hill to the castle. We
ascended upon the Castle
gates and were greeted by
| Interior of St. Vitus Cathedral |
two guards on either side. They were unflinching and were careful to look ahead without making eye
contact with the large crowd coming toward them. Being totally lost, we simply followed the crowd to
the main office where we paid $31.00 to visit the complex; there was an additional fee (1.31) for being
allowed to take pictures- non flash pictures, that is. In all honesty, it's not worth the money! There were
very few places that required you to have a ticket. If we had not been able to see these places we
wouldn't have missed much. We got wonderful pics of St. Vitus's stained glass, its ornate
confessional booth and pews, it was a mystical blend of gothic and
art Noveau.
All in all, we had a wonderful time in Prague and hope to someday be fortunate enough to visit again.
contact with the large crowd coming toward them. Being totally lost, we simply followed the crowd to
the main office where we paid $31.00 to visit the complex; there was an additional fee (1.31) for being
allowed to take pictures- non flash pictures, that is. In all honesty, it's not worth the money! There were
very few places that required you to have a ticket. If we had not been able to see these places we
wouldn't have missed much. We got wonderful pics of St. Vitus's stained glass, its ornate
confessional booth and pews, it was a mystical blend of gothic and
art Noveau.
All in all, we had a wonderful time in Prague and hope to someday be fortunate enough to visit again.