Prague - The City of 1,000 Spires!

The year I spent living in Prague was a year that brought me a lot of enrichment, both culturally and artistically. I learned a lot about art, history and local customs and even today, a few years after leaving the Czech Republic, I find myself influenced by the art and ideas acquired by the time spent there.

Prague really touches deeply those who visit it. Visually it is a place of singular beauty. The local architecture is quite varied and it is possible to see the influence of several architectural schools.

From the ancient Romanesque, through Gothic, Baroque, the architecture of the communist era to high tech. It's a feast to the eyes and the region where the city was built dates back to the Paleolithic period and was used for a long time as a trade route between northern and southern Europe.

Art is on every corner of Prague. A lot of the art nouveau influence in the constructions is one of my favorite things in this cosmopolitan romantic capital and I just love the work of Czech (and globally famous) Alphonse Mucha who nowadays has strong influence in the art world with the revival of appreciation of art nouveau. There is a fantastic local museum dedicated to this wonderful artist.

In addition to Mucha, who many mistakenly believe to be French, I learned about other great local artists and fell in love with talented and controversial David Černý. I just adore his sculptures of crawling babies (named Miminka) which I had the honor to appreciate in Kampa Park, a very nice and peaceful local park in the city.

These babies initially crawled around the famous Zizkov Tower, a communist period building, and were later removed for tower maintenance and even taken to Palm Springs for an exhibition.

Černý has his artwork is spread all over the city and it's a lot of fun to go looking for them. All sculptural pieces are controversial and sometimes fun. The feeling you get is that you are on a scavenger hunt as some pieces are so hidden or in such unusual places that while looking for them you can lose yourself or even find intriguing things and places along the way. Here is a link to his works. Just put on a pair of comfortable sneakers and take your camera and you're done. Fun is guaranteed!

https://www.willflyforfood.net/david-cerny-see-9-of-his-bizarre-sculptures-on-this-self-guided-tour-in-prague-czech-republic/

Still within the artistic universe, the National Museum, art galleries such as Narodny (Trade Fair Palace, The State Opera, are all spaces of unique beauty and different architecture and can be visited without major losses to your pocket, I guess this factor being the greatest advantage of visiting the Czech Republic capital. The local currency is not the Euro but the Czech Koruna. To give you an idea, 1 Czeck Koruna is worth about 45 cents of a dollar. Everything is so affordable here!

A coffee in Prague will cost you less than $2.00 and the advantages do not stop there. I can also mention super affordable and comfortable public transportation. I love the red tram cars crossing the town and bringing it a romantic vibe. You can choose from several types of short-term tickets to travel around Prague. They can all be used on any type of public transport as many times and with as many transfers as you like for the duration of the time period for which they are valid. A 30-day pass costs CZK550 (less than $25.00!)

Foodies also will not be let down. Local dishes are delicious and mainly part of the well renowned and trendy slow food cuisine. We love their dumplings, goulash and the famous dessert known as Trdelník, which is a grilled or baked dough pastry made by wrapping the dough around a metal or wooden stick and often filled with ice cream or nutella (or both!) and sprinkled with cinnamon.

If you are visiting Prague for the first time , our suggestion is that you stick to local tourist attractions such as the incredible Prague Castle, The Astronomical clock, National Museum, and of course the iconic Dancing Building. But if your intentions are like mine, to objective is to enter the local culture and soak up this cosmopolitan city to the fullest, you will not regret it and you will learn a lot too.

The leaves fall and change colors and the city becomes even more beautiful and romantic, even though it seems impossible. Mid-September. As soon as October arrives everything gets really cool, so bring a lot of layers if your intention is to stay a little longer. Summer is also very pleasant but be prepared to deal with lots of tourists!

There are no perfect cities in this world but Prague is the closest thing to the "perfect city" I have lived in, and it is also just the tip of the iceberg considering that the Czech Republic is an absolutely interesting and there are other amazing cities in "CZ"... but that will be left for another article.