Prague
Trip report of 4 days in Prague
January 2006
Prague |
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Trip report of 4 days in Prague |
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January 2006 |
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All the pictures on this page have links to their larger copies
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I was persuaded by “purse strings” (Jackie my partner) to visit Prague, having been told by two of our siblings that it was a Capital City with charm and that it
might suit my constant desire to take lots of
interesting photographs with my digital camera. So after spending all my Christmas book tokens on Prague guide books and many happy hours searching the web for information, we booked for a 4-night stay starting on Wednesday 25th January. We booked with a travel agent, but later found that we could have saved a few pounds by booking the flight and the same hotel, via the net. Our flight was with EasyJet from Bristol, staying 4 nights at the Hotel City Club. We have never traveled with a budget airline before, but for the amount of money we paid, I was impressed (even “purse strings” thought it good value). The flight was on time and arrived at Prague earlier than scheduled. We both found the Prague airport both clean and well organized. |
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Hotel City Club |
We had been advised by “purse strings” son, that on arrival at Prague airport we should take one of the white mini coaches to our hotel. So on venturing out into the cold (–5c), we soon found a mini-coach operated by CEDAZ s.r.o , that was willing to take us to our hotel for just 480Kc (This price covers any destination in central Prague). We had to wait about 10 minutes for another passenger, but the driver kindly kept the engine and heater running - much appreciated. The other passenger wanted to go to the other side of the City, so we had a good tour around Prague before arriving at our hotel. The detour was
appreciated as it gave us a chance to start to find our bearings. |
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Hotel City Club, reception |
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We arrived at the Hotel City Club just at it was getting dark. My first impression of the Hotel was its cleanliness; every thing was spotlessly clean. The room was up to our expectations – except that on arrival the light did not work but the light bulb was changed within two minutes of being reported.
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After unpacking and working out how to operate the safe deposit box in the room we set off to start to explore the delights of Prague by night. It was only a short walk – about quarter of an hour- to the heart of the city, Wenceslas Square. We were both surprised that it was not a square but a long boulevard. “Purse strings” had bought me a small tripod for my camera so that I could take some night shots of our holiday, so I took a few shots of the Square. But using a camera with the temperature of –10c is no fun! (Have now made a mental note to buy a pair of thermal gloves without fingers, next time I visit Prague in the winter). |
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Wenceslas Square |
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| We then decided that it was time to find a place to eat and
warm up a little. I should have read the guide books more, as the only place we could see was a
MacDonald's. So after a ‘Big Mac’ each and two cups of coffee, it was back to the
Hotel. Before retiring for the night had a quick drink
(or two) at the Radio Bar, located next door to the hotel. We had a look at
the bar meals on offer and decided that we would try
the establishment's menu the following evening..
We were pleased to find the beds comfortable and the radiator was adjustable, so setting number 5 gave us a comfortable sleeping temperature. |
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Wenceslas Square |
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As we are both accustomed to early starts, we
were down for breakfast before eight. The breakfast on offer
was cereal, yogurt, cold meats, cheese, bread, rolls, jam, warm
spicy sausages, tea, coffee or orange cordial. Personally I found the
breakfast rather disappointing, but “purse strings” found it
adequate. Over breakfast we decided to have a competition on which one of us
could take the best picture during the holiday. (See
below for our results )
It was only a short early morning walk to the nearest Metro Station at I.P.Pavlova where we purchased a 3 day pass for not only the Metro but also the trams & buses covering the whole of inner Prague. At only 220Kc we both thought the ticket a real bargain. In the next few days we covered miles on the trams. At any time that we felt cold, we just jumped on a tram, sometimes destination unknown, after a few miles when we had warmed up we just crossed the road to catch the next tram back. We crossed Charles bridge early enough to beat the crowds - it was then on to the Old Town and the Old Jewish Quarter. I intended doing a much larger trip report with lots of pictures but decided to postpone it until after our return visit -mid April- I will then upload lots more photos and information about Prague. (please see http://djmp.co.uk/bvp/ )
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| Tips for anyone visiting
Prague for the first time:- Use the White Mini Cabs for Hotel to Airport transfer. Buy a 3 day (72hr) rover pass for Metro, Trams & Buses (even the Funicular Railway at Petrin is included). Beware of pick pockets. Visit the Castle at 12 noon to see the changing of the Guards. Buy a good guide book, and read it before departure. I can recommend "The AA spiral guide of Prague".
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Western end of |
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| For me the highlights of the
holiday were:- Charles Bridge before the crowds arrived, and also by night. The Old Town and Jewish Quarter. The Trams - cheap, reliable and frequent. Trams 22 or 23 to the top entrance to the Castle, exploring the Castle and walking back down to Charles Bridge. The variety of good architecture all over, both the Old and New City. Breakfast at the Opera House Restaurant on the last morning. |
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As I mentioned earlier,
“purse strings” and I decided on the first day to hold a fun photo
competition , we each chose what we thought to be our best
picture. It was then over to the siblings to decide the winner.
Unfortunately “purse strings” won hands down. What
do you think of the pictures . We would both love to
hear your comments, please email dave@djmp.co.uk
Please remember that All the pictures on this page have links to their larger copies.
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Charles Bridge in the winter sunshine |
St Nicholas Church |
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Picture by Jackie |
Picture by Dave |
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DAVE Price
djmp.co.uk djmp.info
