Prague and The Best Ice Cream Ever
Hallstatt was fun. Where should we go next before Julia had to leave?
We decided on Prague.
Arriving in Prague
I had visited Prague for the first time only a month earlier and loved it so much that I couldn’t wait to experience the city again with Julia. We only had one night, but with an early train from Vienna and a late train back, it was more than enough time for another adventure.
My daughter has a remarkable gift. Put her on a train, plane or bus and she’ll be asleep before we’ve even left the station.
Me? I stay awake because I’m afraid I’ll miss something.
Perhaps she’s secretly conserving her energy, because she knows that once we arrive, I’ll be saying, “It’s only a short walk.”
Years of travelling together had taught Julia that my version of “it’s only a short walk”, “not far”, “just around the corner”, “only a few blocks” and my favourite, “just over the bridge”, wasn’t necessarily the same as everyone else’s.
We arrived on a wintry afternoon and before long Prague was beginning to transform into a magical fairy tale under golden lights. Christmas was less than two weeks away and Prague was alive with the Christmas spirit.
Just Over the Bridge
Prague is perfect for walking, so after checking in we headed to Charles Bridge which was “not far” from our hotel. We joined the crowds crossing the bridge, stopping to admire jewellery stalls and listen to buskers along the way.Awaiting us “just over the bridge” was another part of Prague filled with shops, restaurants and the beautiful St Nicholas church.
The streets became steeper and we started to notice people carrying enormous ice creams. We kept asking each other, “Where are they getting those?”
Prague and the Best Ice Cream Ever
Eventually we found the source. From the street, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary doorway. But once inside there was an ice cream café. The cones were made fresh in the shop, and you could choose from a large variety of fillings and toppings. Of course, we purchased one, and it lasted all the way up the hill to the palace.
From the top of the hill the views over Prague were breathtaking. We were lucky to have fifteen minutes of remaining daylight before the sun started setting.
By about 4.30 pm, the street lamps, decorated with glowing stars, flickered on. Soon afterwards, the palace lights illuminated the hilltop, transforming it into something straight from a fairy tale.
Christmas Magic
It was bitterly cold as we wandered back through the palace complex, stopping to admire the magnificent St Vitus Cathedral with its beautiful Christmas tree. Everywhere, people were laughing, taking photographs and soaking up the festive atmosphere.
The bridge itself at night is spectacular. The Gothic towers guarding each end of the bridge looked as though knights might still ride through them on horseback. Viewing the palace from the bridge at night is not to be missed.
After enjoying a meal at Lehká Hlava, a popular vegetarian restaurant “not far” from our hotel, we headed out to find a Christmas market. Curious to see where everyone was going, we followed the stream of people down laneways opposite Charles Bridge, which twisted and turned before eventually opening into a town square where a large Christmas market was being held. With a beautiful Christmas tree taking centre stage, we were in a very happy place.
After squeezing every minute out of our day one adventure we headed back to the hotel.
Just Over the Bridge…Again
In the morning after breakfast, we crossed Charles Bridge again and headed to a gingerbread shop. This small shop had so many varieties of gingerbread biscuits to choose from it was overwhelming. We probably spent thirty minutes just trying to decide what to buy. After we made our purchases, we left, and once outside decided we needed to buy some more, as gifts of course. We dropped the gingerbread treats off at our hotel and left them with our luggage, as we had already checked out.
There was a large pedestrian mall “just a few blocks away” and we decided to walk there. Julia was determined to find a pair of boots designed for European winters that wouldn’t fall apart in the snow (but that’s another story). Unfortunately, they have yet to experience an Australian winter.
On our way back to the hotel, we walked through some beautiful laneways and discovered so many restaurants. One had beautiful tables set beneath a marquee in the middle of a cobbled street, surrounded by small Christmas trees.
We returned to Lehká Hlava for a late lunch before collecting our suitcases and gingerbread before making our way back to the station, trying not to get lost while dragging the suitcases over Prague’s infamous cobblestones.
We Would Always Have Prague
As our train headed back to Vienna it wasn’t long before Julia was asleep. I sat watching the countryside roll past, thinking how lucky I was to have shared this adventure with her.
We would always have Prague… and the enormous ice cream.
Thank you for reading.
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