Living Like A King - Prague

Stepping off the train onto the hot, busy platform in Prague, I knew this visit would reveal a different side to this city than my last visit. I celebrated my 21st birthday in a cold December in Prague. The city was beautiful, but achingly cold. I was young and hopeful and I didn’t drink alcohol. This time it was the start of the summer, I was 10 years older and I had learned to appreciate alcohol. My last night in Austria I felt exhausted, I never sleep well in hostels, so I decided to find a room I didn’t need to share in Prague. A quick search and I had rented an apartment just off Wenceslas Square. After checking in, I found a super market, bought some beer then went to my apartment to wash myself and some clothes. Refreshed, fed and watered I decided to head out to walk around the city. Walking along the River Vltava, heading towards the Charles Bridge, I passed an open air bar on the river bank where a live band were playing covers of The Beatles, Van Morrison and other classics. I continued to the Charles Bridge to take the tourist standard Charles Bridge selfie, and then walked back along to the bar to enjoy a litre of beer and watch the sunset as I listened to the live music. After a couple of beers I made my way into the old town to enjoy the city at night, before heading to bed. The following day I realised I had brought too much money to Prague. I’m not by any means rich, however the strength of the pound sterling against the Czech Koruna meant that I was able to make my money go further than I was used to. With this in mind I visited the Castle, took a river tour, walked the old city, and made sure I always had a beer in my hand. On my way to the Petrin lookout tower, I noticed a small restaurant with a great view of the city, a worthy place to stop for a beer on the way back down the hill. I had a litre of Staropramen in Franz Kafka’s regular watering hole. The only disappointing thing about this beautiful city was the large number of stag parties, hen parties, and other large groups of people just looking to get drunk, but move one street away and the crowd disappears but the city remains stunning.