Our first experience of Prague was actually before we’d even reached it. We had a major train delay and ended up missing our second train and running for the third which we made it to with only a minute to spare. It definitely wasn’t the first or last time that this would happen to us on our trip, but every time it did, it made us even more stressed out and late for check in.
Luch somehow never seemed to mind that we were going to be late for check in and someone was waiting for us, but I suppose that was probably because I booked the majority of the accommodation; so he hadn’t communicated with them beforehand and wouldn’t feel the guilt of making them wait unnecessarily.
I was actually pretty excited to check in to our accommodation because I’d booked a houseboat for our stay in Prague and it was the Airbnb that I had looked forward to the most, being so unique and right on the water. Luckily I wasn’t disappointed when we got on the boat, the only problem was the docks around them. They felt slightly dodgy, what with guys standing around with their shirts off drinking beer and a caravan parked next to the boats like someone lived there.
Once we were inside though, we had no issues. The decor was all beach themed and besides the very challenging stairs that led to the outdoor deck (where we spent our nights eating snacks and drinking wine) and up to our bedroom, everything was great. The kitchen was kind of small, but we still had enough space to cook in it and it was so nice to go to sleep at night with the rocking motion of the boat. Our favourite part was the deck though. We even had a view of the Prague Castle all lit up at night.
On our first night, because we were so late to arrive, we couldn’t do our research and find a cheap grocery store in the area. Instead we just decided to go to an Italian deli down the road and buy some pasta and wine. This was all after we’d just read an article about “why would you want to eat Italian food in Prague”. We had to laugh, but it turns out that Italian and Asian cuisines were popular in every city that we travelled through.
We did another walking tour. By this point in the trip, my feet were finally starting to get used to all the walking, but I still had blisters all over my feet. It was the funniest 3 hours of my life. One thing I can say about Sandemans (the free walking tour company), is that they really know how to pick their guides. They were always incredibly knowledgeable, but they were always pretty funny and had such different stories that you wouldn’t get to hear anywhere else.
One such story was about how much beer the Czech people drink and how that relates to their National Anthem. The Czechs drink an average of between 145 – 160 litres of beer per person per year. The beat every other country in the world. I’m still super impressed by the second largest beer consumers in the world and that is Namibia. I can’t actually believe it but they beat Ireland. 🙂
So apparently the Czech National Anthem is called “Where is my Home” which could have two possible meanings. One, the Czech Republic was taken over by so many different countries, that they aren’t entirely sure where they belong. Or, my favourite meaning is that you’ve had a bit too much Czech beer and you literally can’t find your way home.
Our tour guide also gave us some really interesting info about Mozart and how he absolutely loved Prague. Apparently when he would play for the Emperor back at home, the Emperor would fall asleep; but when he played in Prague he got a standing ovation. Not just any standing ovation, but a standing ovation that lasted a whole half an hour. I think it would be pretty awkward to just stand there for half an hour while people continue to clap for you. What are you supposed to do in all that time? There are only so many bows you can take.
Apparently around Christmas time in Prague, Santa Claus doesn’t come to visit the citizens, but instead they have someone dressed up as an Angel (which is supposed to be St Nick) and a Demon. St Nick will ask the children if they’ve been good this year and the demon will respond with “no they haven’t” and apparently he gets up in the children’s faces and really upsets them until they cry. Then St Nick says “let’s see if they have been good” and the little child is then forced to sing to prove how good they are. So here is this poor child, in tears having to sing for a whole bunch of people. Our tour guide for the day said that when he moved to Prague, his friends actually made him do the same and he was quite scared at the age of 28, so he couldn’t imagine doing it as a kid.
There is a list of the most disappointing attractions in the world and the Prague Astronomical Clock Tower is on there. I thought it was great to see, but it does only last about 20 seconds when it starts to ring, so you literally miss it if you walked past. In fact we stood for ages afterwards not knowing if there was still more to come. Spoiler alert – there wasn’t. Don’t be like us or the other tourists around us, if you can no longer hear a ringing noise, just walk away.
We had a lot of fun in Prague, but it is also the city of being ripped off. I warn you now. Not only did our tour guide tell us all about it, but we didn’t even realise that we had been ripped off by the bank before our tour. When you go to draw money overseas with a card not from there, the bank atm always wants you to take the biggest note imaginable and really where are you going to be able to break that? Did you know that you don’t have to do that? Neither did we until we were told. You should also always choose to pay in the local currency and not convert it to your home currency.
Not only that, but we were told about all the places that you can get taken advantage of in Prague. One of them was this meat vendor on the side of the road where you have to tell them to just give you 100 grams or they will put whatever weight they want and charge you accordingly (as the prices you see are per 100 grams). We still wanted to taste the meat however, so we asked for the 100 grams. Apparently they don’t like it at all when the tourists know there scheme, so we didn’t even get 100 grams and still felt ripped off. Never again. So that is what it felt like to me in Prague. Even though they always say that you need to be careful in Eastern European countries, I actually felt this way in Prague. I felt like we were looking over our shoulder the whole time and just felt genuinely taken advantage of which is never good.
What we did love though was the Original Beer Spa Experience. Yes, we knew it was a very touristy thing to do and that it would cost a bit more than the free things we had been doing up until that point, but it was just great. From the friendly ladies that greeted us, to watching them put hops and barley into the bubbling hot tub, to finally getting to put our feet up and just relax; nevermind all the lovely Czech beer that was on tap that you could drink until you were full.
Luch who is not a big drinker at all, decided that he needed to get his money’s worth and was drinking from the largest beer glass they had. Needless to say, he made the big mistake of not going to the toilet before we left and we had to quickly find a grocery store on our way home, or he wouldn’t have made it.
I really think back on Prague with mixed feelings. There were parts I loved and there were parts I hated. Parts I loved: The aerial view from the Prague Castle over the whole city of Prague. Tasting all of the pastries like the Trdelnik (dough wrapped around a stick and grilled, topped with cinnamon and sugar or chocolate and cream inside). Getting to taste amazing Goulash at a restaurant, then making the mistake of thinking a store bought one would be the same. I’ll say it again, the Beer Spa. The free walking tour and our hilarious tour guide. Our Airbnb Houseboat and it’s relaxing top deck area.
Parts I hated: Being ripped off on every corner. Trying to cross some of the busiest roads I’ve ever seen while dodging cars, buses, trams and people. Walking across Charles Bridge with thousands of other tourists. The ATM that tried to screw us over with its gigantic notes. Having to look over my shoulder and hope that we didn’t look enticing to pick pockets.
So would I come back? Yup, I reckon I would. Only next time. I’d do things a bit differently. 🙂
