Is it possible to fall in love with a place in a little over a week? I’d say, absolutely! It took me a long weekend to feel enamored with Thailand, and less than two weeks to feel the same way about Romania.
Some places you just feel comfortable with, and want to go back, over and over again.
I felt the same way about Prague. What a fun, exciting city! With 1.3 million people within city limits and over 2 million in the metropolitan area, it is large enough to offer everything one could possibly want to do, yet steps off the beaten path, it provides peace and tranquility.
The Accommodations
Case in point: my apartment. It was only an 8-minute walk away from the hub of tourist activity, Karlův Most (Charles Bridge), yet it was located on the quietest street imaginable; if a dozen cars passed through during any given day, it was a lot. At night, it was absolutely quiet.
The apartment itself far exceeded my expectations. Having had to fold and contort myself into the one in Paris, I was expecting similarly “cozy” quarters; not at all! It had four separate areas (all separated by doors): a foyer with a large wardrobe; a bedroom / living room combination; a kitchen; and a large bathroom.
Not only was it spacious, it was beautifully decorated. How’s this for a bed! (And it had a memory foam mattress that I like.)
The living room area (the sofa is just out of the frame on the left):
(The TV, by the way, was larger than any I had encountered on the trip.)
The kitchen:
The bathroom:
(A corner of a very deep tub is on the bottom left.)
The best part, everything worked! I didn’t have to contact the manager about anything going awry. The elevator worked reliably and played a nice jingle on arrival; the plumbing all worked as expected; the kitchen was fully stocked; the safe opened and closed as directed.
It didn’t have a washer and dryer, but it had something even better nearby: a laundry where, for only a few dollars, I could drop off my stuff and have it cleaned and folded a couple of hours later.
The manager was a tremendous asset. She was most helpful, not only answering my questions but also sending maps and detailed instructions on everything I asked her about, including nearby grocery stores and restaurants, the laundry and post office, and how to use the tram and the subway. Thanks to her, I was able to get around with no trouble at all.
The apartment also had plenty of outlets, allowing me to plug in all my electronics as needed.
I really couldn’t ask for anything better.
The Language
In my Budapest report, I wrote about how frustrating it was to be unable to decipher signs and instructions in Hungarian. Well, it turned out that Czech, being a Slavic language, shares many roots with Russian! With a bit of thought, I could make out most directions and menu descriptions.
Not only that, but in the tourist districts, as well as on most transit routes, everything was dubbed in English. Most – probably, 98% – of the folks I came into contact with switched to English effortlessly. The waiters, especially, were fluent in multiple languages. I heard them switch from German to French to English as they moved from table to table!
For whatever reason, many locals tried to address me in Czech, in various circumstances: on the transit, in the street, or in stores. I thought, in my cargo shorts, with a camera around my neck, I would radiate American, but no! And I didn’t even know how to say “I don’t speak Czech” properly…🤦♂️
The Food
As is my custom, I ate only local food while in Czechia, the more authentic the better. Luckily, the apartment manager recommended three nearby places favored by the locals. I ate twice at one of them, it was so good!
I especially liked Zelňačka (cabbage soup):
It was not at all like Russian shchi I was used to, which is often made with fresh cabbage; this was based on fermented cabbage (like sauerkraut), very thick and creamy, and had a certain bite to it. Wonderful with brown or black bread!
The other soup that I liked was Hovězí Vývar (beef broth), which was so rich and flavorful:
An unexpected local specialty turned out to be what they call “koleno” (pork knee); it was very similar to a German dish I loved to order in Munich, called Haxe, made from the joint between the lower leg (shin) and the foot; it includes the shank and part of the hock, encompassing both meat and bone, with a thick layer of skin that becomes crispy when roasted:
I had it twice in Prague, in two different restaurants, and both times the crispy skin was my favorite part: however they marinated and roasted it, it was perfectly edible and delectable. In the restaurant where I took this picture, it was accompanied by potato dumplings and braised white cabbage that deserved a Michelin star on its own!
The other dish I liked was a carry-over from Budapest - Hovězí guláš (Czech beef goulash), which was similar yet distinct from its Hungarian counterpart. I didn’t capture it for posterity, though.
For a drink, I invariably chose Czech dark lager with a funny name, Kozel, which means “billy goat”. Its robust flavor went well with the hearty dishes.
For dessert, I tried a variety of choices. Here is a Jablečný závin (a Czech version of an Apple Strudel):
There were plenty of others, which I failed to capture.
Most dinners, which included a soup or an appetizer, a main dish with a side, two draft beers, a dessert, and a coffee, came well under $40. One was substantially more. I decided to splurge on a five-course dinner with wine pairings at a place called V Zátiší, which translates to “In a quiet spot.”
Here are the dishes I had: (some I started eating before taking a pic, sorry!)
White chocolate amuse-bouche:
Lamb Tartare:
Foie gras with pine nuts:
Striped bass with mussels:
Veal sweetbreads:
Valrhona ganache:
It was not nearly as good as the two-Michelin-star meal I had in Paris, but it held its own. And the service was excellent.
Next post: Exploring Prague Neighborhoods