Trip to Prague

Early hours, Saturday 30th January
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So here we are on the sleeper Train from Žilina to Prague! Before heading down to the station to catch our 1am train, we decided to grab a few drinks at our favourite bar on Marianske Namestie (the main town square), and which language should we hear floating across the room but American! Turns out there are a handful of Brits/Americans in Žilina teaching English. It was very unexpected, but then I guess there are people doing that sort of thing all over the world, so why not Slovakia?!

This is my first time on a sleeper, and I have to admit that I had images of passenger stacked on beds like loaves in an oven, as well as a few worries about the logistics of getting into nightwear in the presence of strangers and the security of our possessions.

In the event it has proven to all be wholly unfounded. We actually have our own small lockable cabin with one top and one bottom bunk. There are even flannels, water and a small snack provided! It may not be a palace, but it serves its purpose well.

So then, I'm off to sleep, rocked by the sway of the train. Night night. Tomorrow, Prague!

Saturday morning proper!
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Having snored most of the way there, the journey seems to have taken remarkably little effort. The only downside of arriving at 7am, it seems, is that virtually nothing is open for breakfast! We tried to resist the inevitable call of Starbucks, and eventually hit upon somewhere that was opening before long. It was good to finally get something, though how normal fried egg, sausage and horseradish is for breakfast in the Czech Republic, I am not sure!!
We spent most of the day simply exploring the city on foot, seeing the beautiful old town, the famous Charles Bridge, and the commercial heart at Wenceslas Square.

For lunch, we visited the last independent brewery in Prague 'U Fleku', which was recommended by my new colleague Pavol. This began with a private tour of the brewery where, among other things I finally heard an explanation of the 'alternative' alcohol content labelling here that's been puzzling me. Basically all local beers say a number in what looks like degrees (e.g. 9°, 10°, 12°). In the first week I thought that everyone over here was permanently drinking special brew! Apparently though, this is the number of decagrams of sugar used in brewing, which directly controls how alcoholic the finished product is – interesting.

Afterwards we sampled some (or more!) of their delicious beer and traditional fare, and were offered a local herb spirit similar to Jägermeister, all to a lulling background of accordion music.

In the afternoon, we decided to see the Communism Museum. With the modern layer of tourism and commercialisation overlaid on modern-day Prague, it's so easy to forget that until I was 8, all of this was in a communist state. The museum was a real eye-opener, and I would recommend it to any fellow visitor.

Sunday 31st January
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Today, we began the day with some shopping, including me stocking up on some missed food items (salt & vinegar crisps and shortbread) at M&S! As an expat, I make no apology for my indulgences ;-) In fact I have never seen so many UK high-street brands in a foreign country. Thankfully the rest didn't sell anything edible!
We spent the afternoon jewellery shopping for Karen and seeing some of the massive Pračsky Hrad (castle). Then it was time to dash back across town for the train.

I can't believe we managed to see so much in just a day and a half. Sleeper me up from now on!

Mark

- Posted from my iPhone