After much anticipation and an 8 hour bus ride from Seville, we arrived in the beautiful city of Lisbon. The bus trip itself was uneventful, however should you ever decide to make this trek by bus, be aware that there are no toilets on the bus. To be fair, the bus was cheap, about $40, so you gets what you pay for. Needless to say, we ate and drank sparingly for fear of having to use facilities that were non-existent. Luckily, our driver scheduled a few much needed bathroom breaks along the way. The scenery along the drive was quite beautiful consisting of terraced hills, sheep, and some of the most exotic looking trees I’ve seen.
The bus dropped us off at the Oriente metro station in Lisbon, another beautiful structure designed by Santiago Calatrava. From there it was an easy and quick trip to our accommodations in Lisbon. Our GORGEOUS apartment was located in the central Intendente neighbourhood. We had booked the place through airbnb and it was STUNNING! Andrew, Emma’s boyfriend, was joining us in Lisbon and for the rest of our trip so we needed a comfortable and spacious place and this apartment delivered. We had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a kitchen, and living/dining room. The place was beautifully decorated with no detail missed. I loved this place and I knew immediately that it would be difficult to leave at the end of our stay.
That evening, after Andrew arrived after almost 24 hours of traveling, we caught up over some wine while planning our activities for the following day.
Alfama from a distance
Next morning, our first order of business was booking a walking tour of the city. We chose the Sandeman New Europe tour which was meant to be 3 hours. This tour, which did not include the famed Alfama neighbourhood, started in the Barrio Alto neighbourhood and wound its way through many of the cities cobblestone streets as our tour guide shared stories of the city’s heroes, history, food and monuments. Our guide was wonderful at telling stories and we certainly learned a lot, however the tour ran quite late at almost 4 hours! By the end of it we were exhausted and starving. Don’t get me wrong, we enjoyed the tour, but it could have easily been shortened and would have still been quite useful and informative. We could not help but feel as though our guide really enjoyed listening to the sound of his own voice and his seemingly endless remarks about needing tips to cover his rent along and his requests for us to book additional paid tours during our break instead of online following the tour (he gets a commission for the tours you book that day) got a bit old. All that being said, the tour was quite good.
Following the tour, we were thirsty and what better way to quench your thirst then to enjoy some sangria on a patio. We found a nice little resto on a side street and settled in for our first official sangria pitcher in Portugal.
Dinner was actually not too bad, considering we ended up at a small, family run, restaurant where they served both Portuguese and Indian fare. A little weird, but we were so hungry we didn’t care. We ordered lamb and fish dishes which were surprisingly delicious given that this place was a bit of a hole in the wall, the desserts however, were the stars of the show. We had creme brule, a flan and, a traditional Portuguese cake that consisted of layers of cookies interspersed with a coffee flavoured cream that was so tasty I’m still thinking about it. After polishing off our desserts, our server offered us a complimentary ‘whiskey’. I should point out that this ‘whiskey’ was home made and clear in colour. Honestly, it smelled like pure alcohol and tasted like gasoline. I barely chocked it down. Andrew loved it and actually complimented the server on it. His reward? He was happily given a second shot of this Portuguese fire water to gulp down. Why anyone would voluntarily submit themselves to that kind of punishment is beyond me. That stuff was disgusting.
The next morning we signed up for a tour of Alfama which started at 3pm later that day. We spent the morning walking through Lisbon taking in the sights then made our way to the meeting spot for our 3 pm tour. The tour was short and sweet and our guide, who was clearly new at this, was engaging and informative. We walked through Alfama’s winding streets while being regaled with stories of life in Alfama, it’s traditions and people. We were even treated to a shot of homemade Gingha (a delicious cherry flavoured liqueur) served from the window of a lovely lady’s home as we walked by on our tour. I couldn’t help but notice that several enterprising locals were selling shots of Gingha from their windows and stoops to the very thirsty tourists exploring their neighbourhood.
