Category Archives: Places

A Mala Strana Sunday

Posted on by
4

Mala Strana (started around 1257) is a district of Prague and the name means Lesser Town or Lesser Side.  One can reach it by leaving Old Town and walking across Charles Bridge.  Voila!  You are there!  Right below the Prague Castle! Mala Strana is home to Kampa Island, Petrin Hill, Maltese Square, Wallenstein Palace, and St. Nicholas Square.  These are only a few of the many many things to see.  But this post is only about a simple walk after church and before lunch.  I will tell about the other sites in other posts.

So, on this particular December Sunday, we took the tram from Old Town.  Having been there before we did not walk up to the Castle (this is a must for first time tourists!)  This time I only wanted to wander the back narrow streets and alleyways to look at Baroque architecture.  We also knew of a little restaurant we wanted to try, so we planned to sightsee until we were cold and then have a soup and sandwich break.

While walking on these narrow cobblestone streets, I found myself wondering if perhaps I was walking in the footsteps of Jan Neruda, a poet, writer and journalist, who was born in Mala Strana.  Or perhaps Kafka, the writer, who lived a short while in Golden Lane adjacent to the Prague Castle.  Here also is the Kafka Museum.

Passing the Church of Our Lady Victorius, where the Infant of Prague can be seen, I was reminded of its interesting history.  Since it was December the church was all decked out with Angels and a lovely Nativity Scene.  (The next Sunday I decided to attend church here.  The Priest was from India and spoke English but in a very soft voice.  However, the church remained open to tourists and the squeaky door hinges kept me from hearing him properly.)  There is a wonderful free museum inside the church where one can see pictures, crosses, sculptures, and part of the valuable collection of clothing that makes up the wardrobe of the Infant Jesus.  Karin in front of Infant of Prague church at ChristmasChristmas chreche at Our Lady Victorious in Prague

But I regress.  This is suppose to be about the architecture.  So, moving on . . .

Mala Strana is home to many Embassies housed in beautiful buildings.  One is the United States.  Of course, I wanted a picture.  Also, I wondered about the guard outside with a gun over his shoulder.  (Later I read it is the ONLY Embassy to have such a guard, and if you linger too long, he will ask you to move along!)  I must admit there was no smile to greet me, only a very dour, sour face.  So I took a quick picture and off I went!  And to think that is MY Embassy!flag and guard at USA embassy, Prague

Below are buildings with Sgraffito – a technique of scratching the top layer of paint to the surface underneath.  Pretty amazing!Sgraffito example in mala strana Prague

Soldier and stag over restaurant in Prague

A lovely sculpture over a restaurant entrance.Car entering Italian embassy in Prague

Very fancy gates open very slowly . . . for a very fancy car who had to show some sort of credentials to enter.walking under arches in lesser town Prague

A nice place to walk if it is raining.view of skyline near Prague Castle

Mala Strana as seen on the walk up to the Castle. We did not go all the way this time.  We found our restaurant, had a nice hot bowl of soup and a rest.  While these pictures only show you a fraction of what there is to see, this at least gives you a small idea of how beautiful Mala Strana is.Mala Strana Xmas market booth

The square where the trams come had a Christmas Market.  Some sold Christmas decorations.  Of course I bought a straw angel!

A Name Too Hard to Pronounce

Posted on by
4

The Metro stop and the square just around the corner of our apartment, had a name that was so difficult for us that we never did learn how to pronounce it.  Jihiro z Podebrad.    (It translates into George of Podebrady who was a 15th century Hussite King).  While the name doesn’t actually look too hard to pronounce, it was.  And it doesn’t sound ANYTHING like it looks.  This got us into trouble once, which I will tell later in the blog.

Namesti Jihiro z Podebrad  has a very interesting building.  Two years ago when we first saw this building, we had no clue what it was.  One of us guessed an old Railroad Station because it had a big clock on top or something left over from the Communist days.  Both of us were wrong.  On this visit in 2010, we discovered it is a very modern church, built in the years 1928 – 1932 by a Slovenian architect. It is a Catholic church called the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of our Lord.Church of Sacred Heard, Jiriz de Podebrad, Prague

 

The clock is a bit hard to see, it is in the middle, below the roof with the cross.

