The Gothic City of Prague

The final leg of our European road-trip brought us into Prague, the Capital City of the Czech Republic. After struggling through the heavy traffic, we were pleasantly surprised to discover how much of a gem our hotel was, a stunning 14th-century hotel - the Iron Gate Hotel & Suites. The room had a seriously deep bath, perfect for washing away the miles. After having a well-deserved bath and nap, we headed out for some dinner at a small restaurant. The pumpkin soup and beef stew were so filling that we more or less had to drag our bellies back to the hotel.

We settled down for a good nights sleep, as the next day was the first day of our Prague adventure.

We decided to go out of town for the first day, after receiving recommendations that we should visit a small town East of Prague. We managed to get out of Prague traffic with ease (surprisingly compared to the previous day). Kutna Hora was a small town with plenty of attractions and history to explore.

It was clear to see that we were getting further East in the Czech Republic, as 'Rusky Rubls' were being exchanged - no British pounds to be seen! We explored the beautiful town with its picturesque views. Unlike Prague, Kutna Hora wasn't riddled with tourists, so the food was cheap and the sights were easily accessible. We spent the day walking around and exploring the pretty streets. The main attraction of Kutna Hora was St. Barbara's Church, which stood overlooking the forest below. 

The strangest thing we spotted was a large dog stood on top of a roof, staring down at us. At first, we didn't think it was real until it turned its head! We quickly edged away... how unusual?!

We booked a walking tour which started in Eastern Prague at the Prague Castle, the largest ancient castle in the world, built 1,147 years ago! It is a vast complex of buildings, with architecture from Roman- Style to Gothic, and 20th century, and is home to the Bohemian Jewels. On our walking tour, there were various families but one man stood out, perhaps it was his obnoxious personality or maybe the fact he looked like Garfunkel. After he refused to stand in line for the Prague Castle tour, he and his wife disappeared, which brought some peace and quiet. It wasn't until we were just about to go through the gate, that he returned... Everyone was just as irritated as we were, but we let it slide...

Inside the walls of the Prague Castle, stood a large, gothic-styled cathedral, St. Vitus Cathedral. It was the Gothic resting place of various saints, including Vitus, Wenceslas and Adalbert, as well as the state treasury. If you look close enough to the exterior of the cathedral, it is possible to spot Dracula's hanging over the walls.

We stopped for lunch at a traditional medieval tavern near the Prague Castle. We ordered a variety of meats and cheeses to try (spoiler; they were all wonderful, especially Camembert!) The tavern was called 'Tavern u krale brabantskeho, it was conveniently next door to a delightful chocolate shop with loads of interesting flavour, including spicy chocolate, which wasn't as wonderful...

After trying out and buying some chocolate, we carried on, walking down the cosy cobbled streets with the pastel-coloured buildings lining them. We walked until we reached the John Lennon wall, near the river. When John Lennon was murdered in 1980, he became a sort of hero to some of the young people of Prague. His picture was painted on a wall, defying the authorities, back then, the Czech people had few opportunities to express their feelings with their lack of freedom. By doing this, those young activists risked prison for what authorities called "subversive activities against the state" in the communist days. The threat of prison couldn't keep people from slipping there at night to scrawl graffiti first in the form of Beatles lyrics and odes to Lennon, then they came to paint their feelings and dreams on the wall too. The wall doesn't just represent a monument to John Lennon, but also represents a monument to peace.

The tour continued as we boarded a boat for a brief trip up and down the River Vltava. The view from the river was fantastic, at this height, everything looks tall and grand! The tour took us back to Charles Bridge afterwards, a landmark stone bridge which links Prague's Old Towns and New Towns. It was packed full of entertainers, artists and tourists. The bridge forms an arch underneath the Old Town Bridge Tower, a striking 14th-century tower with a gothic-styled exterior (I'm starting to see a pattern)...

The tour took us through the Jewish Quarters of Prague - this is where the Garfunkel look-a-like left us, for good this time! Prague's Jewish Quarters has many different synagogues, Gothic Styled, 16th & 17th Century, and even Europe's oldest active synagogue, The Old-New Synagogue, completed in 1270 and home to the legendary Golem of Prague.

The final stage of the tour brought us into the Old Town Square, surrounded by the Church of Our Lady before Tyn and the 600-year-old Astronomical Clock, a medieval timepiece on the façade of the City Hall, which displays the 12 apostles as the clock strikes. The Church of Our Lady before Tyn is a 14th-century masterpiece with two 80m towers.

Today was spent exploring the city ourselves and re-visiting some of the landmarks from the previous day's tour. 

We re-visited the John Lennon wall to get a better look at the writing on the wall, afterwards, we found a small café selling mulled wine. We had lunch there before heading back towards Charles Bridge. The bridge is packed full of artists and musicians selling their work, we bought some landscape photos of Prague before heading back.

We met our Czech friends on the other side of the city for lunch at a pizza restaurant in Prague's New Town.

As this was our final evening in Prague, and it being my birthday the next day, we decided to have our final meal at the Hard Rock Café, which is one of my favourite restaurant chains in the world! There was live music, endless nachos and giant burgers - sounds like a good time to me! Of course, we couldn't visit the Hard Rock Café without buying a souvenir t-shirt (adding to my collection of now 8 pieces of merchandise).

We got up mid-morning to have breakfast and pack the rest of our belongings into our suitcases, before dragging them downstairs to check out (or Czeck out) of the hotel. One of the members of staff brought our car to the entrance for us, they had assured us that it had been kept in a safe, secret location in the city.