Photo by Martin Krchnacek on Unsplash
By Camille Siegel
What started out as my birthday gift to my husband in 2020, a beautiful trip to Prague and Karlovy Vary, turned out to be a long-delayed journey of over a year and a half due to COVID-19. But it was worth the wait!
Prague is a city steeped in magical beauty and fascinating history which permeates every corner. We departed from Paris for the belated birthday trip in November 2021 and landed in the early evening.
With the winter chill in the air, it set the mood for a wonderful overture to the city. After we checked into our lovely hotel at the Charles Bridge Palace Hotel, which is a two-minute walk to the historic Charles Bridge, we set off on an evening exploration walk across the bridge into the twilight of the evening.
With no set dinner agenda in place since we didn’t know if our plane would be delayed, we “winged it” and came upon a fantastic surprise.
As we proceed to cross the bridge, my husband captured the most amazing photos as we stopped to take in the sights along the way. With the crisp, cold evening and the beauty of our surroundings, we stumbled upon the most amazing little restaurant just at the right side of the bridge called Pod Věží.
The ambience was simply magical. We stepped into a place of real old-world surroundings with antiques and beautiful pictures to add to the magic. We dined on pumpkin dumplings with creamy cheese to beef tenderloin steak, foie gras, truffle caviar, wine sauce, and potato purée.
With a tall Czech beer for my husband and a nice glass of red for me, the dinner was as memorable as it was romantic. We topped off the evening with a dessert to stimulate the senses: chocolate cake, sour cherries, griotte, and meringues—yummy!
The staff were so delightful, they even offered us a wonderful nightcap of traditional Česká pálenka / Bohemian Spirits. With full tummy’s in tow, we departed the restaurant with beautiful memories.
My husband and I proceeded to walk back across the Charles Bridge, stopping along the way to admire the winter sights while soaking up the atmosphere for a peaceful return back to the hotel.
Day 2
After a wonderful slumber after our long journey from Paris, we awoke head downstairs for the buffet breakfast. All the scrumptious delights of a dream breakfast were waiting our arrival. We dined on a multitude of tasty items such as eggs, pancakes, breads, and wonderful cereals.
With a vast amount to choose from, it was hard not to go overboard, but perseverance paid off and we chose wisely.
After breakfast, we started off our day with a Free Walking Tour of Prague with 1.2tours.com. Our tour guide, Aris, was amazing and full of wonderful knowledge about the city.
An American with a French background living in Prague for over 20 years, he gave us the grand tour of the city of Prague, from the Old Town Square, the Churches of Tyn and St. Nicholas, the Defenestrations of Prague, the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town, a walk by Charles University, the State Theatre, the Gunpowder Tower, the Spanish Synagogue, a walk to the Jewish Cemetery and the Old-New Synagogue, plus so much more.
With detailed insights into the history of Prague, we met at the The Rudolfinum, headquarters of the Czech Philharmonic, not to mention the beautiful statue to the Czech master himself, Antonín Dvořák. We also had one of the most spectacular views of Malá Strana and Prague Castle.
After the tour was over, my husband and I had lunch in the Old Town, with a view of the spectacular Prague Astronomical Clock. We continued our walk around the Old Town to peruse the wonderful stores and take in the sights along the way.
Since I had prepared many surprises for my husband’s birthday, I booked a special reservation at St. Clement’s Cathedral for a beautiful concert of Vivaldi and other famous Czech composers.
The church was exquisite, and the show was magical. My hubby was so surprised by my gift of music, he thoroughly enjoyed the show.
After the concert, I had another special surprise in store for my husband. I had booked a special reservation in the New Town up near Prague Castle at a wonderful old-world restaurant called U Císařů s.r.o., which translates to “At the Emperors.”
My husband and I walked up the hill and we stepped back in time. The interior had wonderful antiques everywhere, giving it the feeling of a time gone by. The ambience is composed of the original blacksmith’s bellows and wonderful, charming accents to complete this amazing dining experience.
With traditional Czech specialties to dine on, we had choices from a wine cellar dating back to the 13th century. All the makings for a special evening of charm and sophistication were there for our taking. We dined on English roast beef and honey-roasted dressing, what a great evening.
After our meal, we walked down the hill, stopping along the way to admire the view from the top of the castle which overlooks the beautiful city of Prague. The winding streets oozed history in every crevice and left us with a feeling of another era.
Day 3
On our third day in Prague, we decided to explore the areas we discovered on our walking tour in more detail. We proceeded to head back to the Jewish Quarter to get more immersed in the history and sights. With a wonderful walk around, we strolled down the charming streets to unearth history at every corner.
