The Pivo and Puppets of Prague

Prague is a wonderful city to wander around. It’s tightly packed with narrow, winding cobbled streets and there’s so much to see and do, especially in the Staré Mesto (old town) and Northern Malá Strana areas. I could have easily spent 2-3 more days roaming around and admiring the architecture – old and new. As beautiful as Prague is, certain areas (such as the Astronomical Clock) get insanely busy so we found ourselves becoming inventive in trying to find alternative places to check out away from the crowds.

One of those places was the Sedlec Ossuary in Kostnice, near Kutna Hora. It had been briefly featured in the TV series “Long Way Round” and we thought that it would also be overrun with tourists but it wasn’t too bad. Kutna Hora is an hour train ride out of Prague and definitely worth a visit for the Ossuary and to see the Cathedral of St. Barbara. We also found a fantastic and great value lunch at Pivnice Dacicky, a Czech beer hall in the centre of this still quiet town.

On the final night of our two and half day trip, we succumbed to a central tourist attraction and bought tickets to the Prague Marionette Company’s presentation of Don Giovanni at Karlová 12. Unsure as to what to expect, we were both completely blown away by the beautiful pocket-sized theatre and the incredible dexterity of the five young puppeteers responsible for the performance that evening. It’s one form of Prague entertainment that I would urge anyone to check out.

Quick Tips:

If you come to Prague in the hopes of spending small change on food and accommodation be warned that the price of this city’s popularity is being paid, and charged. Even youth hostel rooms don’t come cheap. We only stayed in Prague for three nights and looked long and hard online for a good deal in a central location, which we kind of found at Pension Unitas so it definitely pays to book as far in advance as possible.

If you do take a train trip to Kutna Hora (or anywhere else for that matter) make sure you arrive with plenty of time to spare before your train departs. The Czech boards indicating trains and platforms seem extremely complicated and the station staff aren’t overly helpful or fluent in English (that’s not a criticism though as my Czech is non-existent). The train we caught left Prague at 10.01am and returned at 3.02pm although there was another departure from Kutna Hora scheduled at 5.07pm.

I’d also recommend trying absinthe. You can’t drink it in many other places in the world and it’s worth it just to know what a mouth-paralyzing experience feels like!

Best Way To Get Around:

For us staying in such a central location, walking was definitely the best way to get around although if you go any time during winter or spring, I’d advise taking a waterproof jacket. Prague is very pedestrian friendly but there are good alternative options with a network of tramlines and a well-connected metro system. You do have to buy tickets before you enter though which are available from newsagents and metro station ticket offices although it helps if you have the right change on hand.

When we landed into Prague from Stanstead airport we followed guidebook directions for the cheapest route into town by catching the 119 bus to Dejvická, which is at the end of the Metro’s green A line. You buy one ticket, which is valid on the bus and metro and costs around 60c per person. Note that you have to buy an additional (half-price) ticket for large suitcases and backpacks. From there we caught the metro into the city centre. Besides being a cheap way to travel it was also a good introduction to the city and helped us get situated at the start of the trip.

Pension Unitas is handily nestled on Bartolomejska, between the Nové Mesto (New Town) and the Staré Mesto. The nearest metro stop is Národní trida on the B line but I must mention that at the time of my writing, Pension Unitas is closed for renovation! According to their website it is due to re-open in autumn, 2007.

The history of Pension Unitas dates back to the 1700s. A chapel was established on the site and later became part of a convent and was used as such up until 1949, when the Communist regime took it over as a facility for interrogation, imprisonment, and torture. As the Unitas website aptly notes, "the house of prayers turned into the house of horror."

When we stayed there last year, we booked a twin room. At 1580czk ($74) / night it doesn’t sound like a particularly cheap hostel option but compared to many other places in the Staré Mesto, it was a bargain. Even dorm prices start at $16 / night.

We arrived late in the afternoon and were greeted by a friendly member of staff who provided us with a city map and explained a few basic rules, the most important of which was that we must check out by 10am on our day of departure. This request was emphasized so heavily that I wondered if staff had been left emotionally scarred from past lethargy-afflicted tenants. As we gained access to the hallowed halls of Pension Unitas, we found that the rules had even been painted on the walls: "Please check out until 10am" (sic) and "Please keep the night silence". As much as I make fun, I must admit that I soon developed a newfound appreciation for their fanatical guidelines.

