PRAGUE

Hello, luv!

Hi there!

My name is Martha and I am a single, retired woman from the Denver area who is a big fan of Rick Steves tours. Since my first trip to France in 2012 I have been hooked! I am in love with England and decided to take the Villages of Southern England tour in the fall of 2018.

Solo adventures in Prague

I arrived in Prague two days before the tour started. I took the bright, sunny days to defeat jet lag and explore the beautiful city on my own. I checked out the Old Town, Charles Bridge over the Vltava River, and Wenceslas Square as well as taking a walking tour with Living Prague and attending a classical concert at Municipal House.

I found Prague so beautiful, with many art nouveau building and typical labyrinthian medieval alleys, walkways and streets. There were surprises and delights around every corner!

The tour hotel is in the back of this courtyard, just through a passage to Old Town Square.

I was there just after Easter and many places in town still had holiday booths set up, including the square. I loved watching the musicians and dancers in traditional costumes. I am a big fan of street food and was happy to have several meals in this square. Watching people while enjoying local beer and sausage in a baguette was a winner!

I had a bright, early morning stroll across the Charles Bridge before a small group walking tour of the Old Town area, including the Jewish quarter. It was my first exposure to the history and culture of the region.

In the evening I lucked into a classical concert at the Municipal House. Lucky because the building was amazing! One of the best bits of art nouveau architecture in Prague. I had no idea until I got there... The music was great as well.

My last day of solo travel, before the 3pm tour meetup, I walked through the Old Town and New Town areas of Prague, just soaking it all in. I poked in and out of a few shops, admiring the Czech glass and garnets before stopping at a street market.

My final landmark was the birthplace of the Velvet Revolution, Wenceslas Square. I was fascinated by the mix of style of architecture, including blocky buildings from the Soviet era.

An Early Lesson: This part of Europe has a very long history with many layers. World War II and Communism, while recent, were only short time events.

The tour begins.....

Following the introductions and instructions of the initial meetup we were shown around Prague by native and Rick Steves guide, Katka. We gathered insight about the various parts of town and ended in the Little Quarter for dinner. We had the honor of local food and music from the castle musicians.

Day two: Our first full day of touring...

This day we were once again with Katka for a trip across the river to the Castle Quarter. She covered Czech history and culture while showing us the landmarks.

The inside courtyard of the castle. There are still government offices in these buildings.

Prague was spread out below us from the castle grounds. It was stunning, even on a grey day like this.

St. Vitus Cathedral majestically stood in the middle of the grounds, a fitting place for the national church. Unfortunately for us, there was an event going on and we couldn't tour the interior.

We were able to go in the Basilica of St George, a lovely Romanesque church and burial place of royalty.

A colorful group of tiny buildings called the Golden Lane originally provided housing for castle guards. Now there are fascinating displays, businesses, and recreations of long ago dwellings. They were medieval "tiny homes!"

I walked back to Old Town Square and the hotel on a version of the "King's Walk" with a couple other tour members. We paused at the Lenin Wall to enjoy the colorful graffiti and snap a few photos.

We ran into a parade demonstrating against abortion. Looks like it is a controversial issue in the Czech Republic too!

A Lesson from Prague: Katka was very open about her childhood experiences living behind the Iron Curtain. George and other guides would add more details as time went on. It was a time of fear and oppression and lack of opportunities but the people were able to break free in the Velvet Revolution in the late 1980s. You can still see reflections of the Communist era, if you look, in the buildings, habits, and even the personality of the people.

Off to Krakow