Walking through Alfama
If you visit Lisbon you must treat yourselves to a Fado performance. Fado is a traditional form of music the origins of which can be traced to the 1820s and it’s cultural importance is as significant to Portugal as Flamenco is to Spain. There are no words that can accurately describe Fado music, suffice it to say that it is both beautiful and mournful. We were lucky enough to enjoy an evening of Fado while enjoying a delicious traditional Portuguese meal in the historical Alfama neighbourhood later that evening following our tour.
Fado singing during dinner in Alfama
The following day was pretty busy as we made our way out to Belem to visit the Torre de Belem, enjoyed a delicious lunch of grilled chicken, explored the park after a nice self-catered picnic – made friends with some ducklings and a few peacocks – ate our weight in Pasteis de Belem‘s WORLD FAMOUS Portuguese custard tarts and finally making our way back to our neighbourhood in time to see the sunset from the Miradouro da Senhora do Monte.
Torre Belem
The bustle is non-stop at Pasteis de Belem
Let me tell you, climbing that hill to see the sunset was a killer. However, once we arrived at the top of the hill we were lucky enough to witness one of the most beautiful city sunsets ever. There was something truly magical about this place. We arrived at the top of the hill, sweating, out of breath, cursing every bloody stair we had to climb to make it there, yet somehow all of that didn’t matter. It also didn’t seem to matter to the other thirty or so other people who had also made the ascent. As the sunset over Lisbon, the crowd snapped pictures while toasting each other with wine and beer (which we in our haste forgot to bring. At some point a small band began serenading the crowd with some old standards and as the sunlight faded and the sky began to shift from orange, to pink, and finally red, the jazz trumpet played the sun out of the sky, I couldn’t help but smile. It was a perfect end to a wonderful day.
Sunset over Lisbon
In total, we were in Lisbon for 6 days and we could have easily stayed longer and not run out of things to do or see. We loved the city, its people and its food and I cannot wait to return some day.
After the busy and frenetic pace of Lisbon, we were happy to arrive in Porto. I couldn’t help but notice almost immediately that Porto seemed to be much more quieter and laid back then Lisbon. We arrived by train after a relatively short trip, about 3 hours. Our apartment, again an airbnb rental, was centrally located, about a 10 minute walk from the Sao Bento train station. Fun Fact: the train station was named after a 16th century Benectine monastery which was at one time located on the site, but was destroyed by fire in the late 18th century. It was rebuilt but fell into a state of disrepair. In the early 1900s King Carlos I decided to expand the Portuguese train system and engaged a famous architect, Jose Marques de Silva to redesign the defunct monastery for it to be used as the main train station in Porto
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One of the two azulejo panels at the Sao Bento station in Porto.
Currently, the train station acts as a main hub for Porto’s suburban train lines. The architecture is stunning, however, the real star attraction of the station are the two azulejo painted tile panels by Jorge Colaco – who was considered to be the most important azulejo painter at the time. The two panels depict landscapes and historical events and are located in the main vestibule of the station.
We arrived at our apartment which was located in a circa 1960’s three story walk-up. Let me tell you that walking into that apartment was like taking a step back in time. The apartment, which used to be owned by an architect, had been magnificently restored to its original design, complete with wood paneled walls, post modern lighting and the most amazing divider wall come bookcase I have ever seen. However, the decor itself paled in comparison to the current owner’s extensive collection of jazz and fado CDs! I was over the moon at discovering these magnificent musical gems and the best part? The owner also left us a delicious bottle of Porto for us to sip on while we enjoyed her sensational jazz collection.
Enjoying some of Porto’s finest at the historical Majestic Cafe.
The following morning we set off to explore the city. Sadly Porto’s only walking tour was not being offered during the days we would be in the city, so we did a bit of research online and made a list of some attractions to seek out while walking around Lisbon. One of the first places we checked out was Porto’s historical Majestic Cafe. There was a bitof a line up but we didn’t mind, since we knew that something delicious was waiting for us inside. We each ordered a dessert and port pairing from their recommended pairings menu, and no surprise, the pairings were perfect.
