Czech Republic

Prague

14th April: From Dresden to Prague

On the train to Prague I have had very good company. It was not difficult to get a seat either. A young woman close to me was very unhappy because an unknown person had stolen all her money and her papers, but her ticket. Because she had an Internet ticket, she needed her credit card to show, she is the owner of the ticket. She could only manage to get a new passport at her embassy. Nobody told her either that she should go to the police and claim the theft. So she got a fine about 40 € of the German conductor and had to pay a new ticket of the Czech one. We other passengers (all Germans) scrambled the money for the Czech ticket, but unfortunately, we could not help her with the fine. Nobody of us could understand the conductors way to meet the girl. Wasn’t it bad enough, that she has been robbed?

Nonetheless it was an amazing trip from Dresden to Prague. The railway is going at the side of the rivers Elbe and Moldau. Most of the time, there are highlands around with stoney views. At the place where the rivers meet, there were beautiful houses build at the edge of the basis of the stoney hills. It was a view like in a fairy tale, especially at this place. Unfortunately I could not take pictures because the train was running.

The Old Railway Station in Prague

In Prague I had to be some time at the railway station waiting for my host and I can tell you, I have seen nicer railway stations. I had to change Euro into Czech crowns and they “robbed” me, my host told me later that day. The weather was crying about that ;-). At least waiting for my host at a tram station, I have seen how busy the city is – it was too little space in the trams for all people and the waggons are very old with three stairs to go into them, but my host told me, when we were talking about this, that the government is buying new ones now with low floors. My host took me home by car and cooked a nice dinner for us with asparagus, a nice kind of green noodles and calf meat. After the meal we took a walk to and up on a hill close to his place. From the top of the hill we had a great view of Prague by night.

15th April: Beautiful Prague

It was 7:30 and I am already awoken. Around 8:15 I brew my coffee. There were no really breakfast, so I ate a pretzel I bought the day before. Around 9:30 my host and me were leaving his home. He gave me a key because he might come home late. He dropped me in the city and I was walking around between all the wonderful and amazing buildings of the city including some churches. I took lots of pictures, but could not make of all buildings, because there are too many in the old part of the town. There are also Easter markets on one or two places and on one or two streets.

This picture I took on an Easter market – in the background you see the Town hall of Prague.

I was continuing walking and tried to find the area with the castle. I came quite close but not close enough. Anyway I have seen it at the horizon! It was so cold and I had to buy some bread for tomorrow, therefore I decided to go to my hosts home. I was so far away from his place, though I took the tram. First I had to find out, where to buy a ticket. Afterwards I had to find the right tram in the right direction. I managed it all (neither are there ticket machines at the most of the stops of the tram nor in the trams) and I had to ask a pedestrian for the right tram. I was just some minutes before my host at his place – it was perfect timing. Tonight, we were trying to meet some other CS, but none was at the meeting point, therefore we decided to go to a genuine Czech restaurant – we went to the “Café Slavia“, which is situated close to the river Moldau and neighbour to the National Theatre.

I was seated in front of the window and could all the time look at the theatre. It was amazing. I ate Czech Gulasch with “Semmelknödel” (not the Bavarian kind of). After a while I also took a dessert, some “Rakvičky se šlehačkou a karamelovou polevou” what means sweet caskets with whipped cream and sauce caramel. My host just told me before about a kind of original Czech cake, baked of egg and sugar (something like the Baisers in German). He told me, that the cake is hard to eat because it is very stiff. We laughed a lot when the dessert were served and it was that cake, but it was easier to eat as he told me. Coming home from that adventure I checked my CS-site and became happy, because there was a host in Bratislava, who accepted my request. I decided to go by train 9:39 from Prague to Bratislava. My host told me, that he will drive me by car and help me to go onto the train with my luggage. Nobody can find a better host than him!

The Theatre in Prague

16th April: From Prague to Bratislava

My host was really very nice! He did not only bring me to the Central Station, but helped me with my luggage to get seated on the train.

About travelling by train in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia as well as about my visit of Bratislava please follow the link to Slovakia.