Prague Restaurants: Kolkvona, Slavia and American Bar

Czech food is tasty and delicious. This was our final opinion, after tried some restaurants in Prague.

KOLKVONA

Kolkovna restaurant was the least expensive restaurant we went to. A very good choice, not only because of the quality of the food and the nice affordable prices, but especially due to its location, nearby the Spanish Synagogue.

The soup - with homemade noodles - was absolutely delicious.

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And the apple strudel... Yummy, don't you agree? ;-)

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 SLAVIA CAFE

This famous historical cafe, located in front of the romantic Charles Bridge and the National Theater, was founded in 1884.

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I loved its atmosphere:  the large bay windows offering great views of the Vitava River, the Art Déco wall decorations, the old style tailcoats of the staff, the delicious food. I strongly recommend the salad I ordered, with basil, tomato, boiled eggs, almonds and bacon. A refreshing and healthy choice after the several meat dishes of the previous days.

THE AMERICAN BAR

If you intend to go for a concert in the Municipal House, take a look at the The American Bar. There you can taste the famous Czech liqueur Becherovka - a drink flavored with anise seed, cinnamon, and approximately 32 more herbs. Enjoy!

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Do you have a favorite cafe or restaurant in Prague? Any suggestions?

(to be continued)

Prague: Street Food

Let's remember Prague, where we were exactly one year ago, to celebrate our wedding anniversary? This time, I will share with you our gastronomical experiences... ;-)

Street Food in the Old Town Square

A stall of roasted pork meat. I loved it! The food was absolutely delicious!

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In Prague, we find  many beggars in the streets, most of them, with the head laid on the ground, in a prayer position. During our lunch, at this stall of roasted pork, an old beggar started to look at us and the food we were eating. Since our meal was very well served, I put half aside, along with a slice of bread, to give him. He accepted it, but he went to eat it elsewhere, and not at the table as we suggested.

In this photo, Ceske Trdlo. In Portugal, we would call it "rosca".

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Just loved it! That flavor of cinnamon and sugar, delicious! And with a glass of gluhwein, oh la la...it's really great. A perfect way to finish a nice street meal, don't you think? ;-)

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Do you have a favorite street food? Have you ever tried street food in Prague? 

Prague IV (The Josefov)

Take a day, at least, to enjoy properly Prague's Jewish Quarter, or should I say, the Josefov. Along your journey through the six Synagogues, you'll learn the Jews History in the Czech Lands and experience some unforgettable moments.


Helaas, it is not allowed to photograph inside the Synagogues. I only managed  - and I needed to be very quick- to take one photo of the Spanish Synagogue. This Synagogue (1868)  took its name from its Moorish decorative elements.

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A visit to the Old Jewish cemetery was also included in the itinerary. Considered the most visited monument in Prague, it's the largest and best preserved Jew's cemetery in whole Europe.

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We went there after visiting Pinkas Synagogue where we experienced the most touching moments of this journey.

Pinkas is dedicated to the Jewish Holocaust victims from Bohemia and Moravia.

In the main nave, we find their names together with their dates of birth and death. This was like a punch in the stomach and I couldn't avoid some tears.
A lady was praying there and, looking at her, I felt ashamed fot what happened in the Holocaust. I thought about the families and all that they had been through....

Another impressive moment would follow, while seeing the children's drawings of Theresienstadt concentration camp. Each drawing is presented with the name (and sometimes the photo) of the child who made it. Each and every child become suddenly very real to us. Looking at their photos - those happy smile photos- taken months or years before their arrival to Theresienstadt, it's difficult to imagine them imprisoned in the concentration camp.

In the room, everybody walked in a very silent way. After a while, I needed to leave the room to get some breath. I stood nearby the window in the corridor and from there, the view of the Old Jew cemetery gave me some sense of peace. A couple of minutes later I was able to return to the room again.

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Friedl Dicker-Brandeis (a former pupil of Paul Klee and a Bahaus graduate) was the artist and Art teacher who created the drawing classes for the children in Theresienstadt concentration camp. In September 1944, her husband was transported to Auschwitz and she volunteered for the next transport to join him. But before she was taken away, she gave to the chief tutor of the Girls' Home L 410, two suitcases with 4,500 drawings. F. Dicker-Brandeis died in Birkenau on 9 October 1944. After the war, the children's drawings were recovered and handed over to the Jewish Museum in Prague.

