Prague, Czech Republic 30th December - 2nd January 2016
Arriving by Train
The final stop on the honeymoon, we arrived in Prague train station the day before New year’s eve and found our way to our 5* hotel (which in Prague is more like 3* but we weren't complaining). The selling point of the Corinthia hotel was its swimming pool and spa on the 25th floor which looked out over the city of Prague.
Prague Old Town
Beautifully decorated for Christmas, the old town square was filled with Christmas market stalls selling food and hot drinks with any kind of alcohol you might want. Prague's Christmas markets are rated as some of the best in the world. We were offered huge chunks of roasted ham, chestnuts and cider or mulled wine (this time with a shot of any spirit you might fancy), just to get you there quicker! Around the square groups of musicians got us all in the festive mood. An old saxophone player mesmerized crowds and a band got people dancing. The atmosphere was spot on! |
Charles Bridge
Crossing the river Valtava, Charles Bridge is probably the most famous attraction in Prague. We headed to the bridge early on New Years Eve and lived to regret it. It seems everyone in Prague had the same idea that day and we met them all on the bridge. Pushing, crowding and cold winds made for a very uncomfortable visit. We resolved to return the following morning before the masses awoke with their sore heads! Second time lucky as we had the bridge almost to ourselves. A low fog hung over the baroque statues giving the bridge an eerie feel. We walked along checking out the artists displays and visiting the spots that had been used in filming Mission Impossible (while we were there like!). |
The Astronomical Clock
A dominant feature in Prague’s old town square, the clock dates to 1490. Local legend says that if the clock is not maintained in good working order then the city will suffer (yeah, from lack of tourism). The facade has many features representing the sun and moon, the calendar and the time. It is decorated with mechanized figures that move on the hour every hour. We stood with the cross waiting to see what would happen when the hand struck 1pm.
After the brief show, we knew we needed to lower our expectations slightly. I don't know what we expected from 600 year old moving figures but on the strike of the hour, two small doors open to reveal figures inside moving clockwise and presenting themselves at the window for visitors to see. It lasted a few seconds, the crowds waited a little longer in anticipation of something more - which never came. After a brief pause, we all dispersed laughing at ourselves. |
Ice Pub
One of the most fun experiences we had in Prague was our brief visit to the ice pub. Tucked away down an ally near Charles bridge, this was one for the bucket list. Visitors are asked to buy a €10 ticket which gets them one free drink and use of a thermal poncho & gloves (essential). In small groups, visitors are allowed to stay in the ice pub no longer than 20 minutes, presumably to prevent the ole hypothermia setting in!! Inside, everything is made of ice – walls, furniture, bar, glasses! It's kitsch but novel. Our drinks were served in ice glasses meaning we could smash them into a barrel when we were done, which turned out to be surprisingly satisfying. We sat on an ice throne and danced around ice sculptures. For those of us brave enough to remove a glove for photos, the results were cool! (lol) |
Child of Prague
The infamous child of Prague is on display in the Church of Our Lady Victorious in the lessor town. We dropped by in the evening, past the crib with a real donkey, sheep, goat and horse outside, and joined the crowd taking photos of the tiny statue. A wooden figure covered in wax, the child of Prague is no bigger than a foot and is on display on a high alter adorned with gold and flowers. The infant’s clothes are changed by the nuns, based on the occasion. We were thankful for our cameras zoom because standing in the aisle looking up, details were hard to make out.
The statue itself dates from the 16th century and is a representation of Jesus. The crown is studded with diamonds and jewels and the infant is holding an orb which symbolizes kingship. It has been linked with numerous miracles. The superstition that leaving a statue of the child of Prague in the hallway / or outside, the night before a wedding to ward off bad weather has little to do with the history of the statue in Prague. Some Irish people believe that the statue of the child of Prague has to be beheaded and then the head had to be glued back on before it works as a good omen. Us Irish are funny folk. The only links that I could find are fairly tenuous. In 1555 the statue of the child of Prague was given to a Spanish lady as a wedding gift (there's the ole wedding link). |
Also, during the 30 years’ war in Prague the statue was discarded on a pile of rubble and its hands were broken, apparently a priest found the statue and it spoke to him asking the priest to give him hands and promising blessings in return (a potential link with the child losing and regaining body parts). Our child of Prague remained fully intact and it worked a treat for our wedding!
New Years Eve
In recent years Prague has become one of the most popular destinations in Europe for celebrating New Year's Eve. A word of warning, unless you've booked accommodation well in advance, expect to pay exorbitant prices for NYE in most city hotels. People booking into our hotel in December would be paying twice to three times the price we paid (booked 4 months prior). Also, be prepared for some serious partying.
NYE in Prague old town is not for children or the faint hearted. Restaurants and clubs book up early, cruises on the river are very popular as most people want to be in a prime spot for the fireworks at 12 midnight. In fact, the official city fireworks are not set off until New Year's Day, instead, on NYE various organisation's, families, groups set off their own fireworks and the sky is lit up with fireworks being set off from all over the city. In the old town and on Charles bridge it does get a little unsafe as people in the crowd set off their own fireworks, often aimed at boats or river side restaurants. |
The crush of people is also not too pleasant as people rush away after midnight to try to get transport home. From our hotel room we could see the fireworks starting at about 8pm and continue into New Year's Day. Music and streamers rang in the new year in the old town square.
We walked to Charles bridge and waited with the crowds on NY day to see the official fireworks. The crowd was less rowdy but not quite chill either. The firework display lasted 10 minutes from 6pm and 'apparently' told the story of Prague's history in lights. Given the effort it took to get to the spot, ward off the masses (holding firm on our space) and standing in the -7C cold, the display was a little underwhelming and we did get embroiled in a crush as the crowd tried to fight past each other with buggies and bikes to get off the bridge afterwards. There was an atmosphere but it wouldn't be our first choice for ringing in the new year again.
Overall Impressions
We found Prague to be much more cynical than the other cities we visited. Perhaps it's due to the increase in tourism but the staff in hotels, restaurants and attractions seemed to be doing their best to get your money and didn't want to know if you weren't going to drop a few hundred. We found people to be quite rude and the city to be fairly tacky. It is a city with huge potential, the buildings are picturesque and the cobbled streets reminded us of Venice or Paris. Yet the buildings, although beautiful, were not well cared for. Graffiti could be seen even in the old town and every inch of the city is covered in tourist souvenir shops selling ‘I love Prague’ condoms, shot glasses and peep show postcards. Not to sound prudish but we weren't expecting the sex machines museums on the old town square, it felt on a par with Kuta in Bali or Malaga in Spain in terms of the level of commercialism.