Our post on Prague, Czech Republic is pretty short. It is a very beautiful Eastern European city, and seems to be surprisingly westernized for only being released from Communism in 1989 and seperating from Slovakia in 1993. There was a lot of English spoken and the people seemed to embrace their tourism industry with pride. Our travel book mentioned that in the summer, Prague has a 9 to 1 ratio of tourists to locals. Based on that fun fact we were very happy to be visiting in the fall.
We spent two nights and we really had a great time but we don’t have much to report about it. We stayed at Hostel Tyn which was located in the old town right off the main square. Medieval architecture, big churches, large squares and cobblestone streets are the norm here – similar to some of the other places we have visited, but on a much larger scale. We took in the sites of the square including the clock tower of the Old Town Hall, that has a coo-coo clock-esq performance every hour, and the Tyn Church. One of the nice things about Prague, is how it is not as commercial as most modern cities. They have done a great job of preserving the old, historic feel in the old square and haven`t let big business overly invade. We also visited the Prague Castle and a quiet nearby park along the Vlatva River. Jim was pleased to see local fisherman out in their boats on the river and even more pleased when he spotted a fellow fly fisherman. We also crossed the popular Charles Bridge that has 30 statues on it from the 18th century. We found some good book stores to visit, which we have found to be something that we enjoy doing in most cities we visit. We also had very pleasant weather so we relaxed on numerous park benches.
The highlight of our short stay in Prague was our splurge on Thai massages. It was a nice preface to what we can expect in another month when we touch down in Thailand. The massage was fairly interactive and Jim resulted in a sore back the following day due to the fact that the lady sat on his folded back on the final stretch.
And here’s a little beer fact for those of you interested. The Czech Republic is pretty well know for their tasty beers. As we were walking around Prague, we kept noticing signs for Budweiser beer hanging from the doorways of restaurants and bars. Confused, we set out to do a little research and found out that one of the Czech Republic’s most popular beers is also called Budweiser and that they have been embroiled in a nasty trademark dispute with the American brand for many years. To set the record straight, the American version was officially given its name twenty years earlier than the Czech beer in 1876… but the Czech beer has been brewed since way back in the 14th century. As for the taste, we think they’re both pretty good. This Bud’s (Czech or American) for you!
Posted by haleyandjim 