Luckily for us, we just happened to arrive in Porto while a number of great outdoor events and festivals were taking place, including the one day Em D’Bandada music festival. This music festival is unlike most music festivals in that the bands perform in some very interesting locations such as a streetcar, or in a grocery store, or marching down the sidewalk. Em D’Bandada begins early morning and continues well into the pre-dawn hours. We were fortunate enough to see some great performances as we walked through the city that day. Unfortunately, I got sick that evening but Emma and Andrew were able to check out some of the performances, including a street party featuring a DJ spinning from inside the basket of a cherry picker 5 meters above the street until 4am.
On our first morning walk through the city, we happened upon an outdoor market selling everything from homemade cookies, compotes and macaroons…just to name a few. I, of course, took full advantage and picked up a small bag of cookies along with a delicious port, apricot and raspberry jam. All were made by small local producers who were all very enthusiastic about their products and rightfully so. All that traveling had made me quite hungry.
Outdoor market in Porto
Porto is also home to a very large outdoor book fair as well as a festival that pays homage to Porto’s official dish, the Francesinha. This dish can best be described as a franken-sandwich stuffed with cured ham, sausage, and beef wrapped in melted cheese then drowned in a beer and tomato sauce. It’s sometimes topped with an egg and served with french fries. It’s not an attractive looking dish, but I was assured by both Emma and Andrew that it was delicious. I wasn’t feeling well, and upon seeing this monstrosity of a sandwich, I was grateful for not being able to stomach food, because there was no way I was putting any of it in my mouth, as I assure you it looked disgusting.
The famous Francesinha…at 2500 calories each, this thing packs a punch
The forecast for the next few days was not very promising with nothing but torrential downpours in the forecast. We decided that the best way to beat the weather was to visit one of the many port lodges across the Douro and hole up there for an afternoon of porto tasting. I mean, what choice did we have?
We attended a really nice tasting at the Taylor’s port lodge. Our tasting included a guided tour and three glasses of port. The tour and tasted lasted about an hour and a half in total and we paired our ports with a very nice artisanal cheese and some handcrafted chocolate truffles. It was pure bliss and by far the best way to combat the dismal weather outside.
Taylor’s port tasting…best way to escape the rain.
Later that evening, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Grade A, a family run restaurant near the waterfront. The food was simply prepared and absolutely delicious. We were offered a delicious and delicate octopus salad and a plate of lightly battered and deep fried sardines drizzled in oil as appetizers which we devoured almost immediately. I then ordered the prawns in lemon butter and paprika served with lemon wedges, while Emma ordered the pan seared lamb and Andrew had the oven roasted kid. Dessert was a dream, we each ordered something different and shared, as you do! I had a slice of key lime pie – divine! Andrew ordered another version of the layered mocha cream cake he’d had in Lisbon and Emma ordered an oven roasted apple with cinnamon – YUM!
We managed to sign up for the Taste Porto Food tour, which quite frankly I cannot recommend enough. The tour lasted about 3 1/2 hours and was pretty amazing. Our guide Andre, was very knowledgeable and he offered us an experience that took us off the beaten path. The beauty of this tour is that Andre and his team will not take you to the typical touristy food places, his food tour gives you the opportunity to taste the Porto that the locals enjoy. He works closely with local vendors and suppliers to curate a truly authentic Porto food experience. During this tour we visited 6 stops including the Mercado Bolhao, Flor dos Congregados (the oldest restaurant in Porto, a third generation family run resto that has been operating for 152 years – and counting), an incredible bakery famous for its eclairs, another bakery specializing in an incredibly flaky pastry stuffed with both savoury and sweet fillings, an historic coffee house and a taberno specializing in curating the best wines, cheeses and sausages from small local producers. This tour was an absolute highlight and Andre was an absolute wealth of information on the food scene in Porto offering us suggestions on where to eat and which wine bars to visit. Just incredible. One of the best things about this particular tour were the other foodies who also signed up. We met some pretty amazing people including including a journalist from the U.K. who was living in Poland with his wife (we met up with them later that day for pint at a local craft beer pub) another couple from Australia who were living in London, another couple from just outside Toronto who were last minute additions to the tour, and a fantastic woman named Nanna, from Reykjavik, who also happened to be a well known cook book author.