We lived close enough to hear the church bell toll the hours.  That is something I find quite lovely.  One day I went over and tried to go inside, but the huge doors were locked.  Then, one day when walking home from grocery shopping, loaded down with bags, I heard the bells chime 6 PM.  People were walking over and going inside;  mothers with baby carriages, construction workers in their working clothes, old people and well dressed office workers.  I realized it was time for the evening Mass.  I had a sudden inspiration to follow!

Once inside, the beauty of the decor overwhelmed me.  Wanting to observe only, I stood in the back.  I wanted to take pictures, but of course I had no camera with me, anyway I didn’t think it would be proper to take them during  Mass.inside church at Podebrad square, Prague

Again, my pictures don’t do it justice, but those balls you see hanging from the ceiling on fine wires are actually loud speakers and made of wood!  The floor has round circles also.  Saints were standing on Greek style marble pillars. The architect was inspired by Egyptian temples and early Christian basilicas.  I was so in love with it, that I ended up staying almost the entire hour!  I kept thinking to myself over and over, WOW!  And this is just a neighborhood church!  I couldn’t wait to go home and tell Michael about it. (He did get a chance at a later time to get inside and take this picture.)

During the Christmas Season, most neighborhood squares set up small outdoor market stalls.  The selection here on this square was mostly sausages, a few candles and some small homemade crafts.Podebrad Christmas market

What I enjoyed most were the snacks.  Besides hot spiced wine they served trdlo, a soft yeast dough which is wrapped around a hot metal pin and baked into a cylinder, then rolled in ground nuts, cinnamon and sugar.trdlo, cinnamon donuts in Prague Christmas markets

Now back to the name, Jihiro z Podebrad and how it got us into trouble.

We were riding the Metro and getting somewhat near our stop when an announcement came several times over the loudspeaker. Michael hopefully asked me, “Did you understand what is being said?”  Sometimes I do understand, but this time, I had no clue.  We just shrugged our shoulders and paid no more attention.

We got to our stop and got off with some lively youngsters.  As we turned the corner we suddenly saw that the escalator was not moving!  Huh?  Then. . . it dawned on us THAT was what the announcement was about.  Warning people who wanted the Jihiro z Podebrad stop NOT to get off  but to go to to the next stop and take the tram from there to wherever they needed to go.  Oh, my gosh!  If only we understood the Czech language better we would not be down here watching those youngsters run up the steps like mountain goats!  Oh well, we figured if we took it slow we would be fine, but before we got to the top our lungs were huffing and puffing and our legs were like lead!   I felt very very old, indeed!Prague has very deep Metro stations

How it looks from the top going down.looking up metro escalator

 

. . . and how it looks from somewhere in the middle looking up!

When we got to the top of the escalator, we had to tackle another short  flight of steps to the street level.  This particular exit brought us out directly in front of a bakery where we went in to have a coffee and catch our breath before tackling the steps to our 3rd floor apartment!

What a way to stay in shape!

Technorati Tags: Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord,Podebrad,Christmas Markets,Trdlo,Metro

An apology and the Hard Rock Cafe

Posted on by
2

OOPS!  My last Blog entitled “A Shopping Trip to Vietnam” was about SAPA.  Early in 2010 (January 7 to be exact) my husband wrote about the same thing: SAPA.

Obviously I was a bit careless in not realizing what had been previously written.  I will make sure it won’t happen again.

I  feel better now.  Thanks.

KarinHard Rock Cafe, Prague

 

Here is the Hard Rock Cafe in Prague.  I am not a fan of these restaurants, but my friend in Oregon has a son who is.  He sent a request asking if I could possibly find it and buy him a hat.  It turned out to be very easy to find as it is just off the Main Square in Old Town (Staromestske).  I purchased his hat from a  friendly salesman who was quite eager to speak to me in his very excellent English.  Looking around, I had to admit the Cafe looked to be a fun and hip place, but I always find the prices too expensive for my budget.

