Praha, at last

12 May, 2006. 3.36 pm. Trnava, Slovakia

First some photos...

With Livia at the Gate entering the Old Town

Our Prague tour guides. We were a little early and caught them resting...

With Livia, Gina (from Texas), Daniela, Mila, and Beth (from Alabama) on Wenceslas Square.

Last weekend, from 6-8 May, I finally made it to Prague. After coming to Slovakia four times, and being here now for six months, many people find it hard to believe that I've never before been to Prague. Well, now I can say I've been. It's a beautiful city, of course, and it's jam packed with tourists from all around the world. I'm sure there are twice as many tourists as Czechs in Prague!

I went to Prague with about 40 Slovaks from Trnava and two Americans on an organized bus trip. We left on Saturday morning at 5.30 am, and arrived in Prague by the early afternoon. On the way, we stopped in Benesov to visit Konopiste castle. This was the last residence of Franz Ferdinand, and it was his favourite hunting getaway (as can be witnessed by the thousands of animal heads on the walls!!). The castle has a lovely grounds and it was a beautiful day for a short walk.

Our residence in Prague was a small hotel in the suburbs, and after a short rest to freshen-up, we headed into the centre of Prague. My colleague and good friend Mila was a fantastic tour guide for the Americans and me. In the evening we had dinner and several beer at the famous Czech pub, U Fleku. They brew their own dark beer there and it is simply the best dark beer I've ever tasted (and I'm generally not a big fan of dark beers!). But like almost everywhere we went in Prague, U Fleku is full of tourists. Václavské namesti (Wenceslas Square), famous for the events of 1968 and 1989, is now packed with tourists, as is Karluv most (Charles Bridge), the castle district, and Staré mesto (Old Town). The only place we found to be a little quieter was Vysehrad and the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul.

On Sunday, Gina, Beth, and I walked around the city for more than 14 hours. It was an exhausting day, but we did our best to see as much as possible. I broke away from Gina and Beth early in the evening to check out the Museum of Communism. It was small, but quite well done--particulary from a Czechoslovak point of view.

All in all our trip was far too short. I've been exhausted all week as a result and I am looking forward to a quiet weekend.... In comparison to Budapest, it's really tough to pick a favourite. But, I'd have to say that the food was much better in Budapest, and there were far fewer tourists in Budapest (and it was cheaper too)....

By the way, my favourite Czech beer? Gambrinus...