I discovered so much while visiting this amazing city and I’m not just talking about the food and the port. We visited many wonderful spots including the Livraria Lello, an incredible library dating back to 1869 which served as J.K. Rowling’s inspiration for Hogwarts while writing Harry Potter.
Inside Livreria Lello
On another day, we wandered into the incredible HATS & C.A.T.S. where I had the pleasure of trying on some of the most beautiful hats I’ve laid eyes upon. These hats were not just hats, they were pure artistry.
Finally, on our last day in Porto we took the historic Tram 1 to Passeio Alegre and walked along the sea wall to watch the waves crashed against the light house as the sun set on the horizon, a scene so wondrously beautiful it made my heart sing. I just couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be there to witness something so amazing.
Alrighty, best buckle up and settle in…this is gonna take a while, because Prague kinda blew our minds and I have a lot to share with you.
View of the city from the Royal Palace district
I’ve not visited a city with this much character, history and allure in quite a while. To be honest, I’ve never visited a city like this one – period. I absolutely loved everything about it. If you’re looking to visit a place with a rich and storied history, a crazy nightlife, an impressive arts and culture scene, and a place filled with more interesting characters than you can shake a stick at…then Prague is for you my friend!
One of many incredible art installations in Prague
We arrived in Prague in the early evening and took the bus from the airport into the town centre. Our bus stop was conveniently located near our accommodations, the ATS Hotel Jednota. While it at first appeared to be located in a pretty dodgy neighbourhood, this turned out to not be the case. It’s about a 10 minute walk to the Old Town Square and a 5 minute walk from the main train and metro station in Prague. Now, the park surrounding the metro station can be super skeezy, the dodgy looking individuals who ‘live’ there pretty much keep to themselves. It turns out that Prague is a very safe city and people generally don’t bother you. As our tour guide explained, the Czech people are not the type to quarrel in public or get into dust ups…the tourists do a good enough job of that on their own. If you do happen to witness a ‘fight’ in Prague, it’s likely to be a bunch of guys in the city for a stag do fighting with each other. However, they do have an issue with pickpockets, and money exchange scams on the streets in the Old Town Square, so just be wary. Emma and I never felt unsafe, even walking back to our hotel at 3am.
Speaking of our hotel, the building itself was completely lacking in any character, architecture, style, personality or any quality that would make it even remotely interesting. It can best be described as having the look and feel of an abandoned insane asylum, or even possibly a communism-era prison facility. Our room (or cell/hospital ward) was private, however we did have to use the communal showers and ‘kitchen’. The ‘kitchen’ had a sink, a stove, some cupboards and NO FRIDGE. It was also lacking in the one thing you would definitely need in a kitchen…cooking implements. There were no pots, pans, dishes, cutlery of any kind. So, even though it technically did have a ‘kitchen’, it most certainly wasn’t a useful one. Oh, and did I mention that the ‘kitchen’ was located in the communal showers? Our room was located directly across the hallway from the communal shower/washroom/kitchen so it does get a point for convenience, however it’s pretty much all downhill from there. The room did have high ceilings, and a large window that opened to the courtyard (not much of a courtyard, basically a view of the roofs below and the hotel’s guest terrace). We each had a twin bed (not really a bed, more of a deconstructed sofa type piece of furniture with a fabric covered piece of foam stapled to the base), a cupboard for our clothes and a desk. My bed was lopsided in that the frame had a 15 degree angle which caused the ‘mattress’ to tilt to one side, so every night when I lay in bed I felt like I had some strange case of vertigo, perpetually titled toward the floor. Just odd. In case you’re wondering – no A/C (normally not an issue in Prague, however, we did arrive in the midst of a heat wave where the temperatures hovered in the high 30s, and NO WIFI. They did advertise that they had wifi, but that was a lie, a bald faced, dirty lie! Sure, there was spotty wifi in the reception area, but if more than 2 people were logged on, forget about it.
After we checked into our room, we walked over to the Old Town Square, as we were quite anxious to check things out. We had done minimal research on Prague, but what research we did do let us know that we were in for a pretty good stay.
