Prague in a Weekend

Lucy and I love to travel which is why we are living in Europe. So one night we got to talking with Emma and we decided we had to get away for a weekend, and what better place than Prague! We took a half day on Friday and left for the airport together. Since most of the girls still work with Ben we met at their work so we could all go together; Ben, Lucy, Anna and Emma. Lorna is living in Germany so she took the train to meet us there. We got to our apartment that we rented for the weekend to drop off our stuff before heading out to adventure the town. The apartment that Lucy arranged was right near the heart of town, had several rooms, was uber modern and comfortable. It had a full kitchen so we had a few snacks and drinkypoos at the apartment before heading to dinner. Everything was closing down early so we had to really search for a restaurant. We found a quiet little Italian place for some pizza since the local places were all closed up. It was drizzling rain, but was still quite warm as we strolled into the heart of town to see the lights on all the buildings. The Old Town Square was buzzing with tourists and locals alike. Týn Cathedral was eerie and dominated the night sky but was breathtaking, definitely something straight off a postcard. We called it an early night, since the next day was to be jammed packed full of things to do and see.

We made a yummy breakfast, Anna is great at making the eggs, so we had fully tummies before heading out. I was in charge of the map and the what to do since Lucy took care of the arrangements. We headed towards the River Vltava to see the river front and head towards the old medieval castle which is the largest in the world. We winded up narrow streets and many steps to make it up to Prague Castle. Even within the city walls of the castle, you wound your way up to the top. We never made it into the cathedral since the queue was over an hour long and in 80+ degree heat and humidity we were to have none of that. We had to do the tour to get into the old palace and through the Vladislav Hall to see the great views of the city. The gardens were well manicured, so much in fact, that is was impossible to find a bit of grass just to have a little rest on. As we made our way back down, we went down into the torture chambers of the prison cells. Just creepy what people used to do to each other. The heavy air with so many people packed into such a small space made it all the more creepy and ominous. We just wanted to escape out the small winding staircase. One of the few museums we popped into were the old armour and weapons. Old suits of armour are just interesting. Someday I will wear one and try to lift a two handed sword! We stopped for some lunch in a great outdoor cafe, and just as we had ordered, there was a torrential downpour that lasted for a few hours. We sought refuge under an awning, but we were quite wet. It was a great meal, and by the time we left it was clear again. I am starting to notice a trend though, we go away from Ireland and it lashes from the heavens where we are on holiday, but is nice back home. Go figure.

We meandered our way back to the hotel across the Charles Bridge. All of the little kiosks and carts setting various trinkets and whatnots were lined all along the bridge and packed with people. As we got to our side of the river we saw where our nightly destination was to be, a 5 storey nightclub. We changed into our clubbing clothes and got a bite to eat. Since it was so late again, it was difficult to find food, but we managed. No drinking on an empty tummy for me. We got into the club that was rumored to have 80's music and we just kept climbing the stairs until we found the right floor, the 4th! We danced the night away with the lit from below floor. Reminiscent of the 70's disco floors. We did try out the other floor for a while, Techno, pop, hip hop, but after the 80's turned to strange salsa music we went to the ground floor for some gangster rap. We all had a laugh before calling it a night around 4ish.

Sunday we did the same breakfast routine and packed up all our stuff to leave at the front desk so we could still sightsee and not have to drag our stuff all around town. We crossed over the Saint Charles bridge to the cog railroad. This led us up to Petřínská rozhledna, an observation tower on Petřín hill, which resembles the Eiffel Tower. We climbed up to the top to get the full city views. It was quite warm as well, so we had to stop for ice cream in the grass. We went through the Mirror Maze, and through the mirror fun hall. We had fun laughing at each others reflections. We decided to do the scenic walk down before grabbing a bite to eat. I had to try some of the Prague beer since I heard it was so good. It was, but the Pacific NW still has it beat. It was about time to make our way back to the city since we were running out of time. We stopped at the Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock was set to go off just as we were passing by. Good timing. Anna had been to Prague before, but it was under renovation when she was last there, and was really looking forward to seeing it. It was not as great as the Glockenspiel in Munich by any stretch of the imagination, but it was cute. We wandered through the town to see the old synagogue and burial grounds. We did not do the tour since again, the queue was long and we just did not have the time. Instead we found a great little cafe off the beaten path that was a cheap as chips as everyone had said Prague was. We had biscuits, teas, coffees, juices and waters for the five of us, and hung out for hours just bantering and enjoying the sunshine all for just under 10 Euro for all of us. We moseyed back to the hotel where the taxi met us to head back to the airport. It was a quick weekend away, but we saw most of what Prague had to offer. Still is amazing to me that I can go away to a completely different country for a weekend away for super cheap!