East Eats West

Prague in one hour

If you want to see Prague in a short amount of time you have various options. First, by a tour bus. Should you appreciate being herded around, go ahead. Second a classic car tour ride. This gives you a unique open-air experience but costs 1200 Czech Kronen for 40 minutes and you are limited to noisy and crowded streets. Third, you could also walk but with the castle sitting on a hill this is a rather strenuous choice. By far the most efficient and fun way of sightseeing in Prague is by Segway. The Segway has two wheels with a platform to stand on. An electrical engine stabilizes and propels the device in any direction and the steering is very intuitive as one only has to lean in the direction one wants to go. The top-speed is about 30km/h and the battery lasts for eight hours. And last but not least it is absolutely fun to drive as it is fast, silent and very nimble. Particularly driving uphill is astonishingly fast and easy. 

PS: I recommend a one hour tour only as a beginner as one hour will leave your feet screaming for a good massage already! 

http://www.prague-segwaytours.com/ 

Monastery charm hotel

Picture: The courtyard with a view of the new monastery. 

Most of Prague's hotel are of the three or four-star variety that cater to the bulk-bracket tourists that roam around town in packs. One could safely say that Prague has never been a hot spot for boutique hotels. However, this has changed with a new kid on the block, a hotel that offers style, history, seclusion and athmosphere. Enter the The Augustine Hotel. It opened three months ago after a meticoulous six year refurbishment period. The hotel consists out of seven joint buildings of which one used to be a monastery. The monks have moved next door but share with the hotel the seclusion and tranquility. Should you have  deep pockets I recommend you stay in the three floor tower suite with a direct view of the Prague castle. It used to be the monastery's observatory. Visit the hotel website here: http://www.theaugustine.com

Pictures: The exclusive Tower Suite that used to be the observatory.  

 

Prague, the cradle of beer

Most of you might be aware that the original Budweiser beer hails from the Czech Republic (by the name Budvar) and not from the US. Beer in Prague has a century old tradition and is mostly of the Pilsner/Lager variety. Apparently the original lager beer was invented in a monastery in the Czech town of Plsn (or Pilsen), about 80 km from Prague away. Should you crave some truly original beer from Prague then I highly recommend you go to the bar of the sparkling new and pleasingly reclusive The Augustine Hotel. The hotel has its own dark and very rich "St. Thomas" beer based on a 13th century recipe from the local monastery. Enjoy!

PS: Drinking beer also helps with the budget as beer is considerably cheaper than soft drinks or water.

From Zurich to Prag

Picture: Arrival at Prague main station. 

I haven't been to Eastern Europe in ages and I felt it was time to visit it again. The first step in planning our holidays was to see if there are any good train connections. There is. An overnight train brings you in thirteen hours from Zurich to Prague via Vienna and Budapest. The train-ride is actually very enjoyable and relaxing and I got a good night's sleep. In contrast to the new double floor train coach I had from Vienna to Zurich, the old single floor coach from Zurich to Prague was more spacious and comfortable. We arrived in Prague at 11.40am well relaxed and right on time. Prague is a time-tested tourist destination and maneuvering across the Charles Bridge means dodging hundreds of school-children on school trips and dozens of street vendors. Prague offers amazing historical architecture combined with tourist contraptions one normally sees in Turkey or Italy, just at a higher price. No, Prague is not cheap anymore but still reasonably priced.