This post comes to you from a very fancy bus that we are taking to Berlin. And it comes with free wifi - woo hoo!!
We did start out on a train from Prague but some rail works saw us turfed out at Dresden onto a replacement bus.
Ordinarily, I'd favour a train over a bus but this one is half empty (we're the cool kids up the back) and did I mention the free wifi?? Plus, it's a glorious day and a scenic drive.
We are on a bit of a schedule here because Joelle has a hair appointment in Berlin (yes, she is way cooler than me), so we're keeping our fingers crossed that we'll make it there by 2pm...
Prague wrap up
We had a great time checking out Prague over the last week. The weather favoured us for most of the week with blue skies and warm days, plus unexpectedly great veggie food and beer so cheap it made no fiscal sense to drink anything else. Indeed, the beer was so cheap and plentiful that Phil started referring to the pay-toilets as a beer tax!
The title of the post refers to a strange phenomenon we noticed about Prague's opening hours. Our first full day was a slightly grey and cool Saturday. We decided to explore our neighbourhood - Prague 2 or Vinohrady and found it virtually deserted with most of the shops closed.
Fast forward to last Wednesday in Prague and the same neighbourhood was busy, lively, and most importantly open. We even went back to the same farmers market that we visited on the first day and it was bigger and busier on a Wednesday than a Saturday! Don't ppl have to work?? (Irony noted).
In contrast, the Old town centre was absolutely packed every day with every imaginable kind of tour, street performer, school group etc.*
This makes sense because Prague is a city with specific highlights - Old town square, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, etc. To get a feel for the city beyond the highlights, you have to work a bit harder.
Astro clock in Old Town
*The Old town area even features a guy whose whole schtick was having two super tame and friendly mini pigs - which I had to hold, of course. No pic sadly, but trust me, they were adorable!!
For what it's worth, my alternative highlights of Prague are below - some of which I've already covered in earlier posts:
Letna Park
A gorgeous sprawling park overlooking Prague on the castle side of the river. The beer garden opens for (the warmer) half the year and is an awesome place to bring a picnic and chill out for the day. Plus, a ten minute walk gets you to the Castle itself.
View from Letna Park
Veggie Food
This one really surprised me. The last time I was in Prague, I felt like I was drowning in a sea of pork! This time, we found not only great veggie food, but quite a few vegan and raw food cafes too.
Phil and Jo had a veggie burger from Dish - it looked incredible. I had the goulash burger which was heaven. And a saffron G&T pictured below...
Saffron G&T
Thanks to an article sent to me by my friend Alexis, we found a great vegan raw food place around the corner and I got a much needed vitamin boost from raw zucchini fettuccine and watercress soup - it was really good!!
Plus we found veggie hot dogs from a street vendor (a rare treat). Although dish of the trip was a home made omelette with eggplant ragu whipped up by Joelle - what she can do with packet soup mix and the leftover salt from a bag of nuts would blow your mind!!
Soooo good!!!
Neighbourhood walks
Our neighbourhood was lovely (after the gloomy Saturday) and packed to the hilt with little cafes, bars and restaurants. It would have taken us months to try them all! Beautiful parks, puppies and gorgeous buildings made the city perfect for aimless wandering...
Old town
The old town area is gorgeous and it must be seen. But I was also surprised by how many great little places were tucked away in the surrounding streets - great Indian restaurants, awesome and cheap pubs with sunny beer gardens and the Hemingway bar with its flourishes was a fun way to try absinthe in a city famous for it.
And now??
We're just pulling into Berlin for a week. I'm very excited - I loooove Berlin and can't wait to see the city again. Joelle is with us til Saturday and we've got a packed schedule - haircut, a booking at a fancy veg restaurant and a band on Friday night.
Then Phil and I check into a different airbnb apartment in Neukolln where I don't think I've visited but it's near an unused airport which has been converted into a giant park. We just drove past it and it looks pretty awesome!!
More updates soon - happy weekend all!!
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