Prague

Dymetrie · 27-10-2007, 12:17

So then, this week I had a fantastic 3 day trip to Prague with my brother, Simon. 4 star hotel right next to Karlův Most (Charles Bridge), decent flights to ensure we get the most out of the trip, and my walking boots.

Day One

Tuesday morning we were up at 6ish to leave the house for 7 so we could get to the airport in time (getting driven to Stanstead from Leytonstone rocks

) for our 9.15 flight. Check in a-ok, pick up some Czech cash (as we had no time to change money before and did it in the airport we were working on 35Kč/Â£1, which isnâ€™t great but works), pass through security (remember to take off your jumper when going through metal detectors if it has a massive metal zip on it

) and get onto the newest plane Iâ€™ve ever seen. It had GPS and was clean!

An uneventful (other than the funky screens showing us where we were) 2 hour flight later we arrive at Prague airport. Straight through customs, only got shoulder bags with stuff in so no need to wait for luggage, and we both dive outside for a smoke.

IT IS NUGGING COLD AND WINDY!

But nicotine is good

We grabbed a cab into town and get dropped off on the west side of Karlův Most and as weâ€™re an hour early for check in at the hotel we have a wander around. A nice stroll up MosteckÃ¡ spotting a few bars (,5l 25Kč!) then back down and across Karlův Most to head over and find Tesco before we check in.

Tesco in Prague is more like Debenhams, virtually no food visible on the ground floor, but it had what we needed, toiletries and wine! Simon grabbed the toiletries and I grabbed 2 bottles of wine (a white and a red) which cost me 100Kč (less than Â£3) which later get hidden in my bag before we checked in to the hotel.

This was Simonâ€™s choice of lighters :/

After Tesco we have a bit more of a walk around and head into StaroměstskÃ© (The old town square), where we finally give up and sit down for a beer. A beer which costs us 90Kč for 400ml! Simon chose the wrong bar

Then we head down to the hotel to check in. We stayed at U ZlatÃ©ho Stromu, which was excellent, decent twin room which was very plush and had a minibar fridge which I stashed the bottle of white wine in

After a bit of a relax in the hotel we headed back out. First stop The Museum of Medieval Torture (do not click if you are a big girl!), which was pretty gruesome, but also rather funky. It was almost like an art gallery but with ebil stuff rather than pictures or sculptures. It really makes you realise how nasty people can be.

Suitably grossed out we headed over Karlův Most to the bar we saw before. Yay for cheap good beer (Pilsner Urquell was our drink of choice for the entire stay), even though the barmaids were sullen (something we got used to, virtually no one smiled at us the whole time we were there

) and I got a phone call from Camdenâ€™s telephone engineer asking me to let him in to my office, he was somewhat put out when I told him I was over 1000 miles away in a different country

.

After several beers we headed back to StarÃ© Mĕsto (the district our hotel was in) and looked for a restaurant to get some scran. Weâ€™d spotted one earlier which boasted jazz and had a very reasonably priced menu of traditional Czech food. Unfortunately when we went in and sat down we realised it was incredibly surreal. Pretty dark, forced grins from the staff and 20s music playing. Not to be put off we ordered our food (pork, rabbit and duck with stewed cabbage and dumplings) and tucked in. The food was good and the final price was 750Kč (just over Â£20) and included a generous tip (for not killing us and serving us to the next customers

).

We then headed back to the Hotel where we drank the wine we bought, played cards (Ben rummy, it was fun) and watched the Arsenal/Prague match (including sending my father a text saying we were watching the Arsenal/Prague match, in Prague

).

Dymetrie · 27-10-2007, 12:26

Day Two

Wednesday morning dawned with me waking up an hour before Simon, so I carried on reading my book until he woke up, then we headed down for breakfast (lots of coffee, unfortunately lots wasn’t enough with the silly little cups :/). We then went on a wander, aiming to look at the stuffs we had planned the evening before.

First visit was StřeleckÃ½ Ostrov (big island on the river Vltava). There was nothing much here but was a good place to take some piccies

Vltava River

NÃ¡rodnÃ* Divadlo (National Theatre)

KarlÃºv Most (Charles Bridge)

After a sit down and a smoke we headed on to SlovanskÃ½ Ostrov (middle sized island

) where we found an exhibition was going on.
The Art of Can, which was pretty funky. Some of the sculptures were awesome, some were a bit crappy.

