The breakfast at the Archibald at the Charles Bridge was really, really good. Great variety of everything. The only let down was the coffee which was out of a machine and mediocre.
The plan today was to tram up to the Poholorelec stop, visit the Strahov Monastery Library, the Loreta Chapel, and the Prague Castle complex.
It was another beautiful day in Prague.
The tram ride from Malostranska Namesti to Poholorec was very picturesque on this gorgeous day. We got off and, as usual since we didn't have a good map, struggled to find the way to the Monastery.
We finally found the right direction and arrived in the pretty complex.
We toured the Library which was just gorgeous. Unless you pay extra and make special arrangements, you can only see it through openings in the main hall. I really wished I'd prearranged a tour. No pictures allowed.
We walked out to the view behind the restaurant. It was spectacular!
From the Strahov Monastery we made our way to the Loreta Chapel.
From Loreta, we headed down to the Prague Castle. I was struck by the beauty of this building which I later found out is the Schwarzenberg palace. It's a renaissance building with a sgraffito facade. It has become the National Gallery and houses a permanent collection of Bohemina, Renaissance, Mannerist and Baroque art. I think it would be worth a visit on a dubsequent trip.
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| Schwarzenberg palace. |
We used my 2gis app to find the Uraka Hotel which I'd read about online. I had made note of it because of it had good lunch fare and a fireplace near the Castle.
It felt very off the beaten path!
We passed a house astronomer Tycho de Brahe lived in 1600. J's dad is a fan.
We arrived at Uraka and, around the corner, the guys were stunned to see a nude photo shoot on this very cold day. This immediately vaulted up to their favorite place! LOL
Our lunch was very good. The food was tasty. The servers were friendly and accommodating. They showed husband and G all around the hotel after lunch. It was a very good break.
Pretty decorations in the courtyard.
Quite refreshed, we walked back down to the Prague Castle complex. The lines for security had just about disappeared. We breezed through and made our way to the ticket office. We bought Circuit B which included St. Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace, St. George's Basilica, and Golden Lane with Daliborka Tower. We would only have two hours to see what we could.
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| This is a federal building, where the president works |
The first and most important order of business was St. Vitus Cathedral. It is huge, it is old, and it is impressive.
The outside was just as impressive as the inside so we snapped a few photos while looking for the ---
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| There it is! (duh) |
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| There was a small Christmas market here |
We had enough time for a quick visit to the Basilica of St. George and I liked this place very much. It felt serene. They were setting up for a concert and I imagine it's a lovely setting for that.
We wanted to spend our last few minutes before closing on the Golden Lane. We arrived at its entrance to a massive crowd. We decided to wait and eventually the gates were opened and we all trudged through. It was not possible to stop in any of the shops.
The sky was beautiful so I climbed up one of the buildings and took some photos, along with a few other people.
We made it to the courtyard of a restaurant just before it closed down. We took a few more pictures of the gorgeous sunset before we headed out.
It was our last night and we had taken our guide Jason's recommendation to try Monarch, a tapas restaurant, not far from the hotel. Prague is really walkable! It was a nice meal even if it didn't exactly scream Prague, Czech Republic.
We walked over to Old Town Square and decided to have desert on the roof at the Hotel U Prince (where the Black Angels Bar is). It was cold out there but a perfect way to say farewell to Prague.
One last meander about the Old Town Square market with its gorgeous Christmas tree. It was very crowded!
Husband and I had a 650am flight back home. We told J & G farewell and we'd catch them in New Orleans.
Takeaways:
1. The Prague Castle complex is probably always super crowded. Plan accordingly. Maybe go early?
2. Next time I'll plan ahead and pay extra to get into the stacks at the Strahov Library
3. Research better for a final night dinner spot
4. The rooftop at the U Prince Hotel is fantastic
5. I really liked Prague. I hope to return one day
6. Find the equivalent of a Streetwise map for Prague (why did they have to go out of business?!?)
Next: Back home but first a little anxiety.
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