Loving my time in the Czech Republic. I’ve had a couple of nights here now and am trying to assimilate into the Prague way of life. My vocabulary has now tripled and “please”, “beer” and “thankyou” (not in that order) are rolling off the tongue anytime the need arises. However there are more than three words in this language and pivo (beer) is not a breakfast staple
, meaning there is still a lot of pointing, smiling and confusion before the first meal of the day.
Breakfast has been a baguette or roll, some form of caffeine and a pastry. Usually I pass the same people at the train station on my walk, the old man pumping away on his accordion – maybe I should throw him a tip so he can get it tuned? Breakfast is only small because lunch is normally where the calorie counter goes into overdrive.
Everywhere I have lunch the establishment has a penchant for 80’s music. Wherever I go it’s the theme from Ghostbusters, Roxette or George Michael. Usually the bartender has a textbook mullet and an uncanny knack of giving me the translated menu. Lunch yesterday was at a pub. Smoked pork neck, spinach and potato dumplings was enjoyed by all.
Include 2 large beers and there is enough change out of $13AUD to go to the toilet.
Yep, you heard correct, there is a cover charge for using a public toilet. It may sound crazy but it works well. Normally there is a 30 cent waste disposal fee to go and do your business. In return you get a toilet that is normally cleaner than Singapore.
Another place where having change is handy is the ticketing system at the train station. First attempt, being a foreigner I only had notes dispensed from the ATM and this was a small unmanned station. However gnocchi solves everything. The street vendor was ladelling out gnochhi with spinach. A carton of that would provide suitable change and a ticket was mine.
Back to the toilet issue – the only problem is if you don’t have any change you may be changing something else! Maybe they should open a gnocchi stall at the stalls and everybody wins?
Have covered most of Prague on foot in the last few days. The city is one where you can get easily lost. You need to concentrate on where you are going. With the history and scenery around, one can easily get sidetracked. Being an old city it does have the square town planning approach you see back home. Combine street names that resemble a Scrabble player’s tile rack has seen me confused at least twice a day. Everywhere you look Prague’s centre resembles a postcard. It is conducive to my kind of travel – stroll, look around, stroll, eat, drink, eat, laugh, eat, stroll and eat some more.
The tourists in peak season would be painful. It’s the off-season now and every street corner has people snapping photos, narrowly surviving the oncoming trams, horse-drawn cart or beer bike (druken pedal power).
A lookout near the Prague Castle was swarming with so many tourists all clambering for the perfect selfie it was not even worth pulling the phone out. Even contemplated dropping a silent fart to thin out the numbers but there were too many uncontrolled variables to execute it without possible incident.
Dinner was at Cafe Neustadt, pork rillete on bread, coffee and a half litre of local dark swill. This place is hidden, nestled in a courtyard not far from the town square which even stumped Google Maps. Fewer tourists equals fewer worries.
The cafe had 10 of the most beautiful women I have seen and two absolute dogs. That’s not me being superficial we had a greyhound and a labrador joining us indoors.
0 Responses
Love that photo of the street in Prague. It’s such a wonderful place not to mention the beer pedal bike!!!! Do you know there is a beer spa in Prague. I think you should go. https://www.beerspa.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI05yv4sqH2gIVhWG9Ch1yJwDAEAAYAiAAEgJgQfD_BwE
Looks interesting. Going on a day trip to Kutna Hora tomorrow to check out the Heritage listed Bone Church. If I have time I will bathe away