Prague Edition: Volume 2

Step Count: 46,188

Total Mileage: 20.8

Making our way out of our 5 story walk up (yeah, I found one!) we headed down the dizzying spiral staircase laughing at how sore we were from all the walking we'd done up to that point. I still maintain that going downstairs is always harder when you're sore than climbing up! ...and to keep it transparent, this 5 story walk up came with a lift which we used almost every night except the last!

We chose to start the day on other side of the Vltava River to take brunch at a quaint cafe called Bella Vida, located at the base of Petrin Park. What I loved about this place was that the tables and chairs looked as if they were collected from the homes of our favorite grandmas. Large over-stuffed chairs with vibrant and soft floral fabric. Antique wood dining and tea tables took up the space with customers and shelving filled with books abvailabe for your choosing.

Without much time for our breakfast to digest, we were off and climbing up Petrin park (read: hill). There are remnants of an old barrier wall complete with small stairs from the base to the top of the hill. They reminded me of what you'd climb at a pyramid in the Yucatán! Lucky for all parties involved, this stair case is closed off to the public but the park provided dozens of path options which meandered through the green space and led us toward the observation tower known as La Petite Eiffel. The tower was built during the world jubilee of 1891 as a nod to the Eiffel Tower, hence the name. We continued choosing the various winding paths, taking turns picking left or right. As we approached, we noticed people climbing up La Petite Eiffel and with one side eye glance at each other, we knew we'd be climbing that staircase as well!

At about $10 per person and 299 steps up a very tight and winding staircase we were gifted with 360 views of Prague and the surrounding landscape. It was stunning! Be mindful, however, if you're a bit wary of heights and it's breezy, she does rock and roll a bit. 😬

Taking notes from the walking tour and our pal, Jan, we continued to stay high on the hill traversing over to the castle complex and through to the beer hall in the trees, obviously! When we hit the abbey about mid way across, we saw they had their own brewery. We stopped for a pint and a cheeky of their own version of a hazy IPA which used a cryo-hopped method. I'd say as a person who was once on the Hazy Train (probably not unlike the "Crazy Train" let’s be honest 😉) I was pretty over the sweet and juicy route many of our American brewers had taken. But I was rather impressed with the flavor profile this one provided. Floral yet light bodied and at a sessionable ABV, I was here for it!

The Prague Castle is the largest coherent castle complex in the world. I tend to be satisfied just exploring these buildings from the outside and since the grounds were open to the public, we were able to get up close to the beautiful gothic cathedral smack dab in the middle of the complex. When I go back to Prague, I will probably make a point to see this from the inside. I am not sure if they charge for entry.

I'm really enamored with the topography of Prague and the natural landscape that they've managed to build within and around. There's so many opportunities for beautiful views on either side of the river and of course views of the gem that is the Charles bridge which has been in use since 1402! ...practically the other day. Ha!

The food is probably as you'd expect your typical Eastern European menu to exist...rich, meaty, dense and filling enough to balance the volume of beer consumed in the course of day! (I realize that sentence could have gone a whole other direction but lets keep the focus on the food, ok?! 😂) I've probably had enough goulash, schnitzel and dumplings to fuel my next few racing events! The variety of sauces are rich and flavorful and their soup game is top notch, I must say!

The place we loved the most was a bit outside of the old town, near the train station called "Restaurace BREDOVSKY DVŮR" ...if any of my Bonn Lair pub friends are reading this, they had their own Betty! She even had a reserved spot at the bar every night. To be honest, it was rather comforting to see her sitting there drinking away while giving the staff a hard time!

With brick buttressed ceiling and copper vats of ice cold Pilsner-Urquell, we stayed happy as a clam closing out our day's adventures while sitting there and practicing my choppy pronunciation of "dvě piva prosím" which was usually met with a grimace that, if you know me, I took as a smile and a chance to make them my new best friend. I'm pretty sure it worked. 😉

Cheers!