Odd group but good music, one of the many performances in Prague’s Old Town SquarePrague’s Old Town Square
The thing that strikes you immediately about Prague is just how beautiful, I mean stunning, this city is. Every view is a post card, the architecture, the food, the incredible history, the arts, the culture, and the BEER, you cannot forget the beer. All of which combined make it one of the most amazing cities I’ve ever visited.
Sunset at Prague Old Town Square
We explored the Old Town Square and it was quite the experience, everything from snake charmers, puppeteers, pianos players, human statues, singers, dancers, viking bands, bubble blowers and roving evangelists (the Czech Republic despite it’s innumerable churches, basilicas and cathedrals, is the most atheist country in the world – so these guys gots lotsa work to do), you don’t know where to look or what to look at. Everything is coming at you at once – the gaelic sounds of the viking musicians(???), the enthusiastic “JESUS!” chorus ringing in your ears and the hipster musicians screaming at you to give them money if you dare stop and listen to them, the beggars, the squeals of delighted children as they chase the giant bubbles through the square, while being chased by some dude in the mangiest shark costume I’ve ever seen, so much happening! So overwhelming, and yet LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT!
Astronomical Clock, Prague Old Town Square
Sitting in the middle of the Old Town Square is the world famous, centuries old, Astronomical Clock. The clock was built in 1410 and is the oldest working astronomical clock on the planet. The clock, though often listed in the top ten of the most disappointing tourist attractions in the world, is really pretty bloody amazing. Yeah, a show every hour where ‘Death’ rings a bell indicating to Greed, Vanity and the Turk that their time is up, as they shake their heads ‘No” is not much of a big deal to us now, but this was working over six hundred years ago, people were more easily amused back then and this was mind blowing. And let’s not forget the golden rooster who sits atop the clock shaking his wings while all this is happening – over 600 hundred years ago! And the clock still works to this day! That’s badass! If you think the clock is badass, wait until you hear about the guy who designed and built it.
Astronomical Clock, Prague Old Town Square
Legend has it that when Jan Hanus built the clock, Prague was a small merchant town, not the regal capital it is today. Soon after the clock was built, people came from all over Europe to see it. As the clock became famous and more people visited the town, the local merchants who fed and housed the visitors to the area began to see the clock as their bread and butter. Greed took over and they then began to fear that Jan would build another clock in another city and that people would then flock to see it instead. If that happened the tourists would dry up and the stream of money flowing through their coffers would along with it. As their fears grew the merchants met with the town councilmen met to discuss how they could solve this problem. They decided to invite Jan to a dinner at the palace to thank him for all he’d done for the town. Once he arrived at the dinner, did the merchants and councilmen offer to cut Jan in on a percentage of the profits in exchange for his loyatly? No, of course not! Instead, the food and wine flowed and when Jan was sufficiently drunk, they poked his eyes out with hot poker and cut out his tongue so that he could not build another clock or even tell someone how to build such a clock. A few days later, Jan, blinded and mute got his revenge on the council when he had his assistants walk him to the clock and up the tower, where he threw himself into the gears of the clock and rendered it useless until they were finally able to remove his mangled remains from the mechanism over a 100 years later. Badass!
Bone Chuch of Sedlec:
Anyone who knows my travel partner in crime Emma Peachey, knows that she loves, and I mean LOVES all things macabre so when our walking tour our guide mentioned the Bone Church in Sedlec, a small town located just outside Kutna Hora, she was all over that shit! And thus began our visit to quite possibly the creepiest place I’ve ever visited. Now, I say that it is creepy, and it is, however it is also beautiful.
Bone Chandelier, Bone Church of SedlecInside Bone Church, Sedlec
The Bone Church is located next to the Sedlec Ossuary. This small town is located near Kutna Hora, a UNESCO world heritage site – 1 of the 12 world heritage sites located in the Czech Republic. This gothic church was built around 1400 and the skeletal remains of approximately 40,000 to 70,000 people who were buried in the adjoining ossuary were used to decorate it when the church and ossuary were purchased by a wealthy family in the early 1700’s. I have to admit, that the place is stunning. We spent about an hour inside the chapel snapping pictures and marveling at the intricate details of the way the place is decorated. The bone chandelier, prominently featured at the center of the chapel is quite remarkable and it’s obvious that the artist who created it all had an intimate and detailed knowledge of human anatomy and was also one sick fuck.
