Prague, Czech Republic - April 6-8, 2022

We boarded a motor coach at 7:00 am on Wednesday, April 6, along with 5 or 6 other couples, some from our ship and some from another Viking ship that had made the same trip we had, more or less simultaneously. We had a Viking staffer on board to be our guide and to provide assistance as well as brief descriptions of the countryside we passed through on our 3 1/2 ride to Prague, Czech Republic.

It’s difficult to make any decent photos from a bus. My general impressions from the 2-lane road were snow in the hills, rolling farmland, small villages, and dense fog for part of the trip. We made a stop about halfway through the trip for coffee, refreshments and a bio-break. It was at a combo convenience store and gas station with nice booths to sit in while snacking. I discovered the only word I had in common with the Czech-speaking counter attendant was “donut”. So I had a donut, an apple yogurt, and a wafer with a caramel layer. All good and more than enough to keep me from starving before we arrived at our hotel.

And what a hotel it was! The Hilton Prague, a 5-star hotel with a large futuristic atrium, very smart elevators (scan your room key and the system fetches you a private car to ride to your floor.) Here’s what the hotel looked like from across the parking lot.

Our room was on the other side of the building with a great view of a hillside with a fort/castle/church (not sure which) and “the ugliest building in Prague”, a combo TV tower and tourist attraction. We went there later on our “Prague By Night”: twilight tour (thank you Daylight Savings Time!) Here’s our view from the window:

I was impressed to find that Viking had a spacious office right off the lobby next to the gift shop staffed by 3 or 4 mask-wearing people in red shirts. Viking staff got our room keys, told us where to meet up for excursions, made restaurant recommendations and reservations and were just super helpful in making our cruise extension a pleasure.

Before we got our room key we had to kill some time so Matt, our chief minder, took us on a short walking rour around the block and explained how to use the trolley and subway. We were a very short walk from a metro station. At the end of the short tour the rooms still weren’t ready so we decided to have lunch at the Gate Restaurant, one recommended for its Czech cuisine and an easy walk from the hotel. We found the place easily but it was very crowded and we had to sit at the bar since no table was available. The restaurant only had four dishes and fortunately the waitress spoke a little English so ordering was no problem. We had to have a beer since Czechs are known for their quality pilsners and prodigious beer-drinking proclivities. We ordered medium-sized beers and here’s what we got:

I’m glad we didn’t order a large! I had worked up a thirst on the bus ride and the walk around the block so I had to sample both the light and the dark. Both were tasty and went well with our food, which was also tasty.

After this very filling lunch we went back to the hotel, secured a room, and relaxed (a short nap for me). Next thing on the agenda was our “Prague by Night” excursion.

Check my Google photo album to see what we saw. This includes our sunset visit to “Miminka” (Babies—go figure) aka the ugliest building in Prague.

The highlight of the tour was a climb (by bus) way up a hill overlooking the city to the Monastery of the Brothers of St. Norbert. It’s a fairly recent addition to the city, constructed in the 11th century. It would be great to chat with some of the Brothers since they’re known for their sense of humor. To wit, one of the rooms in the monastery is called “Hell” and one of the beers in their micro craft brewery is “Anti- Depressant”. Our tour guide bought us a beer. Very surprising to find a high quality IPA in a tiny brewery and biergarten overlooking the city.

Next morning we were set for our “Panoramic Tour of Prague”. It turned out to be mostly a walking tour but concluded with a coach ride way up the hill to the magnificent Prague Castle. Another newcomer to the City, it was built in the 9th century and according to the Guinness Book of World Records is the largest castle in the world.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before the Castle we met our guide, George, outside the lower lobby entrance and paired up our Quietvox receivers for what was to be almost a 4-hour tour. Fortunately, George turned out to be the best guide of the trip. He had a great sense of humor and spiced up the tour with historical stories that brought the sights of the Old Town to life. He had just put on his shades so he could “look like an American”.

The walking tour took us to Old Town, Wenceslas Square, the Astronomical Clock, the Charles Bridge, a break at the Ostrich Hotel for a warm, comfortable seat in the restaurant and a cappuccino, a chance to buy some Trdlo ice cream (I passed), a visit to the John Lennon Wall, etc. We saw too many vintage buildings to detail here. Please take a look at some of them in the photo album.

Then we boarded the bus for the ascension to Prague Castle. It is an amazing and impressive complex of buildings. We were lucky to arrive at the entrance for the changing of the Guard. We ended our visit to the Castle with a short stop inside the Cathedral where a short female guard chased me down and reminded me to remove my stocking cap (women could wear head coverings but they weren’t required.) Then we boarded the bus for a return to the hotel.

We walked to another restaurant recommended by the Viking staff, La Republica, for classic Czech food in a warm atmosphere (along with more beer, of course). The food and service were really good, as was the beer! We took a trolley back from the restaurant. It was easy enough to hop on and off from a stop near the restaurant. We’d learned from the staff that people over 65, like us, ride the trolleys free. Just show your ID if asked by an inspector for your ticket. We were happy to ride; we’d had enough walking for the day!

But our day wasn’t over. We had booked a “Folklore and Farm” excursion to a small village and restaurant 30 minutes bus ride outside of Prague—an evening that included a dinner of traditional Czech dishes, wine or beer and entertainment from a group of talented singers and dancers in traditional costumes, backed by an outstanding trio of musicians on violin, hammered dulcimer, and upright bass. Here’s an excerpt of one of the tunes.

Next day was Friday and the only activity we had planned was a visit to a famous beer garden in a public park along the Voltava River. Alas, the weather didn’t cooperate. It was too windy with rain in the forecast. So we circulated around near the hotel and picked up some last-minute souvenirs.

The food at the hotel was great. A sumptuous breakfast buffet was included. For lunch we decided to get takeout from a restaurant called “Veggie Garden” I spotted from our room window along with some potato chips and a couple of canned beers from the local supermarket. Sandwiches were really good.

I was surprised how many vegetarian and vegan restaurants turned up in a Google Maps search near the hotel. I guess with all the beer drinking it doesn’t hurt to have some healthy eating options, too.

The rest of the day was taken up with packing. We had to have our packed bags outside in the hall by 3:30 am Saturday for a 4:00 am departure. Our flight from Prague to London Heathrow was to depart at 7:00 AM. We boarded on time for the long trans-Atlantic flight. We had upgraded our seats to Premium Economy and that made the trip more comfortable. Still, 8 hours and 4,000 miles.

We arrived in Charlotte and had a 2-hour wait after clearing customs for our connecting flight to Raleigh/Durham. We used it having a crabcake appetizer and a couple of IPAs in a seafood bistro near the gate.

We arrived on time at 5:30 pm, dog-tired, jet-lagged but extremely happy with our Danube Waltz epic adventure!