Quick stop in Prague, Czech Republic

Prague reminds me of western Ukraine and makes me feel at home, while also not letting me forget I’m a tourist when I get lost in an unfamiliar street. Full of uneven cobble stone roads, beautiful 10th century architecture and some delicious food + beer.

Charles bridge – a lively pedestrian bridge, connecting Mala Strana and the Old Town. Mala Strana translates to small side and includes many great shops, the castle, Lennon wall, Petrin Tower and my favourite restaurant Saint Martin and is certainly hillier. Meanwhile, the old town is flatter and includes the old town square, astronomical clock and some great nightlife.

Petrin Tower – found at the top of the Petrin hill, this tower reminds me of how the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris looks and has a nice view over the whole city. The tower can be accessed by a funicular or can be walked up to as well. Since it was raining, I took the funicular up and decided to wait out the rain under the station's roof. I’m very glad I waited as I ended up meeting two girls from London, who are also solo travelling. We explored the Petrin tower together and met up the next two evenings. You never know where you can meet people!

St. Martin bistro and cafe – this restaurant was on my list after trying it out and loving it in 2019. They serve a combination of traditional Czech food and also intertwine other cuisines into their dishes. I hope to be back to try some more of their creations.

*Mushroom, onion + cabbage soup

*Crispy pork belly, bao dumplings, kimchi, hoisin sauce

*Plum tart

*Local Czech beer

John Lennon Wall – in the 1960’s various messages began appearing on the city wall against the regime and in 1990 John Lennon’s face was painted on the wall as a symbol of freedom after the fall of the communist regime. Today there are thousands of poems hanging in front of the wall, part of an initiative called – “Poems for the people of Ukraine”. Written by people from all over the world in various languages, all with a message to unite the world and that good will always prevail over evil. All the poems can be viewed here - https://poetizer.com/westandwithu.pdf. I can’t explain in words how I felt reading each poem, but it was emotional indeed and comfort + love could be felt amongst all who were passing by. Each person stood in silence, taking in each poem, reflecting and standing in solidarity.

Vysehrad – castle grounds found on the east side of the river, south of the Old Town are enclosed by old stone walls. A large church stands on the grounds and a cemetery sits next to it.

Dancing houses – these two buildings were built in 1996 and are in the form of a male and female dancer, mimicking famous dancers Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. I took an elevator to the top and enjoyed some Czech beer while admiring the 360 view over the river.

National theatre – overlooking the river is a grand building with gold detail. This national theatre has been the staple in Czech Republic's culture and opened its doors in 1881. Behind the theatre is a building that looks like bubble wrap, this is the New Stage Theatre, built in 1983, specifically for dramaturgy.

Old town – on the east side of the river sits the historic old town. The Old town square includes an outdoor market with food vendors (selling lots of Czech sausage) and was decorated for Easter. There were trees with colourful ribbons tied to them, symbolizing good luck and wealth. The square also has an astronomical clock, dating back to 1410 that still operates to this day.

Kantyna – a traditional Czech restaurant, created in a self-service style. There was lots of meat to choose from and a variety of beers to try too. The concept was pretty neat as well - you got a card and then went to the food + drink tables to pick out what you want. The staff marked it down on the card, and then you paid on the way out.

*Beef brisket with horseradish

*Roasted potatoes + grilled vegetables

*Bubak Cider

National museum – at the top of Legerova street sits the National Museum. I enjoyed admiring the architecture and walking around the area. Along the street towards the museum there was a photography exhibit, featuring photos taken in Prague in 2021-2022, some bringing tears and others a smile.

Night life – Prague’s nightlife is certainly something not to miss as there are plenty of bars and clubs, many in the old town. A few I checked out and would recommend include the Drunken Money bar crawl, Hanger bar, KU Club & Bar and Duplex club.

#StandWithUkraine – a beautiful mural showing how Ukraine is shielding other countries from Russia. All the toys under the arms of the girl are main characters from children's cartoons around the world and many from surrounding countries, bordering with Ukraine. It was evident by just turning my head that Czech people stand with Ukrainians as there was blue and yellow visible on almost every second building. People wore pins, flags hung from balconies and messages were stretched out across main buildings. The old square market even had a stand with women selling artwork made by children from Ukraine and raising money for Nadační fond Děti Ukrajiny, a Czech foundation supporting Ukrainian children who have been forced to flee due to the war.

I’ve been to Prague twice now and I still haven’t been inside the Prague castle so I guess I’ll have to come back.

Děkuji Praha, I’ll have to explore more of Czech Republic soon, as it certainly has a piece of my heart.