Art of Can jetty

Candle

We had a glance at the Manes Gallery at the south of the island but opted not to visit it and instead wandered away from the river and saw:

NovomĕstskÃ¡ Radnice (The new Town Hall)

Dymetrie · 27-10-2007, 12:32

Then back to Tesco for some more wine, some smokes (60Kč a pack) and then back to the hotel for a sit down and to plan the afternoon.

We set off in search of things to look at. We were successful

First of all was StaronovÃ¡ Synagoga (Old-New Synagogue).

StaronovÃ¡ Synagoga (Old-New Synagogue)

Which was pretty funky, we wandered around looking for the entrance to the Jewish cemetery, and when we found it saw that we could only get tickets for all the synagogues and museums and whatnot as well. No time for everything though, we fancied looking at the cemetery but werenâ€™t prepared to pay a tenner for it. So instead we headed across the river, picked up some lunch (bwahaahahahahahah McDonalds

) and went in search of cool stuff.

We found this in the form of the Metronome. A massive sculpture on a cliff on the north bank of the river. What with it being on a cliff there were....

Steps

Where I got a nice snap of the river...

Then there were more steps, but our goal was now in sight!

And it was well worth the climb

As well as the sculpture there was also an excellent view over the city...

Dymetrie · 27-10-2007, 12:36

Back down the cliff and we wandered around to the Palace Gardens, which were situated beneath the Castle so were a good route up to it. Seriously impressive gardens on a very steep slope (so more steps!), only a few quid to get in and gave some great views again

We exited the gardens at the top of the cliff and wandered along next to Prague Castle..

Dymetrie · 27-10-2007, 12:42

Before heading back down into the town via a route which took us along a cool road and past a bust of someone familiar

Back across the river to our district where we polished off some beers at U Vejvodů, then a quick stop at the hotel for a shower and a change of clothes before dinner and beers at U ZelenÃ©ho Stromu which was pretty damn good.

Full of beer and good food we headed back to the hotel for wine, cards (see a pattern here), crap TV and sleep.

Dymetrie · 27-10-2007, 12:44

Day Three

On our third and final day Simon opted to sleep in so I went for breakfast on my own (COFFEE!) then slummed around in the room watching rubbish on TV and showering before checking out at 12ish. We opted to grab some lunch for a picnic on StřeleckÃ½ Ostrov (big island on the river Vltava), and then headed down to DĕtskÃ½ Ostrov (Childrenâ€™s Island) where I found the set for HL2!

Dymetrie · 27-10-2007, 12:47

We then trecked back over the river, saw a cool building (no idea what it was, but it was cool

)

And headed up towards Wenceslas Square, which was a huge shopping boulevard with shops such as Debenhams, H&M and C&A...

Itâ€™s also home to NÃ¡rodnÃ* Muzeum (the National Museum) which was founded in 1818 even though the building wasnâ€™t constructed until the 1880s.

Dymetrie · 27-10-2007, 12:49

We finished our trip off with some more beer and cards at U ZelenÃ©ho Stromu and then another visit to the old Town Square to see the Dali Exhibition,

The old Town Hall

The Astronomical Clock

And The Church of Our Lady Before TÃ½n

6pm we got a cab to the airport for our flight home. I finally got in at midnight, absolutely knackered but hankering for a few beers

Fayshun · 28-10-2007, 12:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by dymetrie

We then trecked back over the river, saw a cool building (no idea what it was, but it was cool

)

http://www.noncicredo.net/?cat=18

Spooky, I just found this ^^ link on StumbleUpon.

