Praha, Czechia. May, 2023.
(This diary entry is a record of four days, presented here as a single blog)
DAY 1
The intended visit to Charles bridge at dawn did not materialise, as we had preferred to sleep on! Perhaps age is catching up with us and we are tiring easily. Need to work on physical fitness!
Got out of bed close to 06:00 and were down for breakfast by 09:00. This was earlier than the previous days. Left the hotel after another sumptuous breakfast and crossing Sokolska, reached the bus stop of route no. 148, on Wenzegova. The bus arrived at 10:01and we travelled the beautiful route to Karlovo Namestie, once again! The route is beautiful because it passes along cobbled streets bordered by stunning buildings, by pleasant junctions, up and down intriguing slopes, between plenty of greenery! We just wanted to take a long tram ride and soak in the city.
Decided on tram no. 3, as it seemed to have the longest route from Karlovo Namestie; and in a direction hitherto untravelled by us. The tram arrived soon enough and gathered us into its warmth to provide solace from the cold winds outside. Found good seats – single ones facing each other. The route was great – a familiar one for the first three stops or so and exploratory thereafter. Florenc and beyond, in a north-easterly direction. I was amazed to see the spread of the city. Cleanliness was maintained everywhere! It had its share of long, broad roads, shining show windows on either side, uniformly constructed and painted buildings rubbing shoulders with one another, sprawling parks, the mandatory church, everything! As we neared the last stop, we were preparing to alight and re-board the comfortable vehicle at some nearby stop. We were thus surprised to find a few passengers staying put on the tram even as it halted at the terminus! Still more surprised to find a few passengers board the tram! We stayed put, expecting the tram to go ahead and return after making a semi-circle somewhere, to go back along the route it had traversed. Imagine our surprise when, after it had started moving, it continued in a straight line! Automatically, my eyes went up to the electronic indicator fixed right above my seat. The route of the tram had changed! It was now no. 17! This suited us very well, as we would get to see still more of the charming city! Going through the list of stops displayed on the new route, I was relieved to spot three familiar names – Checuv Most, Staromestska and Karlovy Lazne! Being familiar with the geography and layout of this magnificent capital of the Czech Republic, I rightly guessed that no. 17 would cross the Vltava at some point soon and then return to this side along Checuv Most (Czech Bridge) and run parallel to the river along its right bank! Wow! It did exactly that, after passing Praha-Holesovice, the station we had got off at on arriving here from Dresden, on the 10th. The views of the river and the elegant edifices on either side, were marvellous, as always!
Alighted at Karlovy Lazne, on the right bank of the Vltava, close to Charles Bridge. This suited us very well because our destination was the Prague Beer Museum – a restaurant that boasted 30 beers on the tap! It was a little past 11:30 and the restaurant seemed to have just opened. We entered through an attractive doorway and were happy to see the pub-like ambience. To the right was the well-stocked bar with the long line of 30 beer taps in the foreground! The walls were decorated with old photographs, the chairs and tables of unpolished wood, the windows – which offered seating on high chairs - overlooked the main road, beyond which the Vltava flowed gently. Charles Bridge was hidden from view but from one of the windows further down, one could get a glimpse of Prague castle. A fantastic ambience!
The bartender and his assistant proved to be friendly people who permitted us to click their picture behind the row of taps. He also offered to click my picture ‘operating’ the taps! Enjoyed a Cherry draught. Urmila enjoyed her usual – cappuccino. We got into a short conversation with the bartender who informed us that the crowds were nowhere near the pre-Covid levels! According to his estimate, the crowds were just 30% of what they used to be before the deadly pandemic held humanity to ransom. I tried lifting his spirits saying that the crowds would flock in from June to September, the peak tourist season in Europe, but he seemed doubtful. As an example of the dwindling numbers, he explained that he stayed very close to the restaurant but before Covid, it would take him ten minutes to reach his place of work on foot, dodging the hordes that were swarming the roads! He would arrive at the restaurant in a jiffy, now! I felt sad on hearing this as Prague is my all-time favourite city and I want it to prosper. We told him that we loved Prague and were on our fourth visit to the capital! He was visibly pleased! Smiling broadly, he told us that he had come as a visitor to Prague a few years ago and stayed on as he liked the place. He invited us to do the same! That was a good omen! We shook hands and parted. Strolled along a familiar route – we had traversed this twice before, the first time on our very first trip in 2014 and the second time last year – braving the cold winds. The buildings, churches, with their splendid architecture; never fail to impress.
