Prague – charming, colourful and beautiful!

For the last couple of days we have been parked up on a small 4 star campsite - camping Sokol Praha on the edge of Prague city (N50.08908 E14.58374  E).  Poor old Sonny (the motorhome) has been treading water since arriving as it has been torrential rain on and off for the last 24 hours and temperatures are struggling to get above 8°C!  The campsite has about 30 wooden chalets and plots for 35 motorhomes/caravans, but it is very quiet with only 7 of us on here - 5 Germans, 1 Canadian (in a motorhome they hired in Denmark) and us.  Although the swimming pool and restaurant are closed, the underfloor modern heated shower and toilet blocks more than make up for it!

Sonny, keeping his head above water in our boggy pitch!

Leaving Kutná Hora the satnav decided to navigate us cross-country through lots of narrow, wiggly roads and pretty villages.  It was only 46 miles to Prague so we didn’t mind as we weren’t in any hurry. 

Having sat out the rain on the campsite, it was nice to wake up to sunshine yesterday.  An early start was needed, so we took the 8.45am free campsite shuttle bus to the train station and 3 stops later we were in the centre of Prague.  We were last here in December 2009 with our daughter visiting the Christmas markets, so we were looking forward to seeing it again.

Getting of the train we headed to Wenceslas Square in the heart of the new town.  I guess they call it the new town as it has lots of modern buildings here. But the 750m long, 60m wide boulevard was actually laid out  as a horse market in 1348 by Charles IV - so not so new!

At the top of the boulevard is the National Museum and in front a statue of St Wenceslas (‘good King Wenceslas’) on his horse, who is the patron saint of the Czech Republic.  Near St Wenceslas are 2 plaques to commemorate those killed during the communist era and one dedicated to Jan Palach, who set himself on fire in protest at the Soviet invasion.

Heading towards the old town it became apparent that the world and his wife were in Prague – tourist groups of every nation everywhere… ahhhhhh!
I struggled choosing which photos to put on and which ones to leave off, so beware there are a lot of them!!

Knight's of the Cross Square, next to Charles Bridge

View from Charles Bridge

Lots of musicians and street vendors on the bridge

I loved this Italian Embassy building but surprise! surprise! every time I went to take a picture a Japanese tourist would jump in front of the door to take a selfie or pose for a picture!

The old town hall with the medieval astronomical clock, currently going through restoration.  It gives an animated hourly show that lasts about 45 seconds and not that thrilling, but it doesn't stop the hordes of people gathering to watch - including us!

There are some lovely ornate buildings around the old square.

The 9th Century Prague Castle sits proudly on the hill. with its changing of the guard taking place everyday at 12noon.  It's a formal handover carried out with a fanfare and banner exchange by the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic.

Chsnging of the guard

Familiar site of statues clobbering each other

Time to stop for lunch!  Delicious Goulash soup in a bread bun, followed by chocolate crepes and washed down with a nice glass of vino!

The Loreta  - lovely Baroque church

Petřin look out tower, reminiscent of a small Eiffel Tower.  A 63-metre high steel tower that you can walk to the top of by going up a 299 step spiral stairway around the outside - my worst nightmare given my fear of heights!  Mel did it last time he was here so was happy to give it a miss this time.

A little paddle steamer making its way under Charles Bridge

A walk around the old Jewish quarter, dating back to the 13^th century, when Jewish people were ordered to vacate their homes and settle in one cramped area.  A lot of the buildings were flattened between 1893-1913 but fortunately most of the significant historical buildings were saved from destruction and remain a testimony to the history of the Jews in Prague

Everywhere you walk in Prague you will see someone eating Trdelnik.  It is a Czech cinnamon pastry sold by street vendors all over Prague.  This one claims to be the best, not sure if it is as we didn't try any!

Lovely old chocolate shop - even had Russian Dolls made out of the stuff!

Last stop before the train - a Glühwein by the Halloween market.

Unfortunately, leaving Prague we jumped on the wrong train,15 minutes later we managed to get off crossed the line and jumped on the next train back to Prague.  We explained our situation to the ticket inspector, who luckily let us off paying for another ticket. So, back in Prague, about 40 minutes later we started again!  Note to self:  Make sure you read the signs properly at train stations before getting on the train!

It doesn’t matter what street you walk up, alleyway you go down or road you cross, the architecture cannot fail to stop you in your tracks.  Despite the amount of tourists it attracts, Prague remains our all-time favourite city to visit.

Have a Happy Halloween everyone!

Sally x