The plan today was to cross Charles Bridge and explore the Old Town, New Town and Jewish Quarter (time permitting). The weather was a bit better today: the clouds were clearing and the sun made an appearance. Hooray!
Charles Bridge is probably the most touristy part of the city, jointly with the castle I'd say. It's very picturesque with great views all around and of the cathedral and castle as the backdrop up on the hill. All along the bridge there are statues of Christ and various saints. Small stalls sell paintings and other niknaks, musicians play tunes, and artists do charicatures. Yes it's a tourist trap but it's not 'in your face'; I thought it added to the charm. There are so many photo opportunities just on the bridge alone so you can spend a fair bit of time there. Once across, you enter the Old Town area. We didn't follow a particular route, just wandered here and there, stopping at shops and then for refeshment.
The Old Town Square was stunning with beautiful buildings and architecture all around, including the Town Hall and Tower and the Astronimical Clock. People gather in front of the clock on every hour as two windows open which show figures of people walking past.
The New Town (if you can call it that - it was founded in 1348) took us into Wenceslas Square, which I had imagined was a old quaint place but it was in fact the main shopping area - what we would call the high street! At the end of the square was the National Museum which was a grand building. In one of the side streets, I saw some really great shoes, so unique, I just had to have a pair. All textile, with embroidery and string for laces - so difficult to describe but I've never seen anything like them. They had them in all different colours and designs. They had my size and were really comfy so I got them. Only worked out at about a tenner. Bargain!
Late lunch was al fresco at a pub and Matt had the national dish: goulash and dumplings. All the food here is so inexpensive, good sized portions and very tasty. I wouldn't have thought the Czech Republic is famous for its food but it should be - even small cafes and pubs are good quality.
We then headed for the Jewish quarter and we particularly wanted to visit the Old Jewish Cemetary. This remarkable site was, for over 300 years, the only burial place permitted to Jews. Because of the lack of space, people had to be buried on top of each other up to 12 layers deep. There are over 12,000 graves crammed into this small space but with an estimated 100,000 people buried there. It really is a weird sight with most of the grave stones leaning against each other at angles.
After wandering around more of the Jewish quarter, we ended up back along the river and found a nice spot to have a drink, with a good view of Charles Bridge. We then slowly strolled back to the apartment, got showered and changed ready for Johnny's birthday evening. We wanted to find somewhere nice (a bit posher) than the usual restaurant, and we all walked for ages and ages trying to find the perfect spot and also agree on a menu that we all fancied - me being the main problem. It would be so much easier to eat meat but my principle is stronger than my desire. Eventually at well after 9pm, we came across a specialist fish restaurant which had a great menu. Without even finding out the price of anything, we went in and Oh My God...what a place. This was as exclusive as you're gonna find in Prague I reckon. The decor was all contemporary with fish tanks and weird lighting everywhere.
This is how I imagine a top London restaurant would look like and famous people would be seen there. We were shown to our table and us ladies were given a small stool/chair to place our bags onto - never had that happen before! The prices were very expensive but hey, this was an occasion and we were going to just enjoy the experience. We took our time looking at the wine menu and ordering the food. The service was not rushed; it was just right, allowing us to chill out. A lot of the starters were not to my taste so I just ordered fresh seasonal fruit. However, it wasn't just an ordinary bowl of fruit, it was beautiful like a piece of art...and very yummy! The others had seafood including oysters which John had never tried before but absolutely loved them. For the main course, I stuck to what I know - grilled sole. John had a seafood platter which included the biggest prawns we'd ever seen. Suzie had a whole lobster and Matt had steak I believe.
For dessert, we ordered three dishes to share: pineapple and coconut ravioli, chocolate surprise and poached pear. They were to die for, especially the chocolate as every mouthful seemed to be different. There was certainly a very clever chef out in the kitchen. Suzie ordered a real sherry which I tried and instantly loved it, and so one was ordered for me and Matt joined me. Don't ever think sherry is like the stuff your Gran drinks at Christmas because it ain't nothing like that! We also asked the waiter if I could sample a liquer (raspberry flavoured) and he obliged. Just a sip and I lost my voice - it was like drinking fire with a hint of fruit! I passed on a glass of that.
When the bill came, Matt and Suzie insisted they pay as this would be their birthday treat to John. John went mental; he hates it when someone else pays for him. However, he was told to shut up! I thanked them for my dinner too. It was just a wonderful evening which will be remembered for a long long time. There was no-one left in the restaurant by the time we left just before midnight! Three hours eating must be a record for me but it was so nice to just take it slow and enjoy the experience.
On the way home, we stopped by the bar which Matt, Suzie and John ended up in on the first night here. It was full of locals, not somewhere you'd get many tourists. The music was loud, it was smoky but I was still in the mood for a cocktail. Suzie joined me with a 'Sex on the beach'.
Shortly after 1am we made our way back up the road to our hotel. And so to bed. What a great day!
(Posted 3 Jun 2007)
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