Took the 8.58am train to Prague. Unfortunately, this was not the direct train. Ticket seller merely informed us that there is a train every hour to Prague. Ended up having to change station. Luckily, a kind ticket officer helped us to get off at the right stop. The change caused us additional 2 hours long journey. Along the way, we witnessed several change of season, from the beautiful autumn, to snowing, to shining sun and lastly to what appears to be a wonderful feeling of spring. The view was breath-taking.
When we arrived in Prague, the weather was gloomy. As hotel stated it is near the station, we attempted to walk, dragging our luggages behind us. We were caught in a downpour. Took us awhile to locate the Prague Square Hostel, given it's obscurity (entrance via a narrow "lane" between buildings).
Upon entering, to our horror, there was no lift. Well, actually there was but we had to take a flight of stair up to the lift which does not stop in front of the reception. Very weird setting. At the reception, the person in-charge refused to accept euro as payment despite being noted in the website that they only accept euro. Another confusion which caused us a great loss of koruna.
Our room was in the second floor. The key, a rather old one where we had to twist in the keyhole. While the room was relatively clean (still a massive downgrade from the one in Vienna), we disapproved of the transparent curtain. Our room faced other buildings plus some construction work outside. We also discovered that the shower room on our floor is a common one i.e. shared by both male and female. The only female shower we could find was on the first floor. Very inconvenient.
Seeing that the rain had stopped, we ventured out to the old town. It was only a short walk away (likely to be the only major plus point of the hotel). The famous astronomical clock was quickly found. Many tourists were already there. After finished taking photo of the old town square, we still had another 15 minutes before the clock strike 5pm. We decided to wait. The crowd grew. The result was pretty funny. At the end of the show, some of the people clapped. I shan't reveal what was seen as it was best experienced by oneself ;)
Our next stop was the Charles Bridge. Once again, the place was brimming with tourists. Enroute, we were stopped by a man selling ticket for a mini concert which started almost 15 minutes ago. He was willing to give us major reduction from CZK200 per person to CZK100 to CZK50. He assured us the seats are warm. Finally, we relented. It was a pretty interesting experience to watch concert inside a church. One of the composition was Four Seasons by Vivaldi. I must say Vivaldi is very popular in Prague. Wonder why...
For dinner, we decided to try a local restaurant. I ordered the goulash (beef soup with dumpling) set, costing CZK175. My set comprised of a starter and main while DJ opted for main and dessert. The dumpling was not what I expected as it was merely bread. The soup (or rather stew) was pretty good but there were only 4 pieces of beef. When dessert came, the waiter served not only DJ but I was given a serving of the apple doughnut too. As I could not eat anymore, I tried to tell the waiter that he made a mistake. He checked and said I could keep the doughnut at no extra charge. However, the bill was higher than expected due to exorbitant service charge :(
5 November
This morning, I accidentally set my alarm at 5.45am not realising that I have changed my clock to Czech's timezone. The good outcome was that I get the shower all to myself, not having to worry about other occupants coming in. Note: There's no lock on shower door.
The sun was shining brightly. We wasted no time and rushed out of the hotel to reach the Charles Bridge where it's almost empty. It was fun taking photos without having to avoid the crowd.
We spent the morning at the Prague Castle, located only after we got lost in the maze of roads and confusing signboards. The entrance cost CZK350. The ticket seller tried to convince us to take the audio guide but after considering the cost, we refused her 3 times. Our first stop was the St Vitus Cathedral. The queue appeared long but the wait was probably only 5 minutes, not 1 1/2 hours as claimed by ticket seller. Then we went to visit other smaller churches within the area and later stepped foot into the quaint homes where Kafka once lived. It was not easy to capture the whole row of houses as there were just too many tourists!
The remaining of the day was spent at Wenceslas Square. We opted for McD for dinner after the horrifying experience the night before.
6 November
I decided to wake up early again to have my quiet, uninterrupted shower.
We left the hotel at 7am to take photos at the Powder Tower and Municipal House. While there was no bright shining sun, the sky, nevertheless, remained clear.
At around 8am, we returned to the hotel for our breakfast. Later, we went out again to purchase our souvenir from the market on Havelska Street. We had discovered the day before that goods are sold at a lower price in the market compared to shops. After making our purchases, we returned to the hotel for a second time to deposit our souvenirs.
Our next sight-seeing itinerary was a stop at the Petrin Hill via the furnicular (CZK26). Saw the Petrin Tower but did not go up because of price. Went in search of some other monuments on the hill only to be confused by the multiple signboards and getting lost. Met many other lost tourists. Gave up in the end and returned to town. After the long hike up, we had to return to the hotel for a third time to take a break. My feet was killing me. At this point, I must say the location of the hotel is mighty convenient.
Our final night in Prague was spent on Charles Bridge and having McD. I also bought a chocolate and banana crepe from the weekend market at the old town square.
Discoveries in Prague:
- There are hints that Malaysians like to visit Prague - shop keepers recognising my friend as a Malaysian, some greeted her with "apa khabar" and we bumped into a Malaysian family. They recognised us through our language cause we were speaking to each other in BM.
- Haggle over prices in shops when you purchase souvenirs. Although most often unwilling, the shop keepers will still lower the selling price. I am sure their profits is more than 1x.
- Toilet and sauces in McDonald are charged a fee.
Beware in Prague:
- Selected money changers charged no commission. Choose wisely. Unfortunately, some may still charge commission as they may claim that the no commission only applies to the selling of koruna.
- Service tax is part and parcel of eating in restaurant even though it is not mentioned in the menu. Be sure to ask how much is the tax as some restaurant can charged up to 18.75%.
- Forget about paying the CZK350 for an audio guide in Prague Castle. The line into St Vitus Cathedral is not 1 1/2 hours as claimed by the lady ticket seller.
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