Now, this is not something D and I would normally plan to do in a foreign country we've never visited before. We usually stick to the sight-seeing by day and a nice dinner with drinks out on the town by night (or on the nights we're too pooped to get dolled up and find a place for dinner, we do room service and spend hours laughing at the TV shows that other countries come up with...we're simple people). But on this particular trip to Prague, our friends and frequent travel buddies, Matt & Jenny, thought we'd do something a little unique our first night out. I mean, we were already staying in a brewery, why not add a little more character to this vacation?! Prague Pub Crawl for the win! I must say, we had a blast and a half. We got to wander around Prague, try 4 wildly different bars and Czech beers, and sampled Prague's alcohol claim to fame, Absinthe. This girl right here, not a fan. I don't like anything that tastes like anise or looks and smells like jet fuel. Needless to say, I didn't bring a bottle home with me as a souvenir. Although, you could buy a bottle in almost every shop in Prague. Czechs love them some Absinthe. Blech.
From 8pm to midnight we crawled our way around Prague's night clubs, sipping drinks and laughing foreigners...which, by the way, were out in full force. I'm not sure there was a single Czech person in any of these bars. Mostly Germans, go figure. We even struck up a conversation with a big group of Germans who ended up buying us all a round of beers. It's funny, we always seem to find ourselves amongst the Germans every where we go and all they want to talk about is Peyton Manning. Do we know him? Do we like him? Have we been to Indianapolis for the Super Bowl? Umm, really? No, no, and no. Truth is, all we Americans want to talk about is what the German word for shit is. No, really. We've gotta know all the dirty German words there are, so how else would we learn them? Oh to be a fly on the wall of that bar, huh? Alcohol induced conversations with foreigners are the best. Wanna know what's even cooler? We all got free t-shirts. Well, they came with the $25 pub crawl package (along with that free shot of Absinthe and a welcome beer at each bar)...but, hey, who wouldn't want a Prague Pub Crawl t-shirt? No one, that's who. Friends, if bar hopping in a foreign country is your cup of tea, I'd definitely recommend the Prague Pub Crawl. It'll bring you right back to your college days in 2.5 seconds. Promise.
{Our German friends. That guy in the front...yeah...we didn't talk to him much. For obvious reasons.}
Ok, now for some slower paced touristy things to do in Prague. How about a stroll through Old Town Square, one of the most beautiful and historic areas of central Prague?
Make sure you stop and check out the Old Town Hall and the hard-to-miss Astronomical Clock plastered to the facade of the building. The clock was installed in 1410 and is considered the 3rd oldest functioning astronomical clock in the world. One of the coolest features of the clock is the "Walk of the Apostles" that happens on the hour, every hour. All 12 Apostles make an appearance across the front of the clock as well as other moving sculptures, like a skeleton (who represents Death) striking the time and a zodiac calendar dial covered in medallions to represent the month.
As you keep walking through the Old Town Square, you'll notice a commanding, gothic inspired church hovering over the square skyline called The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn or Tyn Church. Tyn Church is quite impressive, having two unsymmetrical spires that can be seen from almost anywhere in Prague. As lovely as it is to see during the day, it's the nighttime sky and uplighting along the church walls that creates an ethereal ambiance that beckons you to the town square by night. Oh and if you're an astronomy nerd, you'll appreciate seeing the grave of famed Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe below your feet as you walk through the church.
Hungry? No, we're in Prague people. Ha...see what I did there? I kill myself. Anywho, if you do need to eat, I know of a lovely restaurant in the heart of Old Town Square that you've gotta try. Ladies and gents...Il Toro Negro Steakhouse. The restaurant has an AMAZING view of the astronomical clock and is in the perfect spot for my favorite vacation pastime...people watching! Come on, you guys know you do it, too. Some of the best people watching in the world happens while you're on vacation. It's a fact, but I digress. We dined al fresco on blackened tuna with olive tapenade, chargrilled bacon burgers, and one of the yummiest berry mojitos I've ever put in my mouth. With such an amazing view and reasonable menu prices, I'd say Il Toro Negro is worth a stop, even if it's only for one of their giant ice cream sundaes. Holy cow, they looked amazing.
As if a tuna steak in the middle of Prague wasn't already delicious enough, if you walk around the corner, towards the back side of the Town Hall and astronomical clock, you'll find this stand:
Trdelniks. Confession: I ate 3 of these while in Prague. They are outta this world! Basically, a Trdelnik is a sweet pastry made from rolled dough that's wrapped around a stick, then grilled and topped with a sugar/walnut topping. People were flocking to these sands by the dozens. And rightly so. They're addicting and quite possibly my favorite stand food ever. Take that, German pretzels!
Ok, I think that's enough info for one post. We'll continue our tour of Prague later...you've barely seen anything yet! Now, D and I are off to Ramstein to do some shopping and enjoy our time NOT TRAVELING on this 4 day holiday weekend. We had plans to jet off to Belguim for the Brussels Beer Festival, but cancelled our trip last minute. We're pooped, guys. After traveling and entertaining friends for the last 4 weeks, Team Coté needs a break. Not to mention my poor apartment looks like a nuclear bomb went off in it. So, we're taking this long weekend to relax, recoup, and clean...obviously. To all my friends and family...and all you lovely people out in blog land, HAPPY LABOR DAY to you! Enjoy your last official weekend of summer! BRING ON THE FALL, BABY! :)