We found our room next door to one of the communal bathrooms. It was extremely narrow, just about wide enough for the bed. However tall ceilings and a large window, which faced onto a central courtyard and caught the rays of the afternoon sun dispelled any possible feelings of claustrophobia. The room was basic but clean and they provided clean towels. The bathroom next door was also clean, with a handful of shower cubicles and sinks. Toilets were dotted along the long, echoey corridors. We found out late one night just how well the acoustics work courtesy of a group who decided not to "keep the night silence". The sound of their chatting and door slamming woke us up as it reverberated up and down the hall. The disturbance was interesting though, giving us an idea of how sound travels in an ex-prison environment.

Breakfast was included but was such a disappointment that after the first morning we decided not to go back. Along with tea and coffee there was a small selection of meat, cheese, economy bread, and heavily diluted orange juice.

Overall I would say that Pension Unitas rates highly for staff efficiency and is a reasonable budget option considering its city centre location.

www.unitas.cz

April isn’t the kindest month for visitors to Prague. We endured three days of cold, wind, and intermittent April showers and whilst we tried hard to avoid tourist traps, we were very happy that we succumbed to the warmth and charms of U Fleku. We had originally been searching for the Rybarsky Klub restaurant, where our guidebook promised “great value in a riverside location.” Half of the statement was true. Cold and weary we took our wallets to U Fleku instead, where we found music, sausages, beer, and warmth.

The modest exterior of U Fleku belies the jumping beer halls you find inside. An ornate clock and date stamp of 1499 point to the history of this building. Inside the care taken to preserve this beautiful brewery is obvious. Stained glass windows and wrought iron chandeliers allow light to bounce off the dark wooden wall paneling and frescoes in one room hearken back to medieval times.

The service style at U Fleku may seem disorganized but it’s functional. We plonked ourselves down on a bench at one long table and were promptly served two tankards of their signature black beer, which is a perfect brew on a cold dark day. A cheery accordion player dressed in a bright blue waistcoat and green “U Fleku” baseball cap patrolled the room playing tunes that corresponded to customers’ nationality. Apparently the anthem for England is “Yellow Submarine” and “Battle of the Hymn Republic” is for the USA. Given that U Fleku was filled with mostly German, British, and American tourists, the repertoire was somewhat limited although the German patrons certainly livened up their dedication by singing along with a great deal of passion.

We both ordered a sausage plate: two giant, juicy sausages and a big crusty pretzel-like bread roll. On the side were big dollops of ketchup, mustard, horseradish, and coleslaw. As if that wasn’t enough, I decided to order a plate of potato dumplings too. The slices of dumpling were dry, chewy, and spongy and not at all what I was expecting but they were quite tasty and very dense and filling. The bread and sausages were gobbled up fast and washed down with another glass of black beer, all of which made me feel like I was eating in a different century.

To finish up we took one of the servers up on his offer of a shot of “Czech medicine”. The waiters circle the room with trays of this clear liquid. It had been offered to us as soon as we’d sat down and we wrongly assumed that it was complimentary. We decided to split a shot (which is actually quite a generous pour) and I can report that it has a very strong taste of ginger although we were advised that it contains various herb varietals. What medicinal qualities it possesses though I could not tell you.

Just up the road from U Fleku we found Pivovarsky Dum. After all the tourist activity we wanted to explore a brewery that is known to attract a more local clientele. Pivovarsky Dum certainly lacks the historical beer hall ambience and looks more like a souvenir shop from the outside with its large window displays wooden barrels and old beer bottles.

The interior was bright and open, with light coming in from the large windows across from the bar. The decor and furnishings definitely hide the age of Pivovarsky Dum. This micro-brewery only opened in 1998 but has an old school French bar feel, with a broad band of black and white chequered tilework along the walls and copper railings sitting atop wooden partitions. If you look up, you’ll see that the room is bordered by rows of assorted beer bottles and drinking glasses. There was definitely a lot of care and consideration when it came to designing the bar, which is dominated by two large copper beer vats at its far end. They’re part of the brewery, which extends into another room and can be seen through a viewing window.

