GSS Navigator: Prague

Tue, 04/10/2016

There are many reasons to visit Prague. I’ll will give you a few more. By Karolína Staňková, Head of GSS Czech Republic      

                                                                                                                             

I was born in Prague and lived here for the most of my life. As it happens, I have become blind to the beauty of this city, which I often take for granted. 

Being Czech, I excel at highlighting the negatives (sooner or later you will experience this – locals will try to convince you they are “realists” not “pessimists”) such as traffic congestion, dirty streets, tourists carelessly taking pictures in the middle of the road leading to my house, never enough parking places, and many more. This trait is good in some situations but not when you’re asked to write an article selling the attractiveness of your home town.

I guess you will be more interested in the positives. For this purpose, I approached my friend Greg. He’s American, a bit of an optimist. He’s been living here for nearly 15 years (which was always a mystery to me) and I thought it might be useful to interrogate him to understand the appeal of Prague. I got a long list of items, many of which would not be appropriate to write about here, but here are those I can publish:

  1. Prague is only a stone’s throw away from the majority of European cities, smack dab in the middle of Europe! All your friends have been there and you should no longer look for an excuse not to go.
  2. You are curious to see the place ranking 1st for beer consumption in the world (yes, that’s right, we drink 157 litres per year per capita). It’s also a place where beer is actually cheaper than water when served in restaurants (or beer gardens, which are very popular in summer). Pilsner beer is world famous as type of beer but there’s only one original – Plzensky Prazdroj from the city of Pilsen and Budweiser Budvar actually originates from Ceske Budejovice.
  3. A lot of nightlife is concentrated in the Old Town, to the horror of the locals living on Dlouha street (around the corner from the Stock Exchange, if you opt for a more serious attraction).
  4. We have a lot of churches. A LOT. Definitely the most per nonbeliever capita.
  5. After the morning prayers, you can walk up to the magnificent Prague Castle from the 14th century built by our most famous ruler Charles IV (actually, also by the Holy Roman Emperor back in the time).
  6. You can’t miss the Charles Bridge on your way from the Castle to the Old Town. Story has it that egg yolks were used to make the structure stronger. I don’t know about that, but it’s still standing strong even after the extreme flooding we experienced in 2002.
  7. No need to walk all the time as Prague has an excellent public transportation system. Even the infamous Czech taxi drivers have improved their practices compared to a few years ago but please still be careful when hailing a taxi on the street!  Uber also works in Prague…
  8. Prague is home to many foreigners and English is wide-spread, although some older people prefer German (and some exclusively Czech).
  9. The architecture is magnificent. Just walk and look around. We offer many different styles - Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque but also architecture from the 50s communist style.
  10. The Jewish quarter is worth seeing, especially the Jewish cemetery where the tombs are layered on top of each other. 
  11. Czech food…ehmmmm.. very close to Austrian and German actually so if you want something hearty, give it a try. Fortunately, we also have Michelin star restaurants with traditional Czech cuisine variations. I recommend sticking to foreign wine though. All in all, restaurants have good quality to price ratio.
  12. Stupid Easter tradition; this will sound strange but during Easter men are allowed to spank women with a whip made of willow. I mention it here because it’s unbelievable that the EU hasn’t banished that with a regulation by now. The rest of the year the opposite of course is allowed

Now that’s enough, you get the picture. I am a bit superstitious and don’t want to go beyond nr. 13 in my list, so this will have to do. Come and experience Prague for yourself!