Inside the Bone Church of Sedlec
After our walk through the bone church, we made our way to Kutna Hora. We didn’t spend much time there as it is rather small. However, what is there is there is worth a look. The town, located in the heart of what was then Bohemia, was settled in 1142 and grew quickly in both size and wealth due to a large silver deposit which was discovered by a local monk. Kutna Hora soon became the leading supplier of silver to Europe and the home of the royal mint. We visited the St. Barbara Church (patron saint of miners), the former Jesuit college, and the Italian courtyard where the royal mint was once located.
Italian courtyard and site of the former Royal Mint.
After walking around the town in near 40 degree heat, we stopped for lunch at local Czech tavern for a delicious meal with our fellow travelers…we also had beer – of course! The entire tour lasted about 7 hours from start to finish, 2 hours of that was spent on trains (horrible trains – do not, I repeat do not use the bathrooms on the train under any circumstances…hold it FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY) traveling to and from the town.
Prague Castle:
First of all it, it’s beautiful. The gardens are massive and you would need a full day to really explore it. We were too cheap to pay the entrance fee because we arrived late in the afternoon, however, we did use that money to enjoy a slice of cake and a glass of wine while overlooking the gardens…with just enough time to check our Facebook – free wifi. Although we didn’t explore inside the castle, we did have an opportunity to check out St. Vitus cathedral and the palace courtyards.
St. Vitus Cathedral, located in the Prague Castle complexInside St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague
Did not regret spending money on wine and cake instead as everything was so pretty. Of note, the view of Prague from the top of the hill on which the palace and cathedral are located is absolutely stunning and I would strongly recommend that you make your way up the winding stairs to take it all in, even if you don’t plan on visiting the castle.
The climb to Prague Castle beginsPrague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral, PragueSt. Vitus Cathedral, near Prague Royal CastleView of the city from the Royal Palace districtOur wine and cake break at Prague Castle – well worth it and free wifi
The Walking Tour
We decided to do the free Royal Prague Walking Tour and it was amazing. Our guide, Callum, an Aussie who now lives in Prague, was one of, if not the best, walk guides ever. He was extremely knowledgeable and quite funny (this guy’s comedic timing is bang on) which made the tour both informative and entertaining. We stopped in The Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock, were provided with a brief history of Prague and learned about Jan Hus, the Hussite followers and their rebellion against the Catholic church.
Charles Street Bridge, PragueScene from Charles Bridge at dusk
He walked us to the base of the Charles Bridge, then onto the Rudolfinum (it was used as a headquarters for the Nazis during the German occupation of Prague), we then walked to the Josefov, formerly the Jewish ghetto of Prague – this neighbourhood is now the poshest neighbourhood in Prague with stunning architecture at every turn, though our guide informed us that it is now mostly occupied by rich wankers. We learned about Frank Kakfa and toured the New Town. The tour ended outside the Prague Estates Theatre, where Mozart himself conducted the world premiere of Don Giovanni – incidentally, it’s currently in production at this very theatre. Definitely recommend this tour and if you can get Callum as your guide, you’re in for a treat. He’s bloody hilarious.
Rudolfinum, Prague Home of the Prague Symphony Orchestra
Pivo (the Beer) – Naz’Dravi!
So, we had heard that the Czech Republic was a little into their beers and that if you happen to be a be a beer fan, you might want to try some out while you’re there. Coincidentally, Emma and I happen to be beer fans, and as it turns out the Czechs are currently making some of, if not the best beer in the world.
