What a beautiful city. Infact summer brings out the best in European cities and how they enjoy this time of the year. Sometimes it makes you a tad bit jealous about people having 4 seasons to enjoy.
Summer which bring out colour and the entire sense of freedom, lounging in parks, sitting at roadside café’s and enjoying your day doing nothing.
Autumn when the leaves start falling and you start preparing for winter by getting your woolies out. Also the colors around you are blazing from hues of oranges to red and you try and make the most of the last bit of warm weather.
Winter gets you in the mood for Christmas and the festival season. Out come your blacks an dark colours and the sunsets earlier. This is a time to retreat to your fireplaces after a had days works with a single malt in your hand. Also the joy of entering a heated room after a walk in the cold outside, skating on the ice
Spring is when there is a ‘spring’ in your step and you hear the first cries of the robin and you plan your summer holidays. This is a time when the summer ads hit you in the face with images of gardening equipment, pristine blues beaches, bikini ads, sun tan lotions and what not, coz summer is every marketers dream when all and sundry are in a good mood and want to spend.
PRAGUE
Prague was also where all of us met, as in the jolly backpacker group. A motley bunch us but with a great mindset.
Our first evening in Prague we just wandered around and got oriented to the place, the markets the squares, the lanes connected various ‘must see’ sights of the old town and we crosses Charles Bridge ( which we would be doing repeatedly over the next 2 days ).
* always remember whenever in a country you can’t find a loo…look for godd old McDonald’s as they always have them. Some places you got to pay but at some places they let you use it for free.
We did the normal ‘touristy’ stuff like saw the ringing of the clock at every hours, took pictures at every conceivable spot ( that would be me!!! ) and what I liked most is that we wandered around and ‘people watched’. I could write a lot about the famous monuments and must do sights but you would get that in any guide book, so what I thoroughly recommend is to get lost…..literally, in the streets of the old town. And when ever in doubt just look up and orient yourself with the spires of the clock tower.
We did a fair bit of bar hoping but I just cannot write this blog without mention the CROSS BAR….a modern architectural marvel made of all the possible spare parts of cars, electronic items and what not!
It was near our hotel and I am very sure not a mainstream bar after looking at the people there. It was a huge place with rooms and underground rooms you could get lost and the music was techno to the core, but I loved it.
Also there was this ‘suspicious’ aroma in the air of some ‘substances’ which are freely available in places like Amsterdam and that is what added to the entire excitement. Also we were stuck out like a sore thumb, us in our bright clothes whereas all the other were in black with different body piercing ( where all can one possibly pierce themselves amazes me ) and their dogs ..you dogs are allowed in the massive open air areas.
We feasted on boiled potatoes, atleast us veggies and in haze walked back to our hotel. Herein I must mention that Prague is pretty much a safe place esp for women travelers.
In Prague we also went to U ZLATEHO TYGYRA. This is a hole in the wall drinking place in old town which serves only ONE kind of drink and that is beer on the tap. You like it fine, you don’t like it then get out of the way! This place was PACKED with locals and we were thrown out on our first attempt and we managed a table the next day.
It is where the Czech President took the then US president Bill Clinton to show him what the real Prague looks like. Believe me you will think that the guy behind your regular Irani joint is courtesy personified if you were to meet the people serving us here. The service was fast efficient and the ambience..to die for! This is the very reason I travel, to sit at such places and see the way locals go about their daily routine.
One other thing I like about Prague are the trams. They are the best and cheapest way to see what the city is like, as well gives you a peak into the way the locals go about their daily routine. I highly and thoroughly recommend people to use local travel when the visit a city.
They also have this kickass concept where you can tour the city in vintage cars. They are so amazingly restored that you feel where can I buy one of these. There were atleast 40 odd models you could choose from and they were all convertibles so one could enjoy the city as well as have people like me look at you in awe.
I just love the way how people in Europe take tourism to a great level. Wonder why in India we just cant do that.
I can write reams on Prague but will end here as I truly encourage people to visit this amazing place.
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