Ordering their basic brew is straightforward as the options are light, dark or mixed. We ordered one light beer and one mixed beer and to add a kick to the afternoon, we requested a 2cl shot of absinthe. Drinking the beer was a no-brainer but tackling the absinthe required a bit more thought. The glass came with some sachets of sugar and a teaspoon. After a few minutes of debate we decided to avoid potential embarrassment and asked the bartender for help.

He silently heated the sugar on the teaspoon with a lighter until the sugar caramelized and then immediately stirred the mixture into the absinthe. If this technique is meant to sweeten the shot then I didn’t taste it. I took a very timid sip and my mouth went numb for about 10 seconds. I know I’m somewhat of a lightweight but it’s an indication of what 70% alcohol is capable of. My husband likened the taste to Spanish patxaran but admitted that absinthe is a lot stronger.

If you’re feeling more adventurous on the beer, they have an interesting selection of flavoured brews, including coffee, sour-cherry, vanilla, banana or “Samp”, a type of beer-champagne.

Their food menu looked enticing too, with plenty of pork, beef, rabbit, and dumpling dishes and a decent selection of vegetarian options. After our sausage plate at U Fleku we weren’t ready for another meal but decided to soak up some of the alcohol with some apple strudel. Sadly it was implanted with walnuts (which I can’t eat). They brought us two slices dusted with powdered sugar and I’m guessing it was good as my husband polished off both pieces without too much difficulty.

After the 20-minute walk from Sedlec into the town of Kutna Horá we were keen to find somewhere good to eat. The town seemed unusually quiet for the lunch hour and when we found the door to Pivnice Dacicky, we were worried that this beer hall would be deserted too.

Thankfully we did find life as well as wonderful food inside Pivnice Dacicky. The first space you enter into is a long, wood-paneled room reminiscent of U Fleku. In the middle of the room hangs a fantastic chandelier and opposite the bar there’s a giant painting. It was a warm and cosy room but unfortunately open to smokers, which prompted us to seek refuge in the slightly less visually attractive non-smoking area at the back of the restaurant. This room looked newer and was empty apart from one group of foreign visitors and was lighter and more open than the main hall. It also overlooked a central courtyard area, which I assume is open to customers in the summer.

After looking through their extensive menu we decided that it would be foolish not to go for their set menu lunch for 89czk ($4.19) per person. We started with a hearty potato soup, followed by a thick, rich wild boar goulash with cranberries and potato dumplings. I can’t say that I’ve had wild boar before but it was really tasty. I’m not a big red meat eater but it was very tender and left me with the same satisfied feeling I get after eating a roast dinner on Christmas Day. The dumplings were arranged neatly in a ring on top of the goulash and garnished with a slice of orange in the middle, adding fresh sweetness to the dish.

We noticed that the plates, beer glasses, and even the light fixtures bore the head of man who reminded me vaguely of Sir Walter Raleigh. Later research revealed that this gentleman is the taverns namesake, Mikulas Dacicky von Heslov, a Czech poet, and chronicler who worked in Kutna Hora in the late 1500s. I don’t know too much more about him but it seems that he documented valuable information about the mining and minting that occurred in Kutna Hora at that time. According to the Pivnice Dacicky website, his "reputation is immortalised in Kutná Hora history as an important writer and a dedicated Renaissance gourmand, hearty imbiber, and womaniser."

We were slightly less reckless and gluttonous (apparently they can roast an entire piglet for you if you call ahead) but decided to finish off with some apple strudel, this time without walnuts. My husband tried one of their beers but I opted for an unseasonable but deliciously fresh strawberry juice, which I would definitely recommend if, like me, having a lunchtime beer renders you somewhat useless for the rest of the day.

www.dacicky.com

A cup of tea at the Grand Café Orient is no ordinary experience. First opened in 1912, this was and thankfully still is a wonderful contribution to the cubist movement. The café is located on the first floor of the House of the Black Madonna and in its first incarnation only lasted for ten years. In the 1920s cubism was no longer deemed to be fashionable and the café was forced to close.