Trying out some Czech beers at the Lokal Beer Hall – popular with both locals and touristsBeer Museum stop, late night beer sampling
We tried many, many beers (strictly for research purposes) and not a single one disappointed. Many of the tour operators and local beer halls offer beer tours and tastings. We didn’t have time for a beer tour in the end, but we really didn’t need one, as our ‘beer tour’ was self-guided. We visited a few beer halls which were mostly frequented by locals and sampled as many brews as we could. Of all the beer halls, U’Medvidku was by far, our favourite. It’s a rather large hall – more like a series of large adjoining halls, it was formerly a medieval brewery and has done a very good job and maintaining that look and feel. They currently brew 11 beers which they offer on their menu along with several other beers. If you’re not comfortable making your own selections, they do offer a brewer’s tasting menu. They also brew the strongest beer in the world, X-33, with an alcohol content of 12.6% – drink with caution, it really sneaks up on you – so they say 🙂
Wild Boar and Venison sausages paired with a local Czech micro brew – typical outdoor market fare
Fun Fact: Czechs consume more beer per capita than any other country. The annual beer consumption per person in the Czech Republic is 150 litres, with Germany holding down second place with 100 litres. Canadians consume on average about 65 litres per person and Australians hover at 83 litres per person – just in case you’re wondering.
The Architecture
If you are an architecture buff or just enjoy taking photos of buildings you think are beautiful, Prague possesses an undeniable wealth in this area. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the buildings and streetscapes – even when the buildings were of no historical significance or pedigree…they are just stunning! I took well over 250 pictures in Prague, mostly of buildings. I’m like that.
One of countless building photos I snapped…too many to count
Czech Food
We were super excited about trying Czech food and we ate traditional Czech food every chance we could.
Sausages and pivo, the perfect combo – Naz dravi!
Sausages – so many different types of sausages, all of which pair very well with Pivo (beer).
Syr Smazeny
Syr Smazeny – fried cheese
‘Drowned Men’ – marinated sausages
Utopenci (drowned men) – sausages marinated in vinegar and onions, served sliced with mini pickles – yum!
Gulash with dumplings
Gulash – not traditionally a Czech dish, but very popular
I know it doesn’t look good, but trust me, it tasted delicious.
Svickova na smetane – beef doused in a root vegetable gravy and served with whipped cream and cranberry sauce – weird, but totally tasty.
Svarky
Svarky – pork crackling mixed with pork lard and served with salty bread…it looked disgusting but tasted delicious and it goes very well with pivo (beer).
Schnitzel the size of your head.
Schnitzel – really doesn’t require an explanation, though I will say that the serving sizes are as big as your head. You will not starve.
Duck – the Czechs cook a mean duck, traditionally served with red cabbage and potato/stuffing balls.
On our last morning in Prague, on the recommendation of our tour guide Callum, we stopped by the historical Cafe Louvre…and it did not disappoint. The cafe was established in 1902 and has a very colourful history. Albert Einstein and Frank Kafka count among their many famous guests.
Cafe Louvre breakfast
After 5 days of eating and drinking our way through Prague we headed to the airport. You might be thinking this is the end of the Prague post, but not quite. Prague wasn’t done with us yet. We were scheduled to leave on a 10:55pm flight to Athens, which was delayed to 11:20pm…no big deal. Since the flight was so late we thought it might be a good idea to wash up and brush our teeth before boarding. Emma located a bathroom on the lower level, she made her way there an I watched our bags. When Emma returned, I then went down the escalator to the same bathroom. I had just finished washing my face and brushing my teeth when the lights went out. At first I thought the lights were on a motion sensor and that if I waved my arms about that they would come back on…this was not the case. I then tried to open the door, maybe the light switch was on the outside? Nope, I was locked in and the lights were off. For 10 minutes I pounded on the door, yelling, then screaming for help before someone arrived to help me. Apparently, they locked the bathroom for the night, turning off the lights in the process. No one thought to check to see if anyone was still inside. I had pounded on the door so hard that my hands were bleeding by the time I got help. They clearly felt badly for locking me in because once I was freed and back at the gate, the airport staff kept stopping by to check on me to see if I was ok and how my hands were. Note to self, do not use a washroom in the Prague airport after 10pm.
Despite the airport incident, Prague was lovely, mindblowing and somewhere I’d love to return to. If you ever have the opportunity to visit it, I strongly encourage you to do so!
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