The connections and friendships built while traveling last a lifetime. Few years ago, I was visiting Vietnam and did a guided tour of Mekong Delta. I met a fellow traveler from Prague and we stayed in touch after the trip. When she and her friends visited the US, they couchsurfed at our apartment and when I visited Prague, I stayed at their place in Prague.
Now that I had a local to show me around, I arrived in Prague with no itinerary made, or no plans in mind. Here are the places my amazing hosts showed me when I visited earlier this year.
Letna Park
Park with views of Prague. Great for a morning walk.
Food
We went to Lokál Dlouhááá in Dlouhá 33. It’s a restaurant popular with the locals. If you’re in Prague, every meal comes with a beer!
Prague clock tower
This is fully functional medieval astronomical clock. The clock was first installed in 1410, making it the third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest clock still operating.
Powder Tower (Prašná brána)
One of the original city gates. It separates the Old Town from the New Town. This was once used as a tower to store gunpowder or explosives, hence the name.
Obligatory visit to the office. I love comparing how Google offices are all around the world and stopping by for a quick coffee or snack.
Prague Castle
UNESCO monument with a tradition of more than 1000 years.
Cafe Louvre
We checked this out as it started snowing outside. It is not a very touristy place, but a great selection of deserts. Highly recommend!
U Akademie
One of my other friends in Prague is a painter. I was hoping to learn about different styles of painting and learn to appreciate art after visiting his studio and meeting other painters [I wish I actually learnt].
Mliko
Now comes the fun part, beers!
Czechs drink an average of 160 liters of beer per person per year. That’s a bottle of beer for every man, woman, and child in the Czech lands every day.
The unique style of pouring beer in Prague is called Mliko, which is beer with lot of foam, such that it resembles milk, giving the beer a unique sweet taste.
At a lot of bars, you can choose how much foam you want in your beer!
Philip and Honza (I met them during my exchange in Taiwan), giving us an overview of beers and Checz snacks.
The visit was special as I met friends that I hadn’t seen in a long time. Going to local bars and restaurants and cafes wouldn’t have been possible without them. Thanks for being amazing hosts!