Prague, the “City of a Hundred Spires,” the “Mother of all Cities,” I can’t think of a better city to wander about in, and “lose the person I’ve become.”

     I have family there, and a friend or two, so for me Prague is more than a vacation destination, its personal. Prague is cozy, friendly and familiar now. I wander about the Charles Bridge at 4 in the morning, which is magical. I get lost in the beauty, the silence,”and I might just find the person I was meant to be.”  

     Prague, Czech Republic  should be on everyone’s bucket list, it’s breathtaking. Prague is a great vacation destination for many reasons; it is small enough to walk and  enjoy all of the city, large enough to not get bored. Prague Castle  is the largest ancient castle in the world and St. Vitus Cathedral is beautiful, as are all the church’s in Prague. There is the famed Charles Bridge, views are amazing everywhere, the food is great, the beer is cheap, the people are friendly and I hear the night life is pretty wild.

    Day and I went with our friends, K & J. We take turns, one year they pick where we go, the next year we pick. This was our year, and we decided on Prague and Budapest. Day books flights and picks accommodations, and I usually pick a tour or two. Day did really well with accommodations, she chose the Hotel Bishop’s House. The hotel was comfortable, the breakfast was good, the staff was great and the location could not have been more perfect. In Lesser Towne, on the castle side of the Vltava River, we were just a couple hundred yards from the foot of Charles Bridge, and the northern most end of Kampa Island.

     The Vltava River runs north to south through the center of Prague, the Charles Bridge, east to west over the river. Old Towne Square, the Jewish Quarter and Wenceslas Square on the east side, Kampa Island, the Hunger Wall and Prague Castle on the west side of the river. So for photographers, in the morning on the west end of the bridge or even better, on Kampa Island, has the best views of a sunrise. On the east side of the river, head north for sunsets behind Prague Castle.

     If you and I were to go for a walk, I would leave the Hotel Bishop’s House and head northwest through Lesser Towne by way of Mostecka St. We would pass St. Nicholas Church, then walk along Nerudova, which is arguably one of the most beautiful streets in all of Prague. We would make our way up to Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral  and through the gardens. There is much to see along the way, and plenty of cafes to stop at for a light breakfast and a cappuccino.

     From the gardens at Prague Castle, we could head southwest to Strahov Monastery for lunch, and pop into the most beautiful library I have ever seen.

From there we would head southeast to the Hunger Wall and through the park. We would now be at the southern most tip of Kampa Island, and could make our way home, passing the Lennon Wall and the Crawling Babies, sculptures by David Cerny. The great thing about Prague, is it’s small, and this walk would be a nice leisurely walk for a day.

     Our second day, I might just wake you up at 4 am for a walk along the Charles Bridge and Kampa Island for the sunrise. Neither words nor pictures can adequately describe the Charles Bridge just before the sun rises. It’s one of those magical places where you can lose yourself, and find yourself, as you wander about alone, immersed in quiet reflection. Cross over the bridge past the oldest working astronomical clock  in the world and into Old Towne Square, and straight ahead is the Church of Mother of God before Tyn, often translated as Church of Our Lady before Týn, it’s a gothic church and a dominant feature of the square.

     After Old Towne Square, we would walk through the Jewish Quarter and into Wenceslas Square, and back home. If these two walks were all you had time for, trust me when I say, you could leave Prague content, knowing that you have just done two of the most amazing walks on this planet.

     Assuming that you have more time though, you might wanna do a WWII tour  and a food tour with Eating Prague. We have done both twice, and loved them. This post is becoming quite long, so I will write a separate blog post on both those tours later. For now, understand, walking tours are a great way to get your bearings, learn the history of a city and enjoy the best foods the city has to offer, and these two tours were excellent.

     Day and I have traveled quite a bit, and Prague is one of my favorite cities. I am not quite sure how to end a post about one of the most beautiful cities in the world, so I will share the words of Pico Lyer with you…

“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.”

     Take these words with you, to Prague, to the Charles Bridge at sunrise, lose yourself and find yourself, slow down time, and be taken in by the beauty of Prague, and fall in love once more. Explore. Dream. Discover, and travel to Prague.

Luv ya
Curly