Prague, Czech Republic – Last Meanderings

Some Final Meanderings and Thoughts

We really enjoyed Prague and because of the Vtlava River running through it, it really reminded us of Turin, though not as laid back.

Prague – The City from Letna Park – Panorama

Not only are there plenty of things to see and do, the city has many restaurants, more than one would think. One can find anything to eat, from Vietnames and Chinese food to all varieties of European cuisine.

The city also has a lot of parks in it, where one can go and enjoy a quiet walk, while admiring some of the monuments and art work that abound in this quiant little eastern European city. We leave you with a parting slide show and a few more restaurant reviews.

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Restaurants

La Veranda Ristorante

For our final day together, the four of us were lucky to stumble upon La Veranda Ristorante, a high end Michelin starred Italian restaurant with excellent food and wine. We spent a few maverlous hours enjoying lunch here, and if you have the chance, you should too!

Prague – La Veranda Restaurant – Rolls with Black Garlic and Salted Butter

Prague – La Veranda Restaurant – Mushroom Soup

Prague – La Veranda Restaurant – Gabi’s and Ericka’s Lamb with Whipped Potatoes

Prague – La Veranda Restaurant – Patti’s Trout with Buckwheat and Foamy Rice

Prague – La Veranda Restaurant – Erick’s Tenderloin Special with Spinach and Liver Paté

Prague – La Veranda Restaurant – Espresso with Sambuca

Prague – La Veranda Restaurant – Chocolate Fondant Cake with Roasted Plum and Raspberry Sause and Vanilla Ice Cream – Apple Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream and Puffed Raisins

The Black Elephant Restaurant

Prague – The Black Elephan Restaurant – Front

A truely traditional Czech restaurant, offering all of the local favorites. We expressely stopped in because they advertized and offered Roasted Pig Knuckle, or as the Bavarians would say – Schweinshaxn, which Patti definitely wanted to have before we left.

Prague – The Black Elephan Restaurant – Dining Room

Prague – The Black Elephan Restaurant – Menu

Prague – The Black Elephan Restaurant – Schweinshaxn

Prague – The Black Elephan Restaurant – Greek Salad with Chicken for me

4 October, 2022

Prague, Czech Republic – Petrin Hill

Prague’s Petrin Hill

Above the city lies Petrin Hill. A walk of a little over a kilometer and about three hundred steps (if you happen to go that way), or you can take the funicular (which we found to be very crowded on the Sunday), so we walked.

Prague – Hunger Wall Gate to Gardens on Petrin Hill

Prague – Three Dome Stefanik Observatory on Petrin Hill

Prague – The Stefanik Observatory on Petrin Hill

Prague – Aviation Monument next to Stefanik Observatory on Petrin Hill

The nice thing about walking, aside from someone you don’t know breathing on you in a confined space, is you get to see things along the way the others in the funicular won’t. Plus, if the weather is nice, it’s actually quite a nice way to spend a Sunday morning.

Prague – Chapel of Boziho hrobu on Petrin Hill

Prague – Calvary Chapel and Saint Lawrence Church on Petrin Hill

Prague – Saint Lawrence Church on Petrin Hill

Prague – Fourteenth Station of the Cross on Petrin Hill

Prague – Park on Petrin Hill – Gabi, Patti and Ericka descending stairs

Prague – Park on Petrin Hill – US Embassy to the left

After Petrin Hill, we continued our walk along the river a bit, before going across the Legion Bridge. Here we watched the river boats enter the river lock mechanism, in order to continue their journeys up the river.

Restaurants

Luka Lu

If you are looking for good food while dining in a very off-beat interior, look no further than Luka Lu’s. Located on Újezd street in Mala Strana, it is an excellent place for lunch.

After our journey through the park and Petrin Hill, the four of us stopped for lunch. The food at Luka Lu’s was very good, service was great and the off-beat interior somewhat of a treat. If you are looking for something different, this might be the place for you. The prices were very reasonable too!

4 October, 20224 October, 2022

Prague, Czech Republic – Medieval Alchemy And Eats

Medieval Prague

There are a few places in Prague that still have the medieval charm. One is a museum, the other is a restaurant. But if one is paying attention as they walk around, they will find little medieval curiosities hidden away. It only requires a bit of exploring to find them.

The Old Town Square

The most remarkable thing about the Old Town Square is its small size. It is surprising that such are large medieval city would have such a small square.

Prague – Old Town Square – Jan Hus climbing monument

It does however have several remarkable points of interest and beautiful building contained or encircling it.

Prague – Old Town Square – The West House – House of the Minute

Prague – Old Town Square – Painted Building

The Astronomy Clock

One of the main attractions in Prague is the Astronomical Clock. Aside from its obvious technical fascinations and color, it of course does not move a lot. That does not prevent many from craning their necks staring at it for more than an hour, hoping in vain for the clock to do something. However, the clock being based on a twenty-four hour daytime standard does move, but ever so slowly.