Our destination was the Lidl supermarket at Wenceslas Square. Found it, descended by escalator and entered the huge store. Found our favourite Ritter Sport, but in a 100gms. pack. The 250gms. square still eludes us! By now we were hungry and Urmila wanted to eat Indian stuff so the natural choice was ‘Amritsar Mail’ on Vodicova, a short walk away. And yes, forgot to mention that we had the pleasure of visiting a cute candy store, named ‘Candy Miners’, with wonderful show windows and interesting interiors. Candies, chewing gum, toffees, jujubes, chocolates, marshmallows! What a sight! We were back in our childhood, mouths watering! The display was awesome – on one side, near the window was a toy train, hauled by a colourful steam engine; and whose carriages carried heaps of the sweet stuff! On the opposite side, against the walls, were more sweets, neatly arranged. Above the display were installed characters from fairy tales – pixies and goblins and elves! Behind the wall was a ‘cave’ that had two openings. The cave was filled with still more sweets! They came in all colours, sizes, shapes and flavours! We went bonkers and ended up purchasing 250 gms. of the goodies – mixed! The pricing for uniform – 99 Czech krowns (a little over 4 Euros) for 100 gms.
The lunch at ‘Amritsari Mail’ was good – Ballantines, Chicken Bhuna, Chhole Bhature and fried papad. However, the portions were rather large and there was a left-over. Urmila requested the waitress to pack the remaining stuff and give t to some needy person. Initially she was reluctant but later, after a little coaxing, said she would try to dispose it of usefully. Fair enough!
Walked back to our hotel along Vodickova, I.P. Pavlova and Sokolska. Purchased milk sachets and tins of Smirnoff at the mini-mart on Sokolska, just a few metres from the hotel. It was 15:33 when we entered our room. Thankfully, it had been made up. Rested. Did not venture out. Clicked a couple of pics of the bright sunlight falling on trees and buildings, at 20:00!
Will sip our individual drinks and nibble Indian snacks, before calling it a day, shortly.
DAY 2
It is now 17:13. With the sun shining brightly, much sunlight is streaming into the room, rendering it warm and cosy. I am now in two minds – whether to step out and further use the 24-hr ticket or stay put in the room, enjoying the warmth.
Well, we did venture out! Left the hotel at 19:00. There was the small matter of our having misplaced one card-key to the room! Had searched high and low, without success. Informed reception, who were kind enough to replace it with a fresh card, at least to operate the electricity. Hope we find the lost one too!
To Bruselska; tram no. 6 to Vacklavske Namestie; the much loved walk along familiar cobbled lanes, between rows of exquisite buildings and glittering show windows. Reached a much visited landmark of Praha – the Astronomical Clock. The area was overflowing with the sea of humanity! The restaurants were choc-a-bloc with people in colourful attire, so was the area just outside the clock. The mind-blowing old town square – the best in Europe that I have seen – looked even more seductive in the fading evening light. People were milling around, enjoying themselves. As expected, there were plenty of tourists from the East-difficult to guess their nationality for they all look alike-busy clicking selfies using selfie-sticks that have long gone out of fashion! The surrounding structures – buildings, churches, the twin towers of Our Lady of Tyn (the masthead of this website) and the statue of Jan Hus in the square, all looked regal, bathed as they were in the evening glow of a Prague summer day! To our surprise, we found an empty bench! Wasted no time in occupying it and surrendering ourselves to the ambience, waiting for the municipal lights to come on. The area was already quite well-lit, thanks to the lighting on the surrounding structures and restaurants. We waited till 20:45 but no luck! It was getting colder too. Decided to return, as our hotel was not close by.
Reluctantly left the square, trudged back the way we had come, now between glittering show windows and shimmering restaurant facades. Back to Wenceslas Square. Tram no. 6 arrived in ten minutes. Surprisingly, it was crowded. On the tram, our tickets were examined by a lady inspector. Alighted at Bruselska and made our way ‘home’ in the increasing cold, admiring the night views of this incredible city!
