Hera Bell And Anthony's Prague Adventures: Monday June 8th 2009

Today with did something that is not typically Czech. We did a mini pub crawl, or more accurately cafe crawl.

Back home, most places will have a variety of beer on tap. Here, most places are sponsored by a particularly brewery, and will only have a single light and dark beer. The beer variety is usually prominently displayed, and if one wants a particular beer, you go some place that is advertising that brew.

After a leisurely walk that again took us through the Old Town Square, we walked over to a cubist building that houses the Cubist Museum. Being Monday, most sights are closed, but the cafe upstairs is faithful to the cubist style.

The Grand Cafe Orient, with sleek straight tall chairs, and bevelled arrays of mirrors, made us feel as if we stepped back in time. It felt pleasantly dated and old fashioned. At first we sat inside, but then decided to take a seat on the balcony and enjoy the lovely weather.

I had seen a plate of olives on the menu, but they had Bohemian fries on the menu, and Hera thought it might be worth a try. When we asked, we were told that they were basically regular french fries, so we decied on the olives. We ordered our beer, light beer called Staropramen as we watched the people below us.

We then walked a short distance, and as we crossed the powder tower, I looked up at one of the sculptures. A small monk squatting as he eats a chickenleg.

Around the corner was the Municipal House that we had visited earlier. We had noticed its cafe, and promised ourselves to return. The Kavárna Obecní dům is a lavish and very distinctive art nouveau cafe, with its high ceilings, chandeliers, and mirrors. Here one feels one has stepped back to the epoch of the grand cafes of the turn of the century, and I felt as if I was in Paris or Vienna, rather than Prague.

Hera was delighted to see that their beer was Masters. A dark beer we tasted at the food festival, but had not found it served since then. They had a French cheese plate with grapes, as well as a Bohemian cheese plate served with jam. We ordered the Bavarian cheese plate hoping to try some cheese we had not tasted before, but were slightly disappointed in that it felt similar to cheeses we knew well. I even took a look at the menu to be sure we ordered the correct plate.

In the end, the cheese was delicious and went well with the beer. The ambiance cannot be beat. Our waiter served us exceptionally well, and we had a grand time.

We decided to walk a bit and take a break. We walked back to the Old Town square, and listened to a quartet entertain us and the crowd. As we headed up Wenceslas Square, Hera commented how it really did feel like home, but also reminded me that we only have a few short days left.

We came home and relaxed, had our supper, then headed back out on the town.

We walked along streets that we knew very well now, and made our way to the American Bar, the oldest bar in Prague. Czechoslovakia was enamored with America in general, and Woodrow Wilson in particular, who helped created the nation of Czechoslovakia during the Paris 1919 peace talks.

When communism was in force, the American Bar was closed, but was re-opened after the Velvet revolution.

We sat in a booth, and enjoyed the ambiance of a turn of the century bar. Glass and mirrors was prominent and surrounded us. We looked over the bar menu, and Hera ordered a Pina Colada, while I decided on a Mohito. The bar tender was indeed and professional, as both our drinks were exceptionally good.

We savoured our drinks, listening to the voice of a jazz singer as she sang in the adjoining room, and enjoyed each others company.

The evening weather was beautiful. We strolled down the street and crossed the Old Town Square. Not wishing the night to end, we decided to continue walking and made our way to the Charles bridge. As we crossed the bridge, Hera mentioned that she found Prague to be much more romantic than Paris. While I love Paris, Prague is magical and its beauty is much more dense. A city that grows on you. With each passing day, its beauty gets even deeper.