Praha

Matt and I spent four days in Praha (what the locals call Prague) over the Pentecost holiday. We loved it there…the sights, the beautiful architecture, the history, the food and especially the beer. Matt found us a gem of a hotel (www.unitas.cz), just a few minutes walking distance from the Old Town. We spent the days exploring the city with frequent stops in beer halls to rehydrate. We managed to visit all four sections of town: Old Town, New Town, Little Quarter and Castle Quarter.

Matt was beside himself with all the beer options, and they were all so cheap! One of our favorite beer halls was U-Flecko, which dates back to 1499. A table of 20 men entertained us while we ate lunch. I think they’d been there a while as they were singing and toasting everyone in the hall, especially the three young ladies seated near us. Another highlight was the 3rd Annual Czech Beer Festival (www.ceskypivnifestival.cz) which just happened to be going on the same weekend we were there. Hmm…I wonder if this really was a coincidence like Matt said. Altogether, the three beer tents seated 10,000 people. We had fun people-watching as we sampled the beer and food (each tent had different kinds). We were there relatively early in the afternoon, so no one was totally out of control yet, but we still found plenty to entertain us. I enjoyed watching the cute, old accordion players while Matt enjoyed watching the cute, young bar maids who spoke no English. We were also entertained by a group of guys dressed as lifeguards, who were there for a bachelor party. The groom-to-be was dressed as a woman lifeguard. He looked like an overweight Pamela Anderson from Baywatch with his blonde wig and big chest.

We really enjoyed the food in Prague. Matt ordered goulash with knedliky (dumplings) several times and I had polévka (soup) four or five times. I tried some unusual foods, too – beer cheese and beer ice cream. Cheese and ice cream are two of my favorite foods, so I was disappointed when I didn’t like either. Matt enjoyed the beer cheese. I kept trying to eat the ice cream but finally gave up. I don’t think I’ve ever not finished ice cream that’s been put in front of me!

I hope we can return to Prague again someday, and I would love to see other parts of the Czech Republic.