Located above a corner bookshop, we ascended a dark, quiet staircase and wondered if perhaps the Grand Café Orient was still closed up and long forgotten but the first floor hallway opened out into a broad, bright space that is very much alive and kicking. Smoke hung in the air as tired tourists and Czech fashionistas celebrated Cubism with a coffee and a cigarette. A tall, glass display case is ingeniously placed by the entrance, so the first thing you see when you walk into the room is a radiant tower of cakes. I was thinking about a dessert order before we’d even been shown to a table, let alone laid eyes on the menu.

Green and white striped window booths line the windows and every one was occupied. We were directed to a small circular table in the middle of the room where we were presented with a thick, spiral bound menu where food, drink and the history of the café were recorded in Czech and English. After an excessive lunch, we decided to exercise some self-restraint and ordered a simple Earl Grey tea and cappuccino. There’s a lot to admire about the Grand Café, even if Cubism isn’t your, um, cup of tea. It has been elegantly and beautifully restored and when you look at the old black and white early 1990s photograph in the menu beside the more recent colour version, you can see first hand that it’s been an impressive and honorable restoration. The green and white furniture is offset by marble tabletops, dark wooden flooring, and chic black and white signage. Even the golden coat hooks weren’t overlooked in the renovation.

For a place that calls itself a café, I felt distinctly under-dressed in hiking boots and jeans. I certainly didn’t feel like we were looked down upon but this is a place which seems to demand a level of class, intellect or style, none of which I felt I had that day!

The Grand Café Orient is open for milkshakes, coffee, tea, wine, and cocktails, and offers an impressive breakfast and lunch menu that caters to the more discerning palate. Apparently there’s also live piano music that can be enjoyed between 4-7pm, Tuesday to Friday although we sadly missed that experience. If you want to look before you try, go to their website where their complete menu with prices is listed.

cafeorient@volny.cz
www.grandcafeorient.cz

My husband and myself first heard about the Sedlec Ossuary near Kutna Horá after watching Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman visit during their series Long Way Round. It seemed like such an improbable construction – a church decorated in bones from the remains of over 40,000 people – that we obviously had to go and see it with our own eyes.

Not knowing what time the trains left Prague for Kutna Horá, we decided to get an early start. We arrived at Prague station just before 9am but unfortunately the next train wasn’t leaving until 10.01am. Buying the tickets was easy and very cheap at 220czk ($10.36) for two adult round trip tickets. In the end we were relieved that we had an hour until the train departed, as it took almost that long to find the correct platform. There was no pre-assigned seating on the train but it was fairly quiet. The carriages were fine but visibly shabby with muddy windows that made it hard to enjoy the views on the hour-long journey.

It was a short walk from the station to the Sedlec Ossuary in a tiny suburb called Kostnice. We paid 100czk ($4.70) for a photo pass and two student tickets, which is expensive given the chapel’s diminutive size, but reasonable for the bizarre factor. The Schwarzenberg family purchased the Ossuary in 1870 and decided to allow a local carpenter to show his creativity through various bone sculptures and arrangements. Skulls and other human bones have been piled into pyramids, strung into garlands and chandeliers, and arranged into a myriad of other compositions to adorn a chapel that would otherwise stand bare and ordinary. The spectacle teeters somewhere between incredible and distasteful. The graveyard (which is used as a more traditional receptacle of human remains) surrounding the chapel is small and less remarkable, and amplifies the feeling of tourist intrusion on a small, peaceful village.

The next stop was Kutna Horá itself, which is another 20-minute walk. Kutna Horá is larger but wasn’t much livelier than Kostnice. It felt like everyone was taking a mid-week siesta. We wandered around its quaint, winding streets, trying to locate a decent place to stop for lunch. Two of the three recommendations in our guidebook looked decidedly dead so we headed for Pivnice Dacicky, which didn’t look like much from the outside either but opened up into a completely different world inside (see separate dining entry for review). The ornate stone detail on the crumbling building next door caught our attention, giving us one reason to be grateful that UNESCO decided to add Kutna Horá to its World Heritage list in 1996.

