I had planned this day for exploring Prague area on the opposite side of the river. There are several places of interests there, most of them not too far from each other. Unfortunately, DH had allergy reactions to something in the air so he had been sneezing every time we were out and he also had watery eyes. In the morning when I woke up poor DH was sick like a dog so I headed out searching for breakfast and some tea to bring back. The hotel did not provide drinking water in our room nor an electric water kettle. Luckily from Foursquare I found out that there was a PAUL boulangerie just a couple of blocks away so I went there.
Coffee and pastries at PAUL seemed expensive compared to other no-name bakeries and cafes, but after converting it to Indonesian Rupiah (IDR) it actually is cheap! The Royal Menu consisted of a ham and cheese croissant and coffee or tea for 74 Kc. That's approximately US $ 3.66. And at PAUL in Jakarta, just a cup of coffee would cost more than that! If you've never had PAUL before, you should at least try it. They are GOOD!
On the way back from PAUL, I passed some strawberry and cherry vendors. I stopped to ask if she could sell me cherries in smaller baskets than what she had, but she did not speak any English at all. So I opted for the strawberries in a smaller basket with the price already posted.
DH was happy with the breakfast and tea, and he was very excited when he saw the strawberries I brought. For as long as I knew him he had been complaining about the strawberries we were eating saying that none were as tasty and good as the ones he had back at his hometown. But these, he said, looked very similar to what he used to have. And right on the first bite his face cracked into a huge smile. "You have to try it!" he exclaimed. So I did. Now I know why he had been complaining. These strawberries were very tasty and sweet, and the ones I've had in Canada or in Indonesia were not even close. Even then he managed to comment on how these may have been grown in a green house as they are not as tasty as the wild ones. Yeah, whatever. I loved them!
After breakfast DH started checking his email and of course, there was work emergency that needed attention right away. So we didn't actually go do what I had planned until around lunch time. Finally!
My first destination was a restaurant that I found online called
Hergetova Cihelna. It was a fancier restaurant with prices about double or triple what you would pay in a pub, but with a nice view of
Karlův most | Charles Bridge. But if you compare it to hip restaurants in Jakarta, this is about the same price range.
We took the green line metro from Muzeum station near our hotel and walked a little towards the river. We found the restaurant without any problem using Google Maps. The servers of the restaurant spoke English without the local accent I almost think that they were not locals themselves. Here are some views from the restaurant.
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| Charles Bridge |
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| Finally a picture of us! Charles Bridge on the background |
We ordered Tuna Tartar and Pike fish, and the gave us complimentary appetizer. They were all very good. All and all we were happy there despite the prices. It was worth it.
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| Bread, oil, salt, and herbs |
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| Pike with asparagus |
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| Tuna Tartar |
In the same area as the restaurant, stood the Pissing Fountain.
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| Pissing Fountain |
There was also a cafe that sold the spa wafers, and it was the same brand as the ones I had bought at the supermarket before. They sold the spa wafers at 15 Kc each (compared to 59 Kc per box at the supermarket) and here they warm it up for you before serving.
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| Kolonada Spa Wafer Cafe |
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| Spa wafer counter |
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| Spa wafers for sale |
Then we started walking back to the station to catch a tram to our next destination,
Pražský hrad | Prague Castle is actually a very large complex with many different buildings in it. The most impressive one in my opinion was the Katedrála sv. VÃta | Saint Vitus' Cathedral which was massive and undoubtedly beautiful.
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| Road at the entrance of the Prague Castle |
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| St. Vitus Cathedral from afar |
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| This makes me think of Rapunzel |
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| Guard |
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| The massive St. Vitus Cathedral |
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| Inside St. Vitus Cathedral |
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| Inside St. Vitus Cathedral |
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| Inside St. Vitus Cathedral |
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| Inside St. Vitus Cathedral |
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| Inside St. Vitus Cathedral |
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| Inside St. Vitus Cathedral |
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| Inside St. Vitus Cathedral |
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| Outside St. Vitus Cathedral |
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| Outside St. Vitus Cathedral |
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| Sign on the wall |
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| View from Prague Castle |
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| View from Prague Castle |
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| View from Prague Castle |
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| View from Prague Castle |
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| View from Prague Castle Vineyard |
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| View from Prague Castle |
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| Street sign |
After the castle I had planned to go to Petrin Hill and up the Petrin Tower, but we decided to go back and cross the river thinking we might not have time. We took the tram back.
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| Waiting for the tram |
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| Vacuuming the street |
Having been impressed with the
State Opera Building, I wanted to see what the
National Theatre building looked like. This was supposed to be the biggest one, and is located right next to
The New Stage building. Unfortunately they were closed when we arrived so we didn't have the chance to see what it looked like inside.
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| The New Stage Building |
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| At the National Theatre (Narodni Divaldo) |
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| Door handle of the National Theatre |
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| In front of the National Theatre (Narodni Divaldo) |
Across the Natioal Theatre was the famous
Kavárna Slavia (Cafe Slavia) where we stopped by to enjoy the river view and some cakes.
From there we hopped over to Cafe Louvre, the Cafe where supposedly a lot of famous people including Albert Einstein used to hang out.
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| DH inside Cafe Louvre |
We then walked around some more...
And our dinner at
U MedvÃdků. Super awesome Pork Knee. Hands down.
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| The real Budweiser |
The next morning DH chose to keep it low key and stayed in the hotel. It was the last day in Prague! I headed out to PAUL again this time to dine in.
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| Royal Menu |
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| PAUL interior |
Then took the red line metro from IP Pavlova station, the nearest one to our hotel, to the Muzeum Station. Then I switched to the green line metro from the Muzeum station to the Mustek station. I was determined to go to the Street Market again to buy some more souvenirs.
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| Very cute magnetic theatre. I got this for Miss Kiki. |
Then it was time to go...... I bought some strawberries and cherries to take with us and Miss Kiki loved them. All worth the trouble.
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| Lunch |
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| Wrapped Rimowa because I had to check it in |
So long, Prague! It was a very nice visit and I hope to go there again...
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