If you're anything like me, you will love the fact that you can sleep late on a Saturday morning in Prague. The locals, as well as tourists, only really start to show their faces from noon onwards. We however managed to pull ourselves out of our hotel room by 10 AM, getting our day started with a cup of coffee and a pastry in the park. If you're feeling a bit lazy, there is the
Funicular Railway that will take you all the way to the top of the hill to the
Petrin Tower, or you could get some fresh air and brave the steep hills on foot like we did. It really is worth it to go up the tower and check out the view (which is surprisingly not crowded with tourists) and see the city from all angles.
Its great to wander through the forests of
Petrin Hill and exit through a different gate than the one you came in with. The steps leading up to
Prague Castle were within walking distance from us and we braved yet another steep set of stairs to reach our destination. There is an abundance of tourists pacing all over the place, leaving us with but a mere glimpse of the area (and more than enough time in my opinion). I was fascinated by all the old Czech woman walking around in their best church attire and managed to sneakily photograph them in all their glory. If you're feeling peckish, try the traditional Balkan pastry, a
Trdelnik. In English its translated as 'sweet bread' and are baked fresh on a daily basis and served 'natural' - with powdered sugar, or with Nutella.
The remainder of the afternoon gave us some time to make our way to
DOX, the centre for contemporary art, situated just outside the city. A 20 minute tram ride will get you there, for which we didn't even have to scan our ticket in, so didn't bother buying one back. The centre is relatively new but had some interesting exhibitions showcasing propaganda posters and a
'Pharmatopia' installation by
Marek Schovanek.
If youre planning on eating out for dinner, there are plenty of restaurants to choose from, many of them being commercial eateries targeting tourists. We opted for the less touristy
Leone and Anna, a quaint restaurant in the Mala Strana area not far from our hotel with a quiet atmosphere, great music and good food. Their Goulash was not quite to my liking but their service was impeccable. What's great about the city is you can go for evening strolls at any time of the night followed by a cup of hot chocolate to get the feeling back in your fingers and toes. T centre of The Old Town Square boasts several street musicians sitting in t-shirts ( even in the winter) playing a wide array of musical instruments whilst tourists half heartedly listen to their melodies and sip on their
Glühwein from the street vendors.