Theresienstadt is located nearby the Czech capital. You can schedule a visit to the camp, if you wish to. In the Synagogue's reception, they will give you all the information you need for.
...

Already outside, I could relax a bit more, after such an impressive visit. I let myself to be enchanted and overwhelmed by the outstanding Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Baroque and Art Nouveau building façades of the Jewish quarter. In a certain way, I felt I was in Paris. Our visit to the Marais crossed my mind for a couple of seconds. I shared it here with you, remember? :-)

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From Prague Buildings

I ended my day looking at the clear bue sky and at the Sun effects in those beautiful buildings in the Josefov.

The word "HOPE" crossed my mind for a while, as well as the words of Pablo Neruda:

"You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming."

(to be continued)

Prague III

In the Castle, I found particulary interesting the walk in the Golden Lane.

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This small street of historic houses dates from the 15th century.

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There we can buy souvenirs, snacks and drinks.

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The Golden Lane was originally known as the Goldsmith's Lane, due to the many goldsmiths residing here.

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In the Castle, another interesting point is the oldest city's vineyard.

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The Castle is the perfect place to be if we want to enjoy great panoramics of Prague.

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Again some images from Lisbon crossed my mind, seeing these white houses.

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It was already evening when we crossed Charles bridge again.

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Arriving in the other side of the Vitava river on our way to the Old Town Square, I felt once more in Lisbon, more precisely, in the Downtown, on the way to Praça do Comércio, coming from Rua da Alfândega, or going to the Rua do Arsenal...

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(to be continued)

Prague II

On our way to the Castle, there is plenty to see and visit, like Saint Nicholas Church, for example, the largest of Prague's churches, founded by the Jesuits and a masterpiece of Baroque style.

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All the interior of St. Nicholas Church is decorated with statues, paintings and frescoes.

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Above the Baroque organ there is a fresco of St. Cecilia, patron saint of music. This organ was played by Mozart in 1787.

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Another beautiful church that deserves a special visit is Our Lady Victorious church, the home of the famous Child-Jesus statue called the Infant Jesus of Prague.

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According to Wikipedia, "on 26 September 2009 Pope Benedict XVI declared the church and the Infant Jesus the first station on the Apostolic Road in the Czech Republic. The Pontiff also donated a gold crown, decorated with eight shells, pearls, and garnet gemstones to the Infant Jesus of Prague, which the statue dons today".

Already in the Castle, the great Saint Vitus Cathedral, the seat of the Archbishop of Prague, was waiting for us. This cathedral, an excellent example of Gothic architecture and the biggest and most important church in the country, contains the tombs of many Bohemian Kings and Holy Roman Emperors.

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Helaas, it was closed when we arrived, so we paid more attention to the architectural details.

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(to be continued)

Prague I

Let me take you to the most wonderful places we have been in Prague...

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What about a visit to the magical traditional puppet stores?

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There are several in the city waiting for us. :-)

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Do you want to buy a puppet to "protect your house"? ;-)

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I think I will buy one. I only don't know which. I like them all!! :-))

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1 o'clock already?

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Let''s have lunch in the Old Town Square and enjoy good live music,

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surrounded by beautiful buildings and amazing monuments as the Astronomical Clock.

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Shall we go to the castle now?
To get there we should cross Charles Bridge, one of the most beautiful European bridges, decorated with 30 statues, most of them baroque-style, originally erected around 1700, but now all of them replaced by replicas.

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At this point of Charles Bridge, we pray to John of Nepomuk. He was thrown into the river Vltava from Charles Bridge on 20 March 1393 at the behest of Wenceslaus, King of the Romans and King of Bohemia. According to the tradition, if you ask him for something now, your wish will become true within a year.

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After crossing Charles Bridge, we are at Malá Strana.
This street reminds me of the second largest Portuguese city, Oporto, because of the colours of the houses.

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And this one, reminds me of Lisbon, between Graça and São Vicente de Fora...

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(to be continued)

Prague: A Romantic Jewel

Prague opens for us enchanted doors ....

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and invites us to roam on its very well preserved historic streets full of lovely details ...

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giving us the key to discover a kingdom of...

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romance ...

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adventure...

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faith...

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courage...

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strong beliefs...

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innocence...

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music...

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art...

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glamour...

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fun...

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fantasy...

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dreams...

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wonder...

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the best time of your life...

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and the secret wish...

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to come back again very soon... ;-)

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