Prague – Old Town Square – Astronomical Clock Tower

The Speculum Alchemiae

This museum offers guided tours through a historical alchemist’s shop, containing all of the accoutrements of the trade.

Prague – Alchemy Museum – Tickets For Two

There are flasks, alembics, beakers and glass containers of all shapes and sizes littered throughout the shop.

Prague – Alchemy Museum – Alembics and other Bottles

The tour begins the shop and quickly advances through a door and small hallway to the alchemist’s study.

Prague – Alchemy Museum – Hallway Pictures

Prague – Alchemy Museum – Hallway Bottles

Prague – Alchemy Museum – The Study Bookcase

Prague – Alchemy Museum – Study with door closed

Prague – Alchemy Museum – Study Bookcase

After a twenty minute talk on the herbs and other potions of the alchemist’s trade, as well as a short discussion on books, the tour commenced through a secret opening in the bookcase.

Prague – Alchemy Museum – Secret Tunnels and Rooms

A creepy spiral staircase takes you downstairs into a dungeon like area full of workshops, each for a specific purpose.

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Restaurants

If it was not mentioned before it will be now. If you are interested in any particular restaurants for dinner, make sure you book reservations beforehand. Most of the good ones book up quickly, some times days in advance, so make the call or send the request as soon as possible to get your table.

There are many fine restaurants in Prague and from what I can tell, they have all earned their stars. However, that’s not to say you will go hungry, if you do not make the proper arrangements. There are still numerous restaurants around of all types that might have an empty table, you just may have to do some walking.

There are also street food options, for both lunch and dinner. So, if you are not particular about sitting down, you can consider them as a viable option. As a last resort there are always fast food corporate options, but again, go local if at all possible and enjoy the native cuisine.

Prague – Holiday Market – Rotisserie Pork

The Medieval Tavern – U Krále Brabantského

The first impression from outside is the establishment looks a bit odd, with a figure of a man outstretched from the basement. Once our interests were peaked, we had to investigate further and finally made reservations for the following day when the remainder of our party could join.

I have never been in a more dark or gloomy restaurant as this one, lending it a bit of medieval charm. Lit, more or less, only by candle light, it’s no wonder humanity made it out of the Dark Ages.

Prague – The Medieval Tavern – U Krále Brabantského – Inside

Prague – Medieval Tavern – U krále Brabantského – Inside

Prague – Medieval Tavern – U krále Brabantského – Menu

Participants should be aware, certain meals do not come with utensils and all of the beers come with a customary bang on the table. Some have been known to break their glasses, which is strangely allowed. The meals are, shall we say, good but very basic – they won’t be earning any Michelin Stars for their cuisine.

Prague – Medieval Tavern – U krále Brabantského – Lentil Soup

Prague – Medieval Tavern – U krále Brabantského – Roasted Chicken

Prague – Medieval Tavern – U krále Brabantského – Baked Fish

Prague – Medieval Tavern – U krále Brabantského – Gulash and Dumplings

Prague – The Medieval Tavern – U Krále Brabantského – Gabi and Ericka

Prague – The Medieval Tavern – U Krále Brabantského – Patti and Erick

Alforno Focacceria

Also known in Czech as Petrské náměstí, is situated on Petrská, just behind our hotel. We picked another Italian restaurant since they are pretty wide spread throughout the city and the actual Czech cuisine is a bit limited.

Prague – Alforno Focacceria – Minestrone Soup

3 October, 20223 October, 2022

Prague, Czech Republic – City Of Towers

Our first few days in Prague introduced us to another city of towers, of which eight have some import. It is also a city severed by a river, the river Vltava, which flows into the river Elbe. This river is also a hub of tourism, having several river boat companies plying its waters.

Prague – Some Of The Sights

One can say that Prague is a very easy city to walk. It is well marked and there are plenty of street signs to indicate along the way where the most important landmarks are to see.

Prague – Old Town Bridge Tower – Monument

Of course, just ambling your way down the city streets works too, which in most cases will lead to some kind of a surprise when you round a corner. Here is a short slide show as we did one of our unguided walks.

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The Klementinum

Of some interest is the Klementinum, an old medieval Dominican Monastery that was later converted into a Jesuit college.

It was here, sometime in 1775, that a Jesuit scholar started recording the first set of unbroken climate measurements in eastern Europe. It also houses an impressive Baroque libraries in the world.

The Towers

There are essentially eight towers of import within the city. They include:

1. The Old Town Bridge Tower
2. The Lesser Town Bridge Towers
3. The Old Town Hall Tower
4. Mirror Maze
5. Powder Gate Tower
6. Petrin Lookout Tower
7. Saint Nicholas Bell Tower
8. The New Mill Water Tower

The above are all marked on the city map that can be obtained from the city’s InfoPoint center. There are also numerous other lesser towers that can be found when roaming the city, some of which like the above can be ascended.