It's a Hotel/bar

Feek · 27-10-2007, 12:52

Very nice, great pictures, love the cool building and that clock. Looks like you had a fun break, which is important

27-10-2007, 12:17	#1
Dymetrie A large glass of Merlot Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Letchworth with a Lightsaber Posts: 5,819	Prague So then, this week I had a fantastic 3 day trip to Prague with my brother, Simon. 4 star hotel right next to Karlův Most (Charles Bridge), decent flights to ensure we get the most out of the trip, and my walking boots. Day One Tuesday morning we were up at 6ish to leave the house for 7 so we could get to the airport in time (getting driven to Stanstead from Leytonstone rocks ) for our 9.15 flight. Check in a-ok, pick up some Czech cash (as we had no time to change money before and did it in the airport we were working on 35Kč/Â£1, which isnâ€™t great but works), pass through security (remember to take off your jumper when going through metal detectors if it has a massive metal zip on it ) and get onto the newest plane Iâ€™ve ever seen. It had GPS and was clean! An uneventful (other than the funky screens showing us where we were) 2 hour flight later we arrive at Prague airport. Straight through customs, only got shoulder bags with stuff in so no need to wait for luggage, and we both dive outside for a smoke. IT IS NUGGING COLD AND WINDY! But nicotine is good We grabbed a cab into town and get dropped off on the west side of Karlův Most and as weâ€™re an hour early for check in at the hotel we have a wander around. A nice stroll up MosteckÃ¡ spotting a few bars (,5l 25Kč!) then back down and across Karlův Most to head over and find Tesco before we check in. Tesco in Prague is more like Debenhams, virtually no food visible on the ground floor, but it had what we needed, toiletries and wine! Simon grabbed the toiletries and I grabbed 2 bottles of wine (a white and a red) which cost me 100Kč (less than Â£3) which later get hidden in my bag before we checked in to the hotel. This was Simonâ€™s choice of lighters :/ After Tesco we have a bit more of a walk around and head into StaroměstskÃ© (The old town square), where we finally give up and sit down for a beer. A beer which costs us 90Kč for 400ml! Simon chose the wrong bar Then we head down to the hotel to check in. We stayed at U ZlatÃ©ho Stromu, which was excellent, decent twin room which was very plush and had a minibar fridge which I stashed the bottle of white wine in After a bit of a relax in the hotel we headed back out. First stop The Museum of Medieval Torture (do not click if you are a big girl!), which was pretty gruesome, but also rather funky. It was almost like an art gallery but with ebil stuff rather than pictures or sculptures. It really makes you realise how nasty people can be. Suitably grossed out we headed over Karlův Most to the bar we saw before. Yay for cheap good beer (Pilsner Urquell was our drink of choice for the entire stay), even though the barmaids were sullen (something we got used to, virtually no one smiled at us the whole time we were there ) and I got a phone call from Camdenâ€™s telephone engineer asking me to let him in to my office, he was somewhat put out when I told him I was over 1000 miles away in a different country . After several beers we headed back to StarÃ© Mĕsto (the district our hotel was in) and looked for a restaurant to get some scran. Weâ€™d spotted one earlier which boasted jazz and had a very reasonably priced menu of traditional Czech food. Unfortunately when we went in and sat down we realised it was incredibly surreal. Pretty dark, forced grins from the staff and 20s music playing. Not to be put off we ordered our food (pork, rabbit and duck with stewed cabbage and dumplings) and tucked in. The food was good and the final price was 750Kč (just over Â£20) and included a generous tip (for not killing us and serving us to the next customers ). We then headed back to the Hotel where we drank the wine we bought, played cards (Ben rummy, it was fun) and watched the Arsenal/Prague match (including sending my father a text saying we were watching the Arsenal/Prague match, in Prague ). __________________ Khef, Ka and Ka-Tet....

27-10-2007, 12:26	#2
Dymetrie A large glass of Merlot Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Letchworth with a Lightsaber Posts: 5,819	Day Two Wednesday morning dawned with me waking up an hour before Simon, so I carried on reading my book until he woke up, then we headed down for breakfast (lots of coffee, unfortunately lots wasn’t enough with the silly little cups :/). We then went on a wander, aiming to look at the stuffs we had planned the evening before. First visit was StřeleckÃ½ Ostrov (big island on the river Vltava). There was nothing much here but was a good place to take some piccies Vltava River NÃ¡rodnÃ* Divadlo (National Theatre) KarlÃºv Most (Charles Bridge) After a sit down and a smoke we headed on to SlovanskÃ½ Ostrov (middle sized island ) where we found an exhibition was going on. The Art of Can, which was pretty funky. Some of the sculptures were awesome, some were a bit crappy. Art of Can jetty Candle We had a glance at the Manes Gallery at the south of the island but opted not to visit it and instead wandered away from the river and saw: NovomĕstskÃ¡ Radnice (The new Town Hall) __________________ Khef, Ka and Ka-Tet.... Last edited by Dymetrie; 27-10-2007 at 12:37.

