Praha is for lovers

This is a long-due post about a truly romantic weekend getaway in April. F and I marked four years since holding hands for the first time somewhere in Jordan, by holding hands in gorgeous Prague.

I've wanted to see this city for the longest time. In what was probably among the best decisions we've ever made together, F and I chose to take the car and drove about three and a half hours from Berlin to Prague. On that same weekend, travelers all over Europe dealt with the consequences of a pesky, ill-tempered Icelandic volcano. (Yes, I'm talking about you, Eyjafjallajokull.) The drive was easy and pleasant, and all throughout we had incredible amounts of sunshine. The weather conspired to amp the romance of this weekend. It truly reminded me of those days, four years before, when I was only starting to get to know F. He was driving then, too, down the King's Road in Jordan, the desert blurring all around us.

F chose a great hotel, which very nicely, due to volcanic-ash related cancellations, upgraded us to a suite with a balcony facing the river Vltava. We stuck bottles of champagne inside the fridge and took off to explore the city. This view from the balcony made my heart sing.

The Prague that first-time visitors would like to see is in fact quite tiny - which is great for us as we believe the best way to get to know a city is on foot. Ever so smartly, I decided to not to challenge the medieval cobblestone streets this time, left my heels at home and brought sensible walking shoes instead. Infinitely grateful feet.

We did the whole touristy nine yards. Despite the havoc the ash cloud created on airline travel, Prague still had a sizable amount of tourists that weekend. Lonely Planet might do a better job of detailing the tourist attractions than I possibly can, busy as I was batting my eyelashes at my boyfriend. Meanwhile, here are a few favorite photos from Prague.

The Vltava river
A view of Prague rooftops from the Prague Castle
Prague Castle looms in the distance. Somebody just had to tag this view.
Charles Bridge, best enjoyed from a distance without jostling with other tourists who were ironically bent on a romantic promenade.
"Fred and Ginger" of Frank Gehry's "Dancing House"
The cavernous hall of Prague Castle, where I could very well picture long nights of medieval entertainment. Dancers, court jesters, beer...
Walking towards the Old Town Square, with like-minded tourist hordes.
Some of the 31 luminous, yellow penguins that were part of an art installation on the riverbanks by Mala Strana

The world's fastest escalators. We commuted to get to a restaurant that happened to be on the other side of town. I alighted on these steps with a real fear for my life.

Here's what I gorged on: Don't tell the Germans and the Belgians, in whose countries I've lived and of whose beer I've partaken. But Czech beer is probably the very best I've had in Europe.

This is the Pražská klobása. Anthony Bourdain led us to this sausage stand by Wenceslas Square.


Say good morning to this plate of fried eggs with black truffle shavings, served at Café Savoy, a Viennese Kaffeehaus-styled institution. We enjoyed this restaurant so much, we had brunch there two days in a row.

And finally, enjoying a glass of bubbly and celebrating four years of adventures and capers with my F.



All photos mine.