One day in Prague
Prague was amazing! It wasn’t just the city, but also seeing one of my best friends after 3 months that added to the experience. I am just back from a weekend in the Czech Republic and man, you can do a lot in just a weekend. I do not think I have ever done so many things in a weekend.
It started with a day in Prague on Friday, we went with the bus and underground from my friend’s hometown to Prague. And this was super easy, but it took us some time. This was perfect to talk and catch up. Normally I plan my city trips and search online for all the things the city has to offer, but since I was with a local no research was needed.
We started in a shopping street because Maarten wanted me to buy some dress shirts in a store named Van Graaf. He went there the year before during his camper tour and loved this one brand that is not for sale in The Netherlands. After some shopping, we ended up in a little café called Ovocný Světozor. Just the best place if you like a good piece of cake and coffee. With a full belly the real sightseeing started, starting at the Powder Tower or Powder Gate. This tower is a Gothic tower and one of the original city gates. It separates the Old Town from the New Town. Walking through all the small streets you will end up in the Old Town, that is a big square where you can find the Old Town Hall, Church of Our Lady and the Astronomical Clock.
The Old Town has a very nice ambiance and while walking, my friend told me the story about the Astronomical Clock. The clock is the third-oldest Astronomical Clock in the world (1410) and the oldest one still operating. The story goes that the maker of the clock, Hanuš was made blind so he could never replicate his work. In return he disabled the clock and no one could repair the clock for the next hundred years.
Next to the clock, there is an entrance to the clock tower and if you have the time, please go up! It gives you a beautiful view over the Old Town and the rest of Prague. From the tower you can see what they call the New Town. The New Town is connected to the Old Town by the Charles Bridge. The Charles Bridge was the next stop on the list. If you go left just at the end of the bridge you will find the John Lennon Wall. A graffiti wall that is changing constantly and perfect to make pictures. But you can also go right at the end of the bridge, as we did, to eat at this little restaurant named Lokal.
If you go from Lokal and walk away from the bridge you will come across the smallest street in Prague, they have a traffic light to show you that you can go down or up on the staircase in this street. Next on the list came Prague Castle, where the President of the Czech Republic lives. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world. This could definitely be true because it feels like a village in a big city.
We took the old stairs up through the wine yard and left the castle on the old stairs so we could walk to the Petrin Tower where we watched the sunset. Going by tram and underground we topped the day off with the best view from the Žikov Tower, that is a radio tower and restaurant.
