PRAGUE, Czech Republic

August 4 - 19, 1998

What can I say about Prague? Anyone that has been there knows what I mean. It’s one of the most beautiful cities, probably, in the world. The significance of it is that it was not bombed during World War II, so, the original architecture is still intact. And what architecture it has! I hadn’t planned on going there, as I heard it was very commercial and overcrowded. However, others that I met in Budapest advised me that I really should visit Prague. So, I figured I’d go there for a few days; and stayed 2 weeks!

I took an intercity train from Brno, the 2nd largest city in the Czech Republic (in the southern part of the country), to Prague (4 hours). The intercity goes from Vienna to Prague and passes right through Brno. It is a nice, comfortable, air-conditioned train. A welcome change after the fiasco I had going from Krakow to Brno.

I arrived at the train station in Prague and took the tram to the center. I called ahead from Brno and had found a place to stay that was near the center (but on the opposite side of the river). I ended up staying there for only one night and moved to a place on the same side of the river as the center, but about a 20 minute tram ride south, in a boathouse on the river, for the remainder of my stay. It turned out to be one of the best places I stayed in Europe.

The first thing I did was make a stop and buy a good map book, with the public transportation routes on it. Prague does have a good public transportation system. It consists of buses, trams, and a Metro, and is efficient with frequent service. It covers all of Prague and the surrounding area, and some tram lines run all night. One can purchase a day, week, 2 week, or monthly pass. I chose the 2-week pass, as I already decided I was staying.

One of the places I heard about was the Charles Bridge. It is a pedestrian bridge linking the 2 sides of the city (years ago it was a vehicle bridge as well). It has different statues on it and is a nice walk. It is also a nice place to watch the sun set into the castle. You can go in the tower at one of the ends of the bridge and climb the stairs to look out for a good view. . In the evenings, many people (of all ages) hang out at the bridge. During weekend days, there are artists and merchants peddling things

MORE TO COME SOON ON PRAGUE