Part 1 – Prague, Czechia
Roadtrip Series – Table of Contents
Returning to Prague in autumn
We stayed 2 months in Hungary and left in the beginning of October. First, we drove to one of our favourite places, Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, which is bisected by the Vltava River. Nicknamed “the City of a Hundred Spires,” it is known for its Old Town Square, the heart of its historic core, with colourful baroque buildings, Gothic churches, and the medieval Astronomical Clock, which gives an animated hourly show.
This was our third visit to Prague, but it still gave us so many new memories to gather into our lives and recall later. Previously, we visited in summer and winter, when the city was filled with tourists before Covid. This time, however, we visited in autumn, after the end of the third wave of Covid. We could already see that tourists were beginning to return; the main square had about half the number of people it used to have before the pandemic.
Interestingly, there was no border control in Slovakia or in the Czech Republic. It appeared that Schengen borders were no longer controlled at that time. Happy days! We had our entry form printed out for Czechia, but it seemed that when you cross the border by car, nobody cares much about entry procedures like in some other places.
This time, we stayed on the side of the river where Prague Castle is, in Smíchov district. Previously, we had stayed on the other side of the city, in Žižkov district, and on our first visit near the park of “Havlíčkovy sady.” The Air B&B flat we booked was in a perfect location: still within walking distance of the centre, close to the riverside and the castle, and next to a shopping mall.
It was dog-friendly and came with a free car park in the courtyard. I must mention that parking in Prague, and in many other cities, is often a challenge and expensive, so it was a huge bonus that we could park free inside the walls of the building. There was also a strong reason why we came to Prague again: Renata won an Erasmus scholarship training here, a week-long course about “Encouraging creative thinking.” While she studied, I worked from the apartment. Often, we do not need a reason to stay in a country, but this time we planned our roadtrip around this training.
Vegan food in Prague
We had nice but often cold autumn days, with some rainy and some sunny hours. Vegan restaurants gave us a treat after a long time of not being able to dine out in Hungary. We can promise that in Prague, you can find a vegan or vegan-friendly restaurant at almost every corner. We tried the “Loving Hut Buffet” and also “Thai Thai & Ramen” in Nový Smíchov Shopping Mall.
In Thai Thai & Ramen they offered us a delicious vegan ramen soup. Loving Hut was more affordable and had more options, but the taste was more average. The ramen soup opposite Loving Hut was more for our liking, so we had it three times. The quiet atmosphere and flavoursome food is something a person should not miss for any reason; we had missed dining out so much.
Unfortunately, in Hungary, if you are not in the capital, you have no or very limited junk-food options to eat out as a vegan. My wife’s favourite vegan-friendly restaurant was Dhaba Beas in the centre, with delicious Indian and Asian meals, and she had her lunch there during the week.
Another place we should mention is Vegan’s Prague, near the castle. This restaurant has a very unique look that can attract anyone to try a meal there. The prices are rather expensive compared to other places we tried in Prague. We were lucky to have lunch on their balcony with a view of the castle walls, and we were allowed to take our doggy with us. If you’re a vegan, then you absolutely must try Vegan’s Prague and enjoy the food, vibe, and view. It is located at the top of a winding stairwell near Prague Castle, about 15 minutes from the bridge. They even offer some traditional Czech meals modified for vegans.
Favourite sights and moments
We visited some wonderful places in our free time and walked between the walls of fabulous buildings. My wife had a tour with her class around the most famous sights in the centre, including a visit to the Infant Jesus of Prague, a Roman Catholic statue of Jesus Christ as an infant. It represents Jesus as a child, and the tradition of the Infant of Prague also emphasizes His humanity and how we are children of God because of the salvation He brings. It dates back to the 16th century. If you are a religious Christian, I recommend visiting this place. Otherwise, you may not find the statue especially interesting.
Walking in the Old Town Square and in the streets around it is always fun, and I can never get bored of it. The world-famous Astronomical Clock always amazes me, especially because I love watches and old clocks. A local legend says that the original clockmaker was blinded by city officials after completing the work, so he could not reproduce it again. When the clock hits the hour, small figures come to life. The skeleton represents death and starts to ring a bell, the message being, “It’s time.” The other three figures all shake their heads, giving the message that they are too attached to the things of this life to be ready for the next one.
There is a very long story behind all the meanings and features of this clock. If you are interested, you can learn more from videos on YouTube and from various blogs.
A year ago we visited the Sex Museum, and it was rather impressive. I had never seen that many dildos and tools used for sex in one place. Funny, our grandparents used to tell us, “these youngsters are so… but in our time…” This museum proves that people were not saints hundreds of years ago either.
After the Sex Museum, we visited the Gallery of Steel Figures, and it was an awesome feeling to see so many wonderful craftworks everywhere. We saw supercars, cartoon characters, and movie figures, all made from recycled steel. This year we visited the Madame Tussauds wax museum. We really enjoyed it because there was nobody else inside, only us. Therefore, we could see everything properly, take a closer look, and take some funny photos with the figures at our own pace, without rush or disturbance.
Later, walking towards Charles Bridge, we went up the tower and had an impressive view of the bridge, river, and city. Walking through Charles Bridge was a lovely memory in itself, a beautiful bridge with impressive statues, and the view over the river is fabulous. We finished one of our sightseeing afternoons at the “Café restaurant museum kampa” right on the riverside. The timing was perfect: sunset, a mug of mulled wine, soft live music, and hands in hands. It created a romantic moment. We both realised that these were exactly the kinds of moments we had been longing for while we stayed in Hungary and worked on the building site.
Last day at Prague Castle
On our last day in Prague, we walked up to the castle and got “lost” between the stunning buildings around it. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Prague Castle is the largest coherent castle complex in the world, with an area of almost 70,000 m², and it was founded around 880. If you are lucky enough to spend more days in Prague, I recommend spending at least two days on this side of the city. There is so much to see and experience.
We did not go inside the castle or its buildings, but we enjoyed them from the outside while walking in the autumn sunshine. There is such a relaxing feeling when you know you can come back any time and see more of what the city offers, with no pressure to squeeze everything into a few days. Since we let go of the idea of seeing everything, and because we had our dog Poppy and two books with us, we felt it was the perfect place to sit down with a book. So we did. We had already decided that we would come back to Prague and focus on visiting the castle and its neighbourhood next time.
After an amazing week in Prague, we were ready to drive to our next destination: Poland, and its second-largest town, Lodz. We hesitated a lot between Warsaw, Lodz, Krakow, and Wroclaw—which one we should see first? Only in Lodz did we find a perfect and affordable accommodation at the last minute, so we decided that this would become our first Polish city to visit.
