Founded in the latter part of the 9th century, Prague became the seat of the Kings of Bohemia. The city flourished during the reign of Charles IV in the 14th century who ordered the building of the New Town, the Charles Bridge, St. Vitus Cathedral and the Charles University.
Prague was under a communist rule for more than 40 years and seldom visited by tourists until the Velvet Revolution on November 17, 1989. From the moment freedom came into the streets the city enjoyed an economic boom. Today, tourism is the number one income generating business in Prague.
Trini and I joined a package tour yesterday which basically took all day until the evening. It was very tiring as it included a 3.5 hours walking tour over uneven cobblestones. We visited the awesome St. Vitus Cathedral with its Gothic façade and spires designed by a French master builder Mattias of Arras. When Mattias died the construction was continued by a German master builder, hence, the combination of French and German Gothic styles.
Trini went inside the cathedral (there was long line but we were told this is nothing compared during the summer months!) while I went to the presidential palace to witness the changing of the guards.
The walk took us along quaint neighborhoods with narrow streets. We bought a ginger bread and I tried a glass of the local hot wine. By now, there were so many different tour groups there was always a “collision” between groups trying to outmaneuver each other. Our group only had ten people – six of us from the U. S., two from Germany and an Indian couple.
Our group made our way to Charles Bridge which only pedestrians were allowed. All sorts of artists and caricaturists plied their expertise and positioned themselves on both sides of the bridge. Selfie-takers and other tourists who wanted to immortalize the moments blocked the only remaining inches of walkable surface.
Our group continued on to the Jewish Quarters which now houses the most expensive real estate in the country. Trini and I will be going back here since the tour did not include tickets to go to the synagogue and the Jewish cemetery. We browsed the high-end stores, the usual – Hermes, LV, Ferragamo, Robert Coin, Prada, Patek Philippe, etc.
We ended our walking tour in the Old Town where Trini and I ate our lunch – Old Prague ham and sausage with Czech beer. The place was crowded and many people just sat on the square to consume their foods.
After the light lunch, Trini and I went to our hotel to rest and get ready for the boat cruise with dinner later that night. The tour company picked us up at 1745 and we did a half-hour tour of the city before we got dropped off to join the others for the boat cruise.
Our boat went through a “lock” similar to that of the Panama Canal where the water level was dropped to a certain level to allow us to pass.
Trini and I are so impressed with this Bohemian city. Although we expected it to be very affordable we were a little disappointed to find out that it is not (food and drinks)! However, the warm friendly people and the unforgettable experience we’ve had during the past two days more than made up for this “disappointment”.
Prague is one of the most visited destinations in the world and now I can understand why. The history behind this lovely city is unsurpassed and the fact that it was almost untouched during the bombings in WWII makes it the most preserved historic city in Europe.
Some call it the Paris of Eastern Europe and I can vouch for that, especially, when we did the night boat cruise along the River Vitava. Walking through the redeveloped Baroque, Rococo and Art Nouveau streets is indescribable!
Ah, the allure of Praha….
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