Prancing Around Prague
Is there a greater continent on Earth than Europe? Give me all the culture, all the architecture, and, of course, all of the #food that continent has to offer. I can almost always talk my fiancé into anything, so when I broached the subject of a European getaway last fall, he quickly jumped on board. He, like most guys, cannot turn down a good beer – so, naturally, his first suggestion for our visit across the pond revolved around beer. Were we headed to Germany? Austria? Nope – we ended up booking flights for Prague (and eventually Warsaw) so that we could – wait for it – take a day trip to Pilzen to experience the birthplace of the first pilsner-style beer. Who was I to say no?
We arrived late at night into Prague’s airport, and, long story short, ended up taking a cab and spending wayyy more money than we should have. (Seriously people, Uber and Lyft are your friends abroad!) The next morning, we enjoyed a complimentary breakfast of classic Czech-fare and headed out to explore Prague. We were mere minutes from the Old Town Square and quickly explored the area, including the Prague Astronomical Clock and CHURCH. We stopped at a café to enjoy our first true Czech Pilsner before heading towards the Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. Hello Gorgeous! The architecture and colors used in both of these buildings were amazing! I seriously could not stop taking pictures.
We headed down from the hilltop, stopping to indulge in goulash and another beer on the way down, before making our way across the Charles Bridge. How beautiful are the views across that bridge? And did you know that this bridge was the main connection between Old Town Prague and the Prague Castle? It solidified Prague as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe. After leaving that area, we caught the Prague Ballet’s version of Swan Lake before grabbing a quick bite and a few more drinks. Being from Wisconsin, we are DIE-HARD Green Bay Packer fans (#footballislife) and it not only happened to be the opening weekend for football, but it was also the season-opener for the Packers! Needless to say, we somehow found a Packer bar and felt right at home while being 4500 miles away. Side note – everyone in Wisconsin knows everyone, and my fiance’s college roommate actually went to high school with the owner of this bar! #smallworldmadeevensmaller
The next morning, after a mis-directed Uber ride and missing our bus to Pilzen (things in Prague leave EXACTLY on time), we somehow made it to Pilzen for our tour of the Pilsner Urquell brewery. My fiancé was in heaven. For anyone who loves beer and loves a good origin story, this brewery is the place for you. We toured the entire facility, learned exactly how each batch is made, and even got to sample some brew straight out of the cask!
Can we just talk about Czech food for a minute here? If you love meat and potatoes, this is the place for you! Seriously – I have not had better beef, pork, chicken, or dumplings anywhere else. Prague and Czech Republic does comfort food to the max and we enjoyed every minute of it!
On our last day in Prague, we hit up the remaining attractions we hadn’t caught our first day. We walked down to Wenceslas Square, listened to a Beatles impersonator at the John Lennon Wall, ate lunch at the most adorable riverside café (Pro-Tip: Get the Pork-knee. You’re welcome). We climbed Letna and walked around the beautiful surrounding park before heading to the Petrin Lookout Tower (highly recommend – great views of the ENTIRE city!). We strolled around Golden Lane, explored the Powder Tower, wandered into the Sex Machines Museum (yes, it’s a real thing), and caught one last dinner in Old Town Square. Feeling adventurous, we checked out Karlovy Lazne, a 5-story club near the Charles Bridge where we experienced our first ice bar, before realizing we were entirely too old for a club and wound-down our night at a cozy Irish Pub near Old Town Square where we got to sit down. #CanIGetanAmen
We ate, we drank, we walked more miles than my poor feet could handle (don’t ever buy new, unbroken-in booties for a European vacation), and thoroughly enjoyed our immersion into Czech culture. As the Czech would say, “Na zdravi!”
Until next time,
