City of Spires — Praha
February 4th - 10th, 2017
In the heart of Europe lies the unsuspecting prize of Prague. Rich with history and amazing affordability, the city is a rewarding destination.
The theme of affordability, which we found throughout the city, started with our lodging — an incredible Airbnb loft on the northern edge of New Town, one of five smaller cities that eventually merged into today’s city, and a great central hub for eateries and touring. Combining Prague prices with offseason travel and we ended up only spending $44 / night.
Over the last century, the Czech people won their independence from the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, quickly fell to the rule of the Nazis, remained trodden under the watch of the USSR, and finally proclaimed freedom with the Velvet Revolution as the USSR collapsed. The older generation have lived to see great evolutions in the political life of the country.
During WWII, Prague’s infrastructure was relatively untouched, unlike much of the rest of Europe, and that left the artistic and entrancing baroque facades that line almost every street with colorful and varying designs. The baroque style dominates because in the late 1600s there was a massive fire that wiped out much of the city, leaving it ripe for rebuilding in the current baroque styles of the period.
During our time in each country thus far, we’ve tried to learn a few words like thank you, hello, goodbye, etc. Czech is without question the most difficult language we’ve run into and I only managed to walk away with a somewhat garbled version of thank you —děkuji or dk in slang. Whenever I tried it, I received strange looks and occasional smiles.
While the buildings were left intact, Prague was irrevocably wounded in other ways as a result of the Nazis. Before the war, the Jewish population accounted for 20% of the city, around 97,000. Over 2/3 of those perished in the holocaust and today, only 5,000 Jews remain.
Before that damaging time, Jews were an economic power in Prague and built some of the most beautiful synagogues throughout Old Town in the Jewish Quarter. It’s easy to make a day trip exploring the different places of worship, admiring the talented and rich history, and remembering the pain and loss that so many have suffered.
If we’re honest, one of the foundational components that made Prague so enjoyable for Kate and I were the prices. The land of cheap eats, beer in Prague comes in half liters for between $1.30 and $1.80 and you can head to nice restaurants for their rock bottom lunch specials where you walk out netting about $7, including beer!
Add to that mix the diversity found in Prague and you can find yourself enjoying authentic local cuisine, Greek melodies, Indian platters, sushi, Thai, and more, all for affordable prices. It’s like a traveler’s mecca.
Within a week of leaving Prague we found ourselves in Denmark, which is the polar opposite when it comes to affordability.
Oh to return to the sweet low prices in our dearest Praha.
We even bailed on our typical meal plan of eating at home for dinner because it was nearly as cheap to grab a bite out. Also because I edged into the too-cheap territory when buying groceries and what was supposed to be beef burrito bowls turned into some sort of unknown-mystery-meat burrito bowls that had a funny after-taste. It was an incredible deal, though!
Two different times out for meals we found ourselves engaged in enlightening conversations.
Once, at a Czech Pub, with a young Czech entrepreneur named Alex who has a phone retail business in a town outside the city. He tried to teach us Czech (fail) and told us the story of his family and life in Prague.
Later in the week, with an employee at Bombay Express who had moved to Prague from India for work. He explained how he learned Czech and anyone can if they just try (humiliating), how safe Prague is from terrorism compared to Western Europe because no one makes much money and you have to work all the time, and how we should try the mango smoothie (which was delicious).
I love how by asking a simple question like where someone is from can open the door to intriguing conversation and cultural expansion.
We also found Prague to be some sort of haven for cafes. On practically every street you can find an inviting place to drink coffee or a speciality shake while you take a reprieve from the cold. More than a few hours were spent playing Shoot Fire, Crazy Eights, and Twins.
Of course since Prague is number 1 in the world for beer consumption per capita, they match their < $2 beers with a pub culture that is admirable. In many establishments, they have ‘beer from tanks’, a strategy to get the freshest beer possible from brewery to consumption within two weeks. I’m not sure I’m enough of a beer connoisseur to fully appreciate it, but it was certainly fresh and crisp.
Back in Vienna I had a heartbreaking experience. It was New Year’s Eve and I spotted an unknown item that seemed like the most delicious dessert at a street vendor, but decided to wait until later to come back and try it. Upon our return, they had closed and I feared I would never savor it’s goodness. Fortunately for me, the dessert turned out to be trdelnik and is a specialty in Prague. We indulged more than once. It was heavenly.
We decided a great future trip would be to start in the Czech Republic and then work south through Slovakia, Hungary, and Croatia. Mainly, we just want an excuse to go back to Prague. :)