Technorati Tags: Hard Rock Cafe,Old Town

A Shopping Trip to Vietnam

Posted on by
1

Get ready for some unusual shopping.

Michael and I needed some fresh coriander for a recipe we wanted to make.  While Prague has some large and wonderful supermarkets such as Tesco, Albert or Aldi,  none had fresh coriander a.k.a. cilantro.  However we had heard, via the grapevine, of a great Vietnamese market – someplace out of town.  So the challenge was on!  Where on earth was this market?  And what was it called?

My “beagle nose” went directly to the internet and asked Google.  WOW!  That was almost too easy!  Words like “Little Hanoi”, “Vietnamese Markets”, and “SAPA” flew onto the first page.  From then on it was easy.  Using my “how to get there” notes from the SAPA site our evening was spent analyzing the map of the Metro stops and bus lines.  We were excited as it was billed as the Largest Vietnamese Market in Prague.

It turned out to be easy to find the correct Metro and then get the bus, but somehow WHERE to get off left us slightly bewildered.  During the trip many Vietnamese also got on and Michael smartly said, “Where they get off, we will too”!  HIS beagle nose was working!  And he was totally correct!  The entire busload of Asians got off and we did too.  I saw the huge sign: SAPA!

It was a short walk from the bus to the entrance which was not very pretty being mostly sheet metal walls and the first block seemed mostly to be empty buildings.  The day was cloudy with the constant threat of rain and  I was fighting the feeling of wishing we hadn’t come.  Suddenly we turned the corner and found ourselves standing before streets of tiny buildings and a huge area of canvas type stalls.  WOW!

The fish markets were full of strange looking fish.  Most of which were alive and swimming in deep vats.  Some were on ice.  Some were dried.  The smells were a bit overpowering at times with aromas I was not use to.part of asian market in Prague

 

Next were the green grocers and little markets, row after row of them.  Selling the most interesting items which looked very strange to my eyes.  However, it was in such a shop that we found our fresh coriander!SAPA asian market in Prague

 

Next came acres of clothing stalls . . . all under canvas roofs.  It almost felt like the fair grounds I use to go to at the Oregon State Fair.  Each stall seemed to be independent from the other.  The owners (or helpers) were standing in coats and gloves with only a small heater to warm them.  Many got delivery service from the local restaurants such as hot tea and bowls of soup.  I imagine it made a cold day seem better!  And as in most family businesses, little kids were playing around.

 

These stalls sell amazing things –  all on the affordable/cheap side.  Perfect for me because I only wanted a simple knit hat to match my winter jacket.   I found not only one but two that were perfect!  Most of the Vietnamese do not speak English, and very little Czech and I don’t speak Vietnamese or Czech, so language was a slight problem.  Bargaining is expected which for me is not a pleasant aspect of any purchase.  Imagine trying to come to an agreeable price using strange languages and an adding machine!  But I managed to knock off a few koruna!  We walked for what seemed like miles, looking at clothing, knockoff perfumes, household items, toys, Vietnamese music and newspapers, most of which is imported either from Vietnam or China.

After all that walking we began to have hunger pangs and realized we were quite late for lunch.  I learned when reading about SAPA that the restaurants here offer some of the best Vietnamese food to be found in all of the Czech Republic.  The smells coming out of the tiny restaurants were to die for!  We chose one and ordered a Vietnamese specialty:  a bowl of Pho, which is soup in a fragrant broth with rice noodles, floating with pieces of either beef or chicken pieces, cilantro and spring onions.  Delicious!

It was a great day full of interesting discoveries and we hated to leave but told each other we would definitely come again.  I would suggest this as a site to see in Prague!

Later Discovery:  SAPA occupies the grounds of a former slaughterhouse and also houses a primary school and a Buddhist temple, beauty salons, a casino and travel agents for various Asian countries. It is named after a town of the same name in northern Vietnam.

How we went: Take bus 113 from metro Kacerov or bus 198 from Smichovske nadrazi  bus station to Sidlisce Pisnice.

SAPA is open daily from 9:00-20:00

Technorati Tags: markets,SAPA,Vietemese,Asian,Chinese