DAY 3
Woke up around 06:00. Breakfast at 09:00. Set off under a blue sky, welcomed by chilly winds, at 09:20. Strolled along Sokolska, braving the cold, to I.P. Pavlova. Activated the 24-hrs ticket on the ‘Pid-litacka’ app and rode tram no. 18 (or was it no. 16?) to Narodni Divadlo (National Theatre) on the river front; and then enjoyed the chilly walk up to Charles Bridge.
Managed to click good pics of the bridge, the river and the castle in the background. (I must have done this many times on previous visits to this beautiful capital, but each time seems like the first!) Entered an inviting looking souvenir shop just before the bridge. After looking around at the mementos on display, settled for coasters with pictures of the lovely landmarks of Praha, refrigerator magnets and illustrative maps of the city. Strolled along my favourite bridge which was thankfully and surprisingly not crowded; clicking away (though we have clicked numerous pics on previous visits!). having crossed over to the other side, we slowly made our way to the stop of Malostranske Namestie, admiring the colourful shops to our left and right. Boarded tram no. 12 to travel to stop of Strossmayerovo Namestie, an interesting junction, with trams plying in all directions.
From there we thoroughly relished an uphill walk along a clean sidewalk that had vehicles parked in a most orderly fashion on the opposite side. Indians, who pride themselves on their 5000+ year old ‘culture’, have much to learn from the West! The sidewalk ended at Letna park, one of the countless clean, huge and well-preserved parks of this grand city! We could see the city and the river peeping through the abundant greenery, to our left. Walked on to the Letna lookout point and beer garden, from where we got uninterrupted views of the mesmerising Czech capital! Clicked away, though the sun was not in a direction favourable to photography. The beer garden was empty – perhaps it operated only in the evenings.
After spending some more time there, we retraced our route to Strossmayerovo Namestie. Urmila remarked on the skill involved in the laying down of the numerous tram lines. Trams are the lifeline of Prague, akin to the local trains of Mumbai. Caught tram no. 12 back to Malostranske Namestie and to the Indian Dosa joint that we had earmarked on an earlier visit to the area. Disappointed to see that the restaurant was closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays! Rather strange too, for a restaurant to remain closed two days a week! One would imagine that post-covid, those in the hospitality industry would work harder to try and make up for the lost years!
Debated for a while, then zeroed in on ‘Five Rivers Indian restaurant’ at Staromestska, on the opposite bank of the Vltava. To the bus stop to wait for bus no. 174. It soon arrived, a petite but cosy looking mini-bus. Enjoyed the short ride – which basically involved crossing the river – to Staromestska. The restaurant in question was just across the road from where we had alighted. It looked bigger than the Indian restaurants we had tried so far (three of them!). Well, it certainly was bigger and the décor was better too. Enjoyed a meal of Staropramen draught, samosa with aloo-mutter; and mutton sheikh kababs. A good meal, albeit slightly more expensive than the one at ‘Amritsar Mail’. Decided to return to the hotel and step out again in the evening, if we felt like it.
Caught tram no. 18 to Karlovo Namestie; waited patiently for bus no. 148, which would drop us nearer our hotel than any other bus or tram would. !0-12 minutes passed before it arrived. Enjoyed the short ride to Apolinarska stop, one stop before Detska Nemonice Karlov, the one we wanted to alight at. This was because in this direction, the bus has to follow a different road to I.P. Pavlova- its last stop – owing to Sokolska being a one-way. Returned to our room at 13:53. The house-keeping girl who was in the process of making up room no. 202, informed us that our room was ready! How nice!
Well, we did step out in the evening, at 18:00. This was brief visit to the Lidl supermarket at Vacklavske Namestie. Back in our room by 19:30. Will enjoy our snack and drinks by 21:00 and then call it a day.
DAY 4
My favourite author Ruskin Bond’s birthday! We fondly recalled meeting him at his home in Mussoorie on this very day way back in the year 2011! The Paul family was with us. That was a very enjoyable trip.