We walked down to the imposing Cathedral of St. Barbara, which is guarded by a terrace of thirteen stone sculptures of various saints somehow related to the town. The line-up was inspired by Prague’s Charles Bridge and you can see the similarities. From here there are wonderful views over the town and countryside, which stretch pretty far on a clear afternoon. We walked around the cathedral but sadly didn’t have the time to venture inside in a bid to catch a mid-afternoon train back to Prague. St. Barbara is massive and apparently rivals St. Vitus in size. In fact had the silver deposits not run dry, Kutna Horá could have been a contender for becoming the Czech capital and the cathedral certainly gives an idea of the towns past grandeur and importance.

I was sad that we didn’t have more time to explore Kutna Horá but we had more to see and do in Prague and time wasn’t on our side. Had we caught the bus into town we would have had a bit more time to play with. In addition, the walk from Sedlec to Kutna Horá isn’t that compelling and you’re forced to walk along a main road for most of the way. I would definitely recommend doing this half-day trip, or make it a full day if you’re able to move at a more leisurely pace. We caught the bus back to the station, which took all of five minutes and gave us four minutes to spare before the 3.02pm tra

For our first venture we decided to roam the streets and take in some of the main sights. We headed for Charles Bridge in the old town and soon found out that it was the starting point for many walking tours, not just ours. Umbrella wielding tour guides rounded up their flocks taking them across the bridge and up to Prague Castle. We opted for a self-guided tour and admittedly got less out of it in terms of education but at least our sanity was still in tact by the end as we were free to escape down side streets if we wanted to.

On a slightly damp April day, the number of street vendors and entertainers that lined the Charles Bridge seemed a little depleted compared to the numbers I’d seen on various travel programs. It didn’t appear to dampen any spirits though as tourists lined up to rub the bronze of St. John of Nepomuk and a small group of musicians played slow jazz to passersby. Thirty statues line the bridge, some gazing skywards with a look of desperation, others standing defiant but almost all coated in an ominous cloak of black.

We continued onward and upward along Mostecka passing the fabulous doors of St. Nicholas Church. We then walked the final steps along Nerudova and Ke Hradu to Prague Castle. We unwittingly arrived in time to see the changing of the guard which is almost as much of a non-event as the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace except that the soldiers here walk through the onlookers rather than conducting the entire affair separated from the crowds. As the spectators folded in we allowed ourselves to be swept along to the magnificent St. Vitus Cathedral. The stained glass windows and frescoes were remarkable, and there are wonderful chapels to explore. My favourite was the Chapel of St. Wenceslas where walls decorated in gold and crimson unintentionally evoked the rich, sumptuous feel of a medieval boudoir.

We escaped the cathedral through a side door and found ourselves heading downhill by way of the old castle steps towards Pod Bruskou. The narrow pathway is lined with quaint market stalls offering tourist temptations such as jewelry, marionettes, and miniature perfume bottles encrusted in sparkling stones.

We headed south along Klarov to the river, heading towards the small island of Kampa in search of the Rybarsky Klub on U Sovovych Mtynu. We eventually found it tucked away close to the Legii Most bridge but the inflated prices and dour atmosphere put us off so we crossed over into the new town and followed the river south toward Rasinovo Nabrezi. We walked far enough to see the Frank Gehry and Valdo Milunic designed Tancici Dum: the Dancing Building, also known as Fred and Ginger. It definitely stands out against the other riverside architecture but I kind of liked its bold curves, which make somewhat of a statement of defiance against the more traditional lines of its neighbour.

By this time we were cold and hungry so we moved quickly along Myslikova and up Kremencova for a lunch stop at the U Fleku brewery. Dragging ourselves out of its warmth and charms, we backtracked south to Resslova then headed east across the Karlovo namesti gardens for a post-lunch beer and absinthe at Pivovarsky Dum. By this time the exercise and the alcohol had taken their toll so we headed back to our hostel close to the old town for a well-earned rest.

The following day, after our outing to Kutna Hora, we walked from the main train station back into town, from the imposing National Museum building along the long shopping thoroughfare of Wenceslas Square. We didn’t stop at any of the shops as they seemed to be your run of the mill high street clothing and fashion shops and I guess it’s a good place to come if you want to check out the latest Czech styles.

Heading northwest, we made our way to the Old Town Square to watch the Astronomical Clock strike 4pm. Along with a few thousand tourists, we craned our necks to see the parade of the twelve Apostles. By the time