Czech's Jewel - PRAGUE

Why do tourists love Prague? Why everybody is dreaming of visiting it one day?

It is a mystery to me too why so many people rave about Prague, so out of curiosity we decided to visit the capital of Bohemian region and find it for ourselves. 

Formerly part of Czechoslovakia, the Czech’s got their independence last January 01, 1993.  Its capital Prague became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city has a history more than a thousand years back and one of the major city that was left undamaged during the WW II and retain much of its ancient character.  Way back 1989, Prague was free of tourists but gone are those days, the city became popular with budget travelers, expatriates and students from all over the world. Nowadays, Prague is the sixth most visited city in Europe with more than three millions visitors yearly.  


There's no better way to explore the city than by foot so we get up early and stroll its maze of cobbled stone streets. Our first stop is the Old Town Square, considered as the heart of Prague. It is situated with wall to wall shops, a busy place packed with tourist (well I think majority of the people walking along the square are tourists), tour groups, cafes/restaurants, horse drawn carriage, people selling different stuff, historic monuments and police, yes  police visibility in every corner.

behind me is the statue of Jan Hus  and the Our Lady before Tyn. 

Adding to the charm of the the Old Town Square is the Astronomical clock. Just like in Bern, the crowds are gathered in center to watch the 12 apostles dancing around while the skeleton turns  the sands timetable which reminds us to just "seize the day".
Walking further you'll find the shopping center of Prague, the Parizska Street all the way to the Jewish Quarter. We did a walking tour of the Jewish Quarter with a guide. We visited several locations and we're very pleased that we've spent some of our limited time there. The old synagogue that contains the record of the Jewish that were killed during the Holocaust were very touching. I took off my gloves and started to take notes all the important   info's that our tour guide has mentioned. 

Right after our emotional tour in the Jewish Quarter, we headed to our next activity, the Vltava River Cruise.

We boarded in a dark tunnel beneath Charles Bridge and proceed right away to the open water. We were served a glass of beer and coffee, then ice cream and cookies (free flow for beer only). 

The boat stopped for a while, we were given some old photos of the same area for us to see the big differences over time. 

The boat also made its way into the narrow waterways under some small bridges and pathways. 

We enjoyed a one hour cruise along Vltava River. I was totally in awe with the scenic views of the most important landmarks of Prague, the Charles Bridge and the Prague's Castle to name a few. It was a relaxing experience after all the walkings we did (almost five hours). The river cruise allows you to see the city in different angle. 

After the cruise, we walked again back to the city for our lunch. Prague is known for its countless and inexpensive restaurants. We have searched some extra ordinary restaurant for a different experience and we have found Pavouka, the Medieval Tavern Restaurant.

 At first, I thought we have made a wrong choice. It was dark going down and seems nobody is inside but wait, there's more....

I was speechless. WOW! 

The atmosphere was amazing, some kind of medieval feeling under the cave that brings back to the old times due to its decorations and lightings. I can say now that we've made a perfect choice. It is certainly a hidden gem that I almost believe to some hearsay that it was a former brothel during the medieval times haha. We had  our first taste of their  traditional food, a five course meal but the taste is not up to what I expected (sgd 120.00 for 2 pax). Well, the write-ups were all true, we're paying for the ambiance, entertainment and experience and not for the food itself.  It is located very close to the old town square, around 3-5 minutes walk. 
We still have a lot of things in our list so we wasted no time and proceed to our next destination, the Prague Castle and Little Quarter.

We're off to climb the hill to Prague Castle. We make it to the top just in time to catch the changing of the guards. 

What makes Prague unique among the other cities of Europe is that you'll find almost all types of architectures here - baroque, medieval, gothic, art nouveau and renaissance. Prague castle is an example of gothic architecture and is the biggest castle complex in the world. We posed for a few pictures and continue to explore the castle where my jaw dropped. Most of the time, that term is only used as a form of speech but my jaw actually dropped and my mouth opened when I saw the tall stone with its interiors and detailed stained glass windows.  Wow, Its truly a real work of art!

While walking, we have come across this "cute padlocks" locked in a fence. According to my research, they call it the Love Locks. There is no concrete explanation about this. Well I guess, it is to express their love together, locked in a promise made together in Prague haha, does it make sense?

The Lennon Wall - simply amazing!. Full of graffiti's, mostly love notes written on the wall.

After exploring the area of the castle, we walk past the street going to the Golden Lane. It is a street full of little house and shops. This time the weather is getting colder and I am not feeling comfortable anymore. Jonathan noticed that my nose is bleeding so we take some rest and find a place to keep me warm for a while.  

We're making our way down to the city. The view  from above  is stunning, almost all covered with orange colour roofs. We're heading to our last stop,  the romantic Charles Bridge.

Due to its extreme popularity, we put it on our last-thing-to-do in Prague but I was wrong. I thought there were less crowd in the late afternoon to evening but it was the other way around. It's almost crowded, full of tourist taking their chance to have a good sight of the Vltava River catching the sunset. Maybe the best time to go and stroll here is when the city is still sleeping, wink.

While Prague has some down sides (language barrier, pick pockets, rude locals) they are not worth mentioning here. Also getting lost in a city that is new to you is just normal and a part of the real fun of travelling. Maybe the only regret I have now is not spending enough time to explore the city BUT it's also good because it gives you a reason to come back......oooppsss in my dreams haha.