Paris1972-Versailles2003

Well lets get back to Europe shall we! I always heard of the country even when it was a different name, and had opportunity to come in but did not. Then , all of a sudden, came to it first by 2014 and thereafter came 3 more times until the virus. Prague is nice and the new country of the Czechia has interesting sights.  Let me tell you a bit about this is Prague !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

I am not going to go into the history because is long and troublesome, already touch base in previous posts. Let me tell you where I went instead. This was Prague, mainly, as well as visit smaller towns like Kurosov, Budmerice, Ostrokevice, and Radnov.

I did walk the Prague,and went to the periphery of Praha 10 or Prague 10 district away from touristic center. This is the real city for me. The airport is smallist but easy to move about, not too many stores. I came by air on AF from Nantes to Paris CDG and then Czech Airlines to Prague Havel airport. The airport is in the nearby town of Lestice.

There are many ways to get to the city with buses ,taxis, shuttles etc. I usually took a taxi, but this time try the tourist in me and took Cedaz the private express airport. The ride was 150 K or about 7 euros; every 30 minutes ride is about 40 minutes. You can take it from Terminal 1 exit F or 2 exit E. Very easy nice ride. It stop me right in front side of the Hilton Old Town Hotel. However, as updates goes, the Cedaz service has been discontinued so this is just for the memories ok.  At the aiport had lunch at a nice restaurant in El Mundo del Tabaco cafe. Where I had my lunch with a nice Czech beer Pilsner Urquel. This has also closed so again just for the memories in my blog.

The Prague airport site in English: https://www.prg.aero/en#/

My first stay going in was at the wonderfully nice mansion villa in Praha 10 as well call Hotel Villa, very nice friendly service, good space rooms,and good breakfast, restaurant. They are still there, webpage in English: http://www.hotel-villa.cz/?lang=en

Then, it was a wandering walk thru old town, just missing the Charles river but see everything else.  I stop by the train station which is rather nice and webpage is here: https://www.dpp.cz/en

Also , at  Masarykovo Nadrazi with plenty of tramway and bus service to the city and around it. Also trains as  Hlavni Nadrazi to other towns, webpage here: https://www.cd.cz/en/default.htm

On my way out of Prague and going home I did splurge myself  at the Hilton Old Town Prague. This is  a grand chain and this hotel rank high up. Queen size bed and views of the city in front of you, walking to Namesti Republiky square The room was big ,bath too, wifi, bar, and on the 7th floor nice.  more into the business traveler but families will be in heaven too. More info here: https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/prgothi-hilton-prague-old-town/

In between i was in the market of Monday morning at Namesti Republiky, colorful by the metro station entrance. I walk around seeing the wonderful buildings such as the powder tower ,muséums, and theaters; etc. And it was time to be back to Prague, and my Hilton again before saying goodbye to the Czechia  The difference was that I always get a taxi and never a problem,only once had to haggle over a price but was easily settled in my favor. This time I hire the Prague Airport Transfer service and English spoken nice ride and good driver. More info here: http://www.prague-airport-transfers.co.uk/

A bit of history I like tell us that (a short as possible) the first written record mentioning Prague dates from 965. It is the result of a Jewish merchant from Andalusia, Ibrahim ibn Ya’qub. The town became a bishopric in 973. In 1170, Vladislav II built, the first stone Bridge on the Vltava River, the Judith Bridge, which, collapsed in 1342, will be replaced by a stone bridge, the famous Charles Bridge. On the other side of the Vltava river, the old town grows around its historic core of Týn and is populated by Czechs and a Jewish community in what will become Josefov. The city is experiencing its apogee with the King of Bohemia and future Germanic Emperor Charles IV (son of John of Luxembourg) who built the Charles Bridge (1357), the Cathedral of St. Guy (1344), founded in April 1348 Charles University, the first German university , and extends the city to the east and south to create the new city (1347) which doubles the area of the old town. In 1355, Charles IV made Prague the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. The daughter of Vladislav IV, Anne Jagiellonian, married Ferdinand of Austria, according to a dynastic agreement arranged by Maximilian I of the Holy Roman Empire in 1515, and the city soon passed under Habsburg domination after the death without heirs of Louis II.   The defeat of the Czech and Protestant armies at the Battle of the White Mountain in November 1620 and decapitation, place of the old Town (still marked today of 27 white crosses on the ground, in commemoration of the event), of the twenty-seven leaders of the revolt mark, for a long time, the end of the hopes of independence of the Bohemian states. The peace of Prague was signed in 1635 between the emperor and some Protestant German princes. In 1648, at the end of the Thirty Years ‘ War, the left bank of the city (Hradčany and Malá Strana) was invaded and looted by the Swedish Protestant armies shortly before the Westphalian treaties put an end to the hostilities that had led central Europe to fire and blood. In 1741, the War of the Austrian Succession saw the arrival of the troops of Frederick II of Prussia, allied with the French army of the Marshal of Belle-Isle who put the siege and took the city. 

The independence of Czechoslovakia, proclaimed on 28 October 1918, Prague became capital and many streets were renamed. Shortly before WWII, Prague welcomed the Czech refugees expelled from the Sudetenland attached to the third Reich following the Munich agreements. On 15 March 1939, Bohemia-Moravia was conquered in its entirety and Adolf Hitler parade at Prague Castle. On May 5, 1945, an insurrection erupts that will lead to the liberation of the city by a largely improvised resistance around a Czech National Council, which takes the lead of the insurrection. On 8 May, German troops capitulated and, according to prior agreements (with the weak west), the Red Army took Prague on 9 May 1945 during the Prague Offensive. In 1968, the Prague spring marked the city in an ephemeral way, it was crushed in August by tanks of the Warsaw Pact armies, mostly  Soviets. The Prague people improvises resistance and fights take place, particularly around the Czechoslovak radio and television and the nearby National Museum. On January 16, 1969, Jan Palach set himself on fire in the Wenceslas Square to protest against the invasion of his country by the Soviet Union (again left alone by the weak west).  The Velvet Revolution, in 1989, marks for Prague as for the rest of the country a second liberation;  the omnipotence of the single party and its political police are collapsing, democratic freedoms are restored, the symbols of the dictatorship are and the names of certain streets, squares or stations of the Metro are democratized. The writer Vaclav Havel and ex political prisioner was elected President of the Republic and moved to Prague Castle.

The City of Prague tourist office: https://www.prague.eu/en

The unofficial Prague tourist board, nice: https://www.praguecitytourism.cz/en

The Czechia tourist office on Prague: https://www.visitczechia.com/en-us/destinations/prague

There you folks ,another dandy road warrior trip with a bit of help of airplane to get there. Wonderful Czechia of many nice memories forever. Again, looking forward to be back, eventually as it was a blast! Again, hope you enjoy the post on this is Prague !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!