Christmas in Prague

Old Town Square

Well I think that Katie and I have both concluded that if you can’t be with your family for Christmas the next best place would be Prague.  I know that it may sound like a broken record that we come away from these individual trips raving about them saying, “It’s the most amazing place in the world.”   But for anyone who has been to Prague, you know that it truly is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.  Prague is one of the only cities to escape destruction during World War II so some of the buildings that were built in the 8^th century are still standing today.  Architecturally it is by far the most awe-inspiring place either of us has ever been.  What struck me was how old the city was, but how clean and well preserved everything is.  The tourism industry has boomed in the past 20 years since it was only in 1989 that what is now the Czech Republic was still under communist rule.  In 1993 Czechoslovakia peacefully split to become the Czech Republic and Slovakia.  As a result it’s kind of crazy to think that tourists couldn’t even travel to Prague until 1990.

Mmmm...Chocolate-covered Strawberries

In light of multiple flight cancellations throughout the UK, we found ourselves quite fortunate to be flying out of Bristol and having smooth travels to the Czech Republic.  We were met at the Prague airport by a private driver holding a sign that said “Mrs. Katie Mohr,” and we were taken directly to our hotel.  Interestingly, they drive on the right side of the road here, something we haven’t been around for a few months.  Although we immediately found ourselves looking the wrong way when we crossed the streets, it was a quick adjustment and the familiarity was somehow comforting.   We stayed at the Art Deco Imperial Hotel, which is located right in the heart of the city.  Our package included an upgrade to an executive suite, one dinner at the hotel restaurant and room service breakfast each morning.  Like the rest of the city our hotel was beautiful, very modern and had all of comforts we had hoped for in the place where we would spend Christmas, 2010. 

The Astronomical Clock

We spent the first days exploring the city and wandering the streets to Wenceslas Square (as in “Good King Wenceslas”) and the Old Town Square, which were both filled with people shopping the Christmas markets.  The main attraction in the old town square is the astronomical clock.  This two-story clock has been updated over the years but was first erected in 1410.  Every hour, on the hour tourists gather to watch the little show of apostles parading out of the face before returning back inside for another 60 minutes. 

Bin Filled with Carp

One Czech tradition that we HAVE to write about is the traditional Christmas carp that is eaten on Christmas Eve.  The first day we arrived, we noticed that literally on almost every street corner there were huge bins the size of small swimming pools filled with carp.  Additionally, there were lines of people who were waiting to either buy a live carp to take home, or have the worker behead and de-scale right there before taking it home.  These were of course the patrons who chose a less traditional route.  Most Czechs had bought their carp 4-5 days prior to Christmas Eve, where tradition states that you keep it in your bathtub to fatten it up until it’s ready to be eaten.  That is of course until you need to shower, when the carp is transferred into the toilet for a short time until you are done showering.  That’s right, this actually still happens as one of our friends who lived in Prague for a few years confirmed.  I can’t get Katie to like fish that has been swimming in the ocean, let alone one that’s been swimming in a toilet.  Needless to say, we did NOT have carp on Christmas Eve.

Old Town Square

The weather was much colder than we have been used to in Truro so the 20-degree, snowy air felt much more like home than we have experienced this year.  The markets that lined the streets were mostly filled with ornaments, clothes and Bohemian crystal, but the smell of food hit you like a wave when you rounded the corner at the entrance of each market.  The smell of traditional Czech sausage, roasting chestnuts, and a sweet rolled cinnamon bread called Trdelník, filled the air and was as much a part of the atmosphere as the shoppers, carolers and bright Christmas lights.  The backdrop of buildings ranging from 100 to 1000 years old made us feel like we were walking around a movie set.  It was very clear that the “traditional” Christmas here far predated the United States…or as my Dad put it, most of the buildings were built before Christopher Columbus was even born.       

Anyway, on Christmas Eve we strolled along the famous Charles Bridge where numerous King’s used to parade across to the old town square after being crowned up in the castle.  We found some cheap last minute tickets to see a marionette performance of Don Giovanni, one of the operas that Mozart premiered in Prague.  After that, we came back to the square where there was a sung Christmas Eve mass completely in Czech.  Randomly, as we were on our way back to our hotel, we came across a club called “Bed,” and decided to stop in to see what it was all about.  To our surprise, instead of it being filled with tables and chairs, it was filled with beds, where people were sitting around sipping cocktails.  Needless to say, we kicked off our shoes, climbed into one of the beds and had a nightcap before heading back to our real bed in the hotel.  

Drinking in Bed : )

Katie sampling the local beer

On Christmas morning, we just spent the morning relaxing, had room service for breakfast and exchanged presents.  In the afternoon, we ventured out and were surprised to find most restaurants, stores and markets open for the holiday.   One of our friends had given us some great advice on where to go that was less touristy and we were glad we took her advice.  We had lunch at a great pub where I finally got to have some real Czech food.  Let’s just say that the traditional food in the Czech Republic is a cardiologist’s nightmare, as it basically consists of pork, sausages, and beer…but man was it good.  A quick word on beer…the Czechs invented lager so everything I kept reading was how the Czech republic had the “best beer in Europe.”  As a result I was kind of envisioning Prague as the Milwaukee of Eastern Europe, but after my first sip I knew what all the fuss was about.  To be honest, I could probably do a whole blog on all of the different beers I am trying out here, but let’s just say that it was some of the best beer I have ever had and leave it at that. 

Christmas night, we had a great dinner in our hotel restaurant and then spent the evening on Skype with both of our families.  It was great to see everyone together and we were thankful to be part of it…even if it was just over the computer. 

Cathedral at Prague Castle

Sunday we watched the changing of the guard at the beautiful Prague castle.  Incidentally, the Prague castle was built in 870 AD and still acts as a base for the head of state, making it the oldest working castle in the world.  After that we wandered around the western side of the city where there were a lot less people and we found more reasonably priced art and Bohemian glass.  It was here where I even got to use some of the Czech phrases I had learned : )  Our last night was spent watching the Prague Symphony Orchestra playing the “Best of Mozart” in a beautiful music hall and then taking in the city at night one last time. Needless to say, when it came time to leave, we were both very sad.  Katie and I both agreed that Prague is a city where we would love to visit again someday.  We had relatively smooth travels home and were glad to have Tuesday off for the observation of Boxing Day in the UK.

Roasted Chestnuts?....Yes Please.

As we looked back on this weekend, Katie and I continue to be so grateful for these experiences.  We both walked away from this weekend knowing that it was yet another ‘once in a lifetime’ experience that we would never forget.  Although our families were in our thoughts, we continue to remind each other not to take these things for granted.  Prague was filled with a lot of those “moments” for us when we would look at each other and say “Is this really happening?”  If you can’t spend it with your family, at least you can spend it with the one you love the most in an amazing European city. 

ALF & Rainbow enjoying room service : )

To see the remainder of our pictures from Prague, click on the link below:

Link to Prague Slideshow