But back to Prague. We arrived in the dark (4:30 pm) so the breathtaking sites of the city had to wait for the next morning. But the first night was still beautiful with Christmas lights all around, and we went to a really lovely restaurant for my birthday dinner. We caught up with my nephew Matt back at our hotel, and he & Kyle left to hang out in his dorm with young'ns their own age. Matt goes to Union College in New York State and is spending the fall semester of his junior year in Prague.
Sun greeted us the next morning, but it was cold! We met back up with the boys in the stunning Old Town Square which was very busy with preparations for the Christmas markets that were to begin on the weekend. Matt led us across the river Vltava and up the New Castle Steps to Prague Castle. Once the capital of the Holy Roman Empire, most of what is there today was built in the 16th century, and it now houses government offices, including that of the President of the Czech Republic. It's more of a complex of buildings, including the amazing St. Vitus Cathedral and the Royal Palace, as opposed to one big castle building, and you can walk around the grounds at no charge; if you want to see the interiors you need to buy a ticket, as we did. We hoped getting inside would get us out of the cold, but the unheated Cathedral felt more cold than being outdoors. Interestingly, although work on the cathedral was started around 1344, the "Hussite Uprising" in the 1400's interrupted the construction, and believe it or not, work was not finally completed until 1929. There's a beautiful chapel inside devoted to Prince Wenceslas, or Saint Wenceslas, or as he is more familiar to the rest of us, "Good King" Wenceslas. I know that he went out on the Feast of Stephan; after that, his story gets fuzzy.
After finding a charming little restaurant for a traditional Czech lunch, we walked back over the beautiful landmark Charles Bridge, and the boys left us to go back to Matt's dorm for another traditional meal - an American Thanksgiving dinner. Chris & I decided to completely do a 180 from tradition and opted for an Argentinian steakhouse that was quite good. Kyle & Matt met back up with us later and we visited the Prague Beer Museum pub to sample their wares. The next morning, Kyle was back with us and we hit some shops as we meandered through the lovely streets of Prague. We also took a walk to the Jewish Quarter, where we toured the Jewish Museum & Old Jewish Cemetery. The museum is an impressive tribute to the important history of Jews in the Czech Republic, both before and after the Holocaust (during which nearly 80,000 Jews from the Czech Republic were killed.) Later in the afternoon, we met Matt and two of his friends at their dorm, then we all walked to one of their favorite spots, Budvarka, for pork ribs. Then it was off to the Pivovarsky Klub, where they have over 200 beers from all over the world.
Our last day was Saturday, which was also the first day of Prague's Christmas Markets. It was the coldest day so far, so we bundled up as we headed first to Wenceslas Square then back to Old Town Square to check out the outdoor market stalls. I was a bit disappointed with what was on offer from the vendors - a lot of the same tourist-y items that were on sale in the souvenir shops, repeated over and over again. But when it got dark, the Old Town Square tree was lit and choirs were singing and "hot wine" was being sold and we had a good time anyway. Our restaurant for dinner warmed us up nicely as we were seated at a lovely table right next to a fireplace; it was a nice way to top off the day and mark the end of our trip. We made a final stop into the Prague Beer Museum pub before saying our final goodbye to Matt and calling it a night.
Although a beautiful city, our visit had a few downsides: first, smokers! Indoors! It was real turn-off at first, and although you do get used to it to an extent, it's still pretty yucky. Second, the people for the most part would not win any "warm & fuzzy citizen of the year" awards. Although there were certainly exceptions, many of the workers in the shops and restaurants had a tendency to make us feel like we were inconveniencing them when we were say...ordering food, or perahaps... buying things. As Matt told us, he & his friends have determined that the Czech marketing motto is, "the customer is always wrong." That didn't feel too far from the truth in some situations, but it absolutely did not stop us from having a wonderful time. Despite the affinity for dumplings (bread dumplings, pork dumplings, potato dumplings, liver dumplings) and absence of fresh vegetables, the food was pretty good. The crystal and glass pieces were gorgeous. And Chris enjoyed the beer more than here in the UK! The history of this country is a complicated one including war, genocide, communism and a rough economy. We spent real quality time with our nephew, brought home some exquisite souvenirs, and had another opportunity to visit a great city of Europe. We can handle a little Eastern European smoke & "attitude." They're entitled.
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