Prague Day 3, Czech Republic- The Vyserhrad

PRAGUE DAY 3

On our third full day in Prague, May 13th, we checked out of Pension Lucie and moved across town to Hotel City Club Prague, located near the I.P. Pavlova metro station. We were disappointed that we couldn’t stay one more night at Pension Lucie, but the location of Hotel City Club was much more convenient. After checking into our attic room, we set out on foot to the Vysehrad, an ancient clifftop fortress. The Vyserhrad was located pretty much right down the street from our hotel, but to get there we had to cross a super long bridge over a canyon. It was thrilling looking down at the long rows of apartment buildings below and tiny little cars parked on the sidewalks.

joji_avelino__MG_0514 — Looking Down from a Bridge, Prague

The Vyserhrad was easy to find, located next to the metro stop by the same name.

IMGP2110 — Entering the Vysehrad

IMGP2116 — SS Peter & Paul Church Inside the Vysehrad, Prague

IMGP2115 — Detail Above the Door of the SS Peter & Paul Church

We wandered around, enjoying the views from the hill top fortress situated along the river, and found a park in which to sit and eat our picnic lunch.

IMGP2119 — Park in the Vysehrad

IMGP2121 — View from the Vysehrad

IMGP2130

View of Many Bridges (5) from the Vysehrad, Prague After our stroll through the Vysehrad we walked back to our room for a late afternoon nap. In the evening, when we had regained our energy, we walked in the other direction to Wenceslas Square. We thought we were going to have to take the metro, but Hotel City Club was plenty close enough to walk to Wenceslas Square. Wenceslas Square, Prague While wandering through the Nove Mesto (New Town) area we stumbled upon one of David Cerny’s art pieces that I had read about- St Wenceslas and his horse upside down. St Wenceslas and his horse by David Cerny We wanted to try some more traditional food, so for dinner we found a restaurant with Czech dishes on the menu. We enjoyed the meal and the ambiance. The underground room we sat in had a curved brick ceiling and it felt as though we were in a castle dungeon. I tried the spiced hot wine, which was very tasty. It’s like apple cider, only with wine. George had another Czech beer, but to us, it’s still just beer. Spiced Wine For dinner I tried the classic svickova na smetane, translated roughly to “candle sauce” (roast beef with sour-cream sauce and cranberries), served with knedliky (bread dumplings). Yes, I ate beef. Perhaps for the first time in 10 years. I really wanted to try some traditional Czech food, and other than the vegetarian option of fried cheese, if you want to eat Czech food you are going to have to eat meat. I enjoyed the meal and liked the sauce a lot, but I’m not going to start eating beef again. Svickova (Candle Sauce) George tried something like knedlozelo-vepro (bread dumplings, sauerkraut, and roast pork). His meal came with both bread and potato dumplings. The knedliky (dumplings) are not at all what we think of dumplings being. The potato ones are more liked sliced boiled potatoes and the fluffy bread ones are like dense slices of bread. Let’s just say the dumplings weren’t our favorite. Overall, it was a very enjoyable meal. ) Knedlozelo-vepro (Roast Pork with Dumplings) And let’s not forget the dessert! We had to try strudel, which was not what we expected, but still yummy. Strudel After dinner, with full bellies, we headed over to the river side to take some photos with the bridge and castle lit up. Prague Castle and Charles Bridge at Night Old Town Square (Staromestske nam) at Night, Prague And then it was time to call it a night.