Prague, Czech Republic
One of our last stops in Europe was Prague. To say we were tired was an understatement. Tim was fighting off a bug for a large part of our stay. We made the best of it but visiting as many places our bodies would let us, drinking plenty of beer, and enjoying my favorite food tour to date!
One of our first stops was the Prague Castle. But before we made our way to the castle we had lunch and beers at a monastery turned brewery, Strahov Monastery Brewery. We tried a variety of their spreads, sirloin of beef in cream sauce, carlsbad dumplings, cranberries plus a few of their beers.
We took the short walk form the brewery to the Prague Castle. Prague Castle includes Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral, Romanesque Basilica of St. George, a monastery and several palaces, gardens and defense towers. The Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral, while harsh on the outside was beautiful inside with brightly colored stained glass windows. It instantly reminded me of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
We had our fair share of disappointments in Prague. The most beautiful library in the world and this astronomical clock were both under renovations. So we didn't get to see the library or the hourly show this clock puts on. This clocks mechanism has three main components — the astronomical dial, representing the position of the Sun and Moon in the sky and displaying various astronomical details; statues of various Catholic saints stand on either side of the clock; "The Walk of the Apostles", an hourly show of moving Apostle figures and other sculptures, a figure of a skeleton that represents Death, striking the time; and a calendar dial with medallions representing the months. Guess that means I have to go back.
Prague drinks the most beer per capita in the world. When ordering a beer, you order based on the amount of foam (or head) you want. It’s possible to order a beer with about 50 percent head (šnyt), or even around 90 percent head. These 90 percent head beers come out white and almost completely foamy, named milk beer, or Mlìko beer.
One of my favorite experiences while in Prague was the Prague Food Tour. This tour was out of this world. I think we tried no less than a dozen dishes and countless beers and cocktails, including absinthe. I even surprised myself by eating Beef Tartar. You spread the garlic on the toasted bread then spread the raw beef on the bread. It was delicious and I washed it down with a beer with my choice of foam level.
While in Prague, we were surrounded by sandwich shops. Czechs prefer their sandwiches open face, as in chlebíčky. These handheld vehicles for potato salad and ham are the hors d’oeuvre of choice at office parties and social events. They are so pretty that you first eat with your eyes, then your mouth. Chlebíčky showed up again during the Prague Food Tour. While Tim wasn't fan, I enjoyed the snack size sandwiches that allowed me to try more than one.
