May 21 & 22 (Wednesday & Thursday)

We left for Prague the evening of May 21 from Gatwick. It’s my second visit to this city of 1,000 pointed towers but first for my spouse and daughter. We checked into Hotel City Bell @ Prague 2, Vinohrady which is close to subway and city center (five and twenty minutes walk respectively).

On May 22 after the typical European buffet breakfast we strolled to the old town. The weather was just fair with occasional sunshine. We stopped momentarily at the National Museum near the Wenzeslas Square and checked out the reception area. Took some photos of the giganotosaurus on display as well as the exterior but decided not to waste any time and money in light of Lonely Planet’s unflattering comment. We then spent the next two hours in the old town visiting the usual tourist spots.

After watching the performance (they repeated the show the entire afternoon) of the military band and marching of the young cadets and cheerleaders at the town hall square, we went to the Mucha* Gallery to view a section of his work plus that of Salvador Dali, the Spanish surrealist painter. Besides seeing the innovative works of these two painters, I could take photo of the square from a higher vantage point, i.e. gallery windows @ 1st & 2nd floors though not inside the gallery.

We then had lunch at the Restaurace U Supa. The beef goulash was good and the ¼ portion of duck and gammon plus pork shoulder too. Of course I ordered Pilsner Urquell to accompany my meal.

We continued our relaxing walk around the old town until 16:00 and then headed towards the Charles Bridge. Due to the ongoing renovation work the bridge was doubly crowded. Back in 2000 I chose to jog across the bridge at 7:00 in the morning and it was so peaceful.

Before we headed back to the hotel we went for dinner at the Restaurace Legenda, a highly popular place of good value. Maggie and Michelle shared a salad and pepper steak and I went for the lamb chop. The total cost including the Hoegarden (250cc) plus bread and before tips amounted to Kè692 or less than US$50 (the lunch was Kè996). After we got back to the hotel we still could watched (the dying minutes and the penalty shoot out only) Man United beat Chelsea at the UEFA Champions League Final @ Moscow. Hurrah though I'm more of an Arsenal fan.






* Alfons Mucha: Czech Art Nouveau painter and decorative artist (1860-1939)