The Old Town Bridge Tower

From the Old Town in the direction of George’s Bridge one will next come upon the Old Town Bridge Tower. It was completed some time after 1385 and before then end of that century. It has seen a lot of history pass through its portal, wars and coronations alike.

The Lesser Town Bridge Towers

On the other end of George’s Bridge is the Lesser Town Bridge Towers. Each tower is unique, the one on the left, as viewed from the bridge, is in the Romanesque style and dates from the 12th century. The taller tower is Late Gothic and dates from 1464 and can be ascended.

Prague – The Lesser Bridge Tower on the other side of George’s Bridge

The Mirror Maze

The Mirror Maze is not a tower, just a building that houses a fun-house for children and adults that contains mirrors. It is similar to mirror houses found at many state fairs in the United States.

Powder Gate Tower

Probably one of the first towers you will go see is the Powder Tower. You can purchase a ticket and view the city from this tower for a modest fee of about 3€.

The Powder Tower is so named since they used to store gun powder in it. It has also historically be the starting point of any coronation ceremonies held by the Bohemian Monarchs who entered the city, the ending point being the Prague Castle on the hill.

The building was first started in 1457 and finished some time later. It was not finished until the early seventeenth century. It stands at an impressive 195 feet, provided a excellent view of the surrounding city to anyone who ascends its claustrophobic spiral staircase.

A slide show to show our ascent and the rest of Prague from the vantage point of the viewing deck at 44 meters.

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Petrin Lookout Tower

The lookout tower is on top of Petrin Hill and can be found either by walking up the park paths and stairs, there are multiple ways of reaching it; or by using the Ujezd to Petrin funicular. Though we did not ascend the tower, a pretty fantastic view can be enjoyed by doing so.

Saint Nicholas Town Bell Tower

Almost a pyramidal tower in look, the tower of Saint Nicholas can be found close to the Prague Castle and is part of Saint Nicholas’ church.

Prague – Saint Nicholas’s Town Bell Tower

The New Mill Water Tower

A six minute walk from our hotel and close to the Stefanik Bridge is the New Mill Water Tower. The tower was built in 1658 to supply water from the Vltava River to the lower portion of Prague.

Saint Peter’s Bell Tower

This is a lesser tower not actually listed in the sightseer’s guides. However, due to its proximity to the hotel, it was easy enough to visit and take a few photographs.

Prague – Saint Peter’s Bell Tower – Back

Henry’s Tower

Another lesser tower not on Prague’s official sightseeing list, but on some map, is Henry’s Tower. This tower is pretty close to the main train station in Prague and the Jindřišská tram stop, that is often jammed with trams waiting to go down the street of the same name.

Art Deco Imperial Hotel

The Art Deco Imperial Hotel is a fine hotel situated just outside the old town, which is a mere ten minute walk away. The rooms are spacious, definitely big enough to relax in and the bathrooms, at least in the room that we were given, are all marble with all of the contemporary conveniences.

It is also very nice that the Imperial Café is part of the hotel, making breakfast a very simple and convenient affair.

Prague – Hotel Imperial Art Deco – Bronze

Prague – Hotel Imperial Art Deco – Entrance to Imperial Café

Prague – Hotel Imperial Art Deco – Main Stairs

Prague – Hotel Imperial Art Deco – Elevators

Prague – Hotel Imperial Art Deco – Main Hall

Restaurants

Of course, it is a bad habit, but I normally only comment on restaurants or cafés that can be recommended. Since Prague is such a tourist destination, one has to be careful choosing a restaurant here, not all of them serve a quality product. In that event, always go natural, preferring a salad over a different product like sausage, etc. In most cases you will not go wrong.

Imperial Café

On our first night in Prague we ate at the Imperial Café, which is part of the Art Deco Imperial hotel. This café is known for its amazing and beautiful tiled walls and ceilings.

Prague – Hotel Imperial Art Deco – Patti at the Imperial Café

A highly rated café which has obviously earned its stars. It also comes with baggage or purse stools, so that bags, pocketbooks and other paraphernalia you are carrying, doesn’t have to touch the floor.

Prague – Hotel Imperial Art Deco – Bag Stool provided at the Imperial Café

The service and food were excellent, so we had to try it out. We were not disappointed.

Prague – Hotel Imperial Art Deco – Onion Soup

Prague – Hotel Imperial Art Deco – Beef Wellington

Prague – Hotel Imperial Art Deco – Patti’s Chicken Breast with Ratatouille and Whipped Potatoes

Prague – Hotel Imperial Art Deco – Strawberries with Vanilla Ice Cream and Whipped Cream

La Bottega Linka

A one minute walk from the Art Deco Imperial Hotel is the Italian Restaurant La Bottega Linka. The restaurant offers a combination of Italian, Czech and cosmopolitan dishes, as demanded most likely by tourist. However, the food and service are more than satisfactory, though the prices do suffer a bit from tourism area up charge, but still modest.