Got out of bed a little after 06:00. The sky looked clear. Went down to breakfast at 09:15. The strawberry yoghurt was better today and I ate a large bowlful. Left the hotel in bright sunshine and with a pleasant breeze blowing. To the bus stop of route no. 148. The bus arrived on time, at 10:01. It took the pleasant route to Karlovo Namestie. Alighted, crossed over. Soon got tram no. 18 to Karlovy Lazne. The entire setting – the Vltava, Charles Bridge, Prague castle and the cute red-roofed houses looked absolutely divine in the bright sunshine. Sat on a bench facing the river for a while, allowing the sun to heat our backs and the scene to soothe our eyes. Walked to the souvenir shop where we had made a purchase a couple of days ago; and purchased two sets of coasters and a postcard. The shopkeeper gifted us with a tiny souvenir – a colourful matchbox (hardly a box, it was cylindrical in shape), three of them! Just as we were exiting the colourful shop, Urmila spotted brightly coloured table mats. Bought them too. Then basked in the sun on our favourite bridge which was swarming with crowds. Clicked pictures, got our pictures clicked, as if it were our first visit! Strolled to the other end, passed yesterday’s Indian Dosa restaurant ‘Dum Dosa’ and colourful parlours selling the local sweet Trdlenik, to the tram stop of Malostranske Namestie. There were hordes – individuals, couples, families, small groups, large groups, the works! Trams kept coming and going, as did the vintage open-roofed cars, now used for joy rides. It was a fair-like atmosphere - People were enjoying their drinks at roadside tables, waitresses scurrying about taking/delivering orders, pedestrians strolling around, ice-cream cone or a partly eaten Trdlo or a beer can in hand, tourists and locals waiting in an orderly line for their buses or trams! A kaleidoscope of colours!
We decided to enjoy a ride on tram no. 12 till its terminus and return to the same spot. We did precisely that. The tram took us past the area of Andel (which we had passed yesterday on way to Sedeliste Repy) and to areas of this magnificent city, unseen so far. After a while, we spotted the Vltava to our left, with the twin spires of the now familiar Vysehrad cathedral jutting prominently on its opposite bank. We passed the railway station of Praha and recognised it as one whose picture we had clicked from Vysehrad last Sunday. The tram took us through beautiful residential areas of the city. Its last stop was Sedeliste Barandov, where we alighted. Just had to cross the tracks to the opposite platform, for the return journey. Clicked pictures of a neatly maintained housing colony just behind the tram terminus. Rode back to Malostranske Namestie by the same route, shooting a couple of videos on the way.
At Malostranske Namestie, I suddenly had the thought of going to Florenc by the mini-bus no. 174. We had used the bus to Staromestska, the day before. The bus took approximately 15 minutes to arrive. My decision proved to be a rewarding one because after Staromestska, the bus turned left and took us along cobbled roads, through beautiful Namesties, on the periphery of Old Town Square (till then, I was under the impression that this square is approachable only on foot!) and through a lane so narrow that we found ourselves almost shaking hands with the pedestrians on the sidewalk! Checked out the huge ‘BILLA’ supermarket at Florenc. Couldn’t find any brand of black tea! To return to Vacklavske Namestie, we decided to use the metro, as its entrance was right next to BILLA. Enjoyed the short ride to ‘Museum’ station. Entered ‘Rossman’ and another rmini-mart in the station premises for black tea but were disappointed yet again! Exited the station, emerged at Vacklavske Namestie, right opposite the elegant building of the national museum. Walked slowly to ‘Masala India’ restaurant nearby. Enjoyed a lunch comprising Pilsner Urquel draught, mutton biryani, plain papad and curds.
As we exited the restaurant, we observed that the weather had changed. The sun had hidden itself behind dark clouds, the usual chilly winds had started blowing. Under these conditions we walked back to Hotel Assenzio, along Sokolska. Reached by 14:50.
Completed our web check-in for the flights back to India for the 21st, a short while ago. Disappointed at not getting a window seat on the DXB-BOM flight!
Rested in the room. Enjoyed snacks with tea at 17:30 or so. Went down to the Mini Market which is a stone’s throw away, to buy drinks for the night. Enjoyed our individual drinks, in the room, at 21:00 and called it a day at 21:30. Need to wake up early tomorrow to put into action a plan that we have been postponing since Monday!
I set the alarm for 04:45.