In the cold winter months in Europe, you can count on one thing: awesome Groupons to some fun cities! This time we took off early one Saturday morning to Prague, Czech Republic!
After landing, we headed out to lunch. On the way there, we spotted this cool apartment building.
Dancing House
For lunch, we enjoyed a delicious (and affordable) meal at U Kroka. We had two appetizers, two mains, two desserts, two glasses of wine, two beers, and two espressos all for 32 Euros. The quality of the food was amazing and we definitely had our fill–a great introduction to Czech food! Highly recommend a visit to this restaurant!
PIckled sausage (this was on the menu at several places, we only tried it here)
Saddle of Rabbit
Light beer and dark beer–have never seen it served this way!
John and I agreed–the best thing we ate on the trip. “Misa Cake”–a traditional local cake!
After enjoying our long, delicious Czech feast, we strolled down the Vltava River to the Old Town to check out the historic district after sunset.
Strolling down the Vltava River–we found some swans!
The Castle District across the river
One of the many beautiful statues on the Charles Bridge
Church of Our Lady before Tyn all lit up
The Old Town Hall
The next morning, we ventured to the Jewish Quarter (Josefov). Our first stop was the Old New Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in Europe.
The Old New Synagogue: built in 1270.
Jewish Town Hall
One of the most moving sites was the Old Jewish Cemetery, accessible from the Pinkas Synagogue which currently serves as a memory to the 77,000+ Jews that were removed from the Czech Republic and killed during the Holocaust. There are more than 12,000 tombstones and more than 100,000 burials onsite, with some bodies stacked 12 deep.
Old Jewish Cemetery
Old Jewish Cemetery
Old Jewish Cemetery
Cemetery with Jewish Ceremonial Hall in background
Next we checked out a couple more synagogues and a church before heading back to the Old Town Square.
The Spanish Synagogue (modeled after the Alhambra on the inside)
Crystal Chandelier in St. Nicholas Church Old Town Square. Czech is known for it’s crystal–they sell it everywhere and it’s BEAUTIFUL!
Next stop, a little snack!
Coffee and a hot raspberry crepe at Grand Cafe Orient.
After our snack, we went to the Old Town Hall in the town square to the famous Prague Astronomical Clock. Every hour, as the clock strikes, 15th century statues (including the 12 apostles and a skeleton representing death) move to celebrate the new hour. We (along with several other tourists) braved the cold to watch the clock strike. At the end of the show, we were rewarded with a live bugler trumpeting in the hour from the top of the tower.
Excited to be at the clock!
Astronomical Clock
After the show, we climbed the tower. Honestly, this is the only tower we have climbed in Europe with lift (elevator)!
Loving the view!
Bird’s eye view of the Church of Our Lady before Tyn!
Loving the red rooftops!
For dinner that night, we took the metro out of the city center to a restaurant called Staroceska Krcma–a restaurant with no electricity (in the dining room). So we ate another delicious, hearty Czech meal completely by firelight.
When in Czech! Trying John’s beer…
Love the ambiance!
On the way home, we got off the metro one stop early, to walk through Wenceslas Square (the site of numerous protests and the Velvet Revolution of 1989 that ended communist rule in the Czech Republic.
Wenceslas Square–the current centre of Prague. You can see the National Museum in the background.
The next morning, we awoke to a wonderful surprise: it has snowed the night before!
Loving the snow!
First stop: the Castle District!
- St. Vitus Cathedral. One of the most stunning facades we’ve seen!
Inside St. Vitus Cathedral
An extremely ornate memorial
On our way out of the church, we saw the Czech Guard on their way to the changing of the guard.
I really wanted to be part of it!
Coats of Arms painted on the interior of the palace
Our final stop in the Castle District was Golden Lane, named for the 16th century alchemists who took up residence there. Also on the edge of the castle wall, it’s where the soldiers and castle defenders lived. It was a quaint street–fun to walk down.
Golden Lane
After a snack, we made our way to the Charles Bridge and the Mala Strana (Lesser Town) area of the city.
A delicious Czech snack: the Trdelnik!
The Charles Bridge (construction began in the 1300s) has 30 statues and three towers and is arguably the centre of historic Prague. No trip to Prague is complete without a stroll down the bridge!
Walking down the Charles Bridge
One of the beautiful statues and a bridge tower
View of Charles Bridge looking towards Lesser Town.
On our way to the Museum Kampa, we stumbled across the Lennon Wall. Since the 1980’s the wall has been filled with Lennon inspired graffiti and Beatles song lyrics.
Lennon Wall
The Museum Kampa is a modern art museum that showcases the work of central European and Czech artists.
Interior of the Kampa Museum
Modern Art
Installation on the River Vltava
After leaving the museum, we had time for one last Czech meal before returning to London. We finished with Rynerovy Koule, a delicious dessert dumpling (like a Chinese dim sum bao) filled with raspberry and topped with bits of cottage cheese. Absolutely delicious.
Rynerovy Koule
Prague is one of our favorite cities in Europe, thus far. We love the history, the people (very friendly) and the food. Central Europe has been a great place to visit, definitely looking forward to exploring more. Can’t wait to go back to Prague–maybe it will be a bit warmer, next time 😉
John and CB's Most Excellent Adventure 
Love seeing your pictures. It’s so neat to see others’ perspectives and adventures in someplace you’ve been to before. Glad you guys had fun!