27-10-2007, 12:32	#3
Dymetrie A large glass of Merlot Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Letchworth with a Lightsaber Posts: 5,819	Then back to Tesco for some more wine, some smokes (60Kč a pack) and then back to the hotel for a sit down and to plan the afternoon. We set off in search of things to look at. We were successful First of all was StaronovÃ¡ Synagoga (Old-New Synagogue). StaronovÃ¡ Synagoga (Old-New Synagogue) Which was pretty funky, we wandered around looking for the entrance to the Jewish cemetery, and when we found it saw that we could only get tickets for all the synagogues and museums and whatnot as well. No time for everything though, we fancied looking at the cemetery but werenâ€™t prepared to pay a tenner for it. So instead we headed across the river, picked up some lunch (bwahaahahahahahah McDonalds ) and went in search of cool stuff. We found this in the form of the Metronome. A massive sculpture on a cliff on the north bank of the river. What with it being on a cliff there were.... Steps Where I got a nice snap of the river... Then there were more steps, but our goal was now in sight! And it was well worth the climb As well as the sculpture there was also an excellent view over the city... __________________ Khef, Ka and Ka-Tet....

27-10-2007, 12:36	#4
Dymetrie A large glass of Merlot Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Letchworth with a Lightsaber Posts: 5,819	Back down the cliff and we wandered around to the Palace Gardens, which were situated beneath the Castle so were a good route up to it. Seriously impressive gardens on a very steep slope (so more steps!), only a few quid to get in and gave some great views again We exited the gardens at the top of the cliff and wandered along next to Prague Castle.. __________________ Khef, Ka and Ka-Tet....

27-10-2007, 12:42	#5
Dymetrie A large glass of Merlot Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Letchworth with a Lightsaber Posts: 5,819	Before heading back down into the town via a route which took us along a cool road and past a bust of someone familiar Back across the river to our district where we polished off some beers at U Vejvodů, then a quick stop at the hotel for a shower and a change of clothes before dinner and beers at U ZelenÃ©ho Stromu which was pretty damn good. Full of beer and good food we headed back to the hotel for wine, cards (see a pattern here), crap TV and sleep. __________________ Khef, Ka and Ka-Tet....

27-10-2007, 12:44	#6
Dymetrie A large glass of Merlot Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Letchworth with a Lightsaber Posts: 5,819	Day Three On our third and final day Simon opted to sleep in so I went for breakfast on my own (COFFEE!) then slummed around in the room watching rubbish on TV and showering before checking out at 12ish. We opted to grab some lunch for a picnic on StřeleckÃ½ Ostrov (big island on the river Vltava), and then headed down to DĕtskÃ½ Ostrov (Childrenâ€™s Island) where I found the set for HL2! __________________ Khef, Ka and Ka-Tet....

27-10-2007, 12:47	#7
Dymetrie A large glass of Merlot Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Letchworth with a Lightsaber Posts: 5,819	We then trecked back over the river, saw a cool building (no idea what it was, but it was cool ) And headed up towards Wenceslas Square, which was a huge shopping boulevard with shops such as Debenhams, H&M and C&A... Itâ€™s also home to NÃ¡rodnÃ* Muzeum (the National Museum) which was founded in 1818 even though the building wasnâ€™t constructed until the 1880s. __________________ Khef, Ka and Ka-Tet....

27-10-2007, 12:49	#8
Dymetrie A large glass of Merlot Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Letchworth with a Lightsaber Posts: 5,819	We finished our trip off with some more beer and cards at U ZelenÃ©ho Stromu and then another visit to the old Town Square to see the Dali Exhibition, The old Town Hall The Astronomical Clock And The Church of Our Lady Before TÃ½n 6pm we got a cab to the airport for our flight home. I finally got in at midnight, absolutely knackered but hankering for a few beers __________________ Khef, Ka and Ka-Tet....

27-10-2007, 12:52	#10
Feek ex SAS Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: JO01ou Posts: 10,062	Very nice, great pictures, love the cool building and that clock. Looks like you had a fun break, which is important __________________