After, we ended up at a wonderful little restaurant for lunch called Danielas by Barock. This was a nice little find. My husband and I dined on pumpkin soup and a main dish of Barock Chicken, marinated in yogurt and chili, served with basmati rice, coriander, and red curry sauce.
After lunch, we walked around the old town and shopped at the adorable shops, while I searched for my birth stone in garnets. The Czech Republic is famous for its jewelry stores selling gorgeous garnets and lovely amber creations. Needless to say, my eyes were popping.
For our last evening in Prague, I made another surprise reservation for my husband’s birthday at a Medievel restaurant and show. He kept on kidding me that we were headed for a horse and carriage ride as the surprise—boy was he surprised.
We entered the medieval restaurant and walked down the stairs to another world. You really could feel the ambience in your pores as we settled into our seats seated next to two other couples, plus an American mom with a young daughter–she even had the same name as me–what are the odds?
Our table featured a fantastic mix of people from France, Greece, and the United States. It was a wonderful group of folks from all around the world. We had a great time with everyone and had some great conversations throughout the evening.
We dined on a five-course medieval supper with unlimited drinks in the heart of Prague. An exciting medieval performance delighted us all, with swordsmen, jugglers, and belly dancers, all accompanied by music in the medieval tradition. What a memorable night!
My husband and I left the restaurant with great memories as we walked back to our hotel. A perfect way to end our evening in Prague.
Day 4
We awoke early and had our last breakfast at hotel–boy was I sad to see that end. We then headed out to the bus station to go to our next exciting stop–Karlovy Vary.
The city of Karlovy Vary was founded in 1358. With such famous visitors as Peter the Great, Chopin, Schiller, Beethoven, and Goethe, to name a few, you are certainly in good company.
Furthermore, every year, famous actors and directors descend upon the town for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, one of the longest-running festival events in Europe.
With a two-hour ride ahead of us, we traveled through beautiful scenery to arrive in the charming spa town. Once there, we caught a taxi to the Grandhotel Pupp.
This Palace hotel dates back to 1701. What a beautiful sight to behold. I visited the town 20 years ago but never got to stay at this amazing hotel. This time, for my husband’s birthday, we pulled out all the stops for one night.
Our room was the size of a large studio apartment, with an ethereal view of the forest. I had always dreamt of staying at this hotel after seeing the adorable movie called Last Holiday, with Queen Latifah, Gerard Depardieu, Timothy Hutton, and LL Cool J. Dreams can come true!
Once there, we got dressed warmly and headed out to explore the town and grab some lunch. The weather was raining with a light mist. This certainly didn’t stop the enjoyment of living in the moment.
As we proceeded, we stopped and took many photos of the majestic scenery of the hot springs and colonnades, including the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, which is considered to be one of the most important Baroque structures in the Czech Republic.
The church was built in 1737 and boasts splendid interiors. We also wandered over to the Orthodox Church of St. Petersburg, another outstanding structure that was built in 1898.
Then it came time for lunch. We dined at a lovely Italian spot called Pizzeria Capri. We had a terrific lunch with a nice waiter. After our long walk in the rain, we headed back to the hotel to relax and regroup before the next big birthday surprise, a spa night at the Carlsbad Beer Spa.
We were greeted by a wonderful host who was hilarious and made our visit to the spa memorable with wonderful stories and anecdotes. She even offered to take photos for us so we could have some great shots in the spa.
With an original spa procedure based on the exclusive use of natural ingredients, materials, and old-Bohemian folk medicine recipes, not to mention all the beer you can drink in the tub, my husband and I relaxed in the tub for two for an hour, all while de-stressing. It was the perfect cap to an extraordinary day in the town.
After our spa treatment, we capped off our evening with dinner at a traditional Czech restaurant called Restaurace U Švejka.
This restaurant was the perfect way to end our time in Karlovy Vary because you felt like you were part of the local scene. We dined on Czech beer (a must-have while in the Czech Republic) and roasted duck, red and white cabbage, and dumplings. What better way to end the evening.
On our walk home, we enjoyed the quiet stillness of the crisp air as we admired the beautiful architecture by night. We slept like babies in our room. A real dream vacation.
Final day
On our last day, we were treated to a royal breakfast at the Pupp. With every possible breakfast combination at our disposal, we dined on fresh orange juice, eggs, and croissants, to name a few, to the sounds of violins playing in the room.
The chandeliers and beautiful atmosphere capped off our experience with the perfect touch. After breakfast, the sad part came: departing and taking the bus back to the airport outside Prague.
As we departed the Czech Republic, we left knowing that we had the most beautiful trip that left us with a lifetime of splendid memories.
CHAUCER'S CORNER 