The Charles Bridge
The Charles Bridge across the Vitava River is rightly famous.
It was extremely busy, as the pictures show.
From Prague Castle To Charles Bridge
I decided that if I took a tram down from the castle, it would probably take me somewhere I recognised.
In the end, I recognised the Hoffmeister Hotel, where C and myself stayed on our weekend in Prague, that I described in Getting Emotional. So I got off a few stops later, where it looked like an area with plenty of cafes, that I remembered.
After that the Mark 1 Navigation System kickred in and it led me to the Charles Bridge.
Exploring Prague Castle
After getting up to Prague Castle, I bought a ticket that gave me universal access and spent an house or so exploring.
This Google Map shows the extend of the site. which the Guinness Book of Records lists as the largest ancient castle in the world.
Prague Castle
These are some of the pictures I took.
As the pictures show it was extremely hot and very busy, with queues to get into many of the buildings.
Climbing To Prague Castle
These pictures document my journey from the station, where I dropped my bag, up to Prague Castle.
I had hoped to avoid walking up too many hills, but I did have to climb the last bit, only to find, that a 22 or 91 tram could have taken me right up the hill.
The Czech Republic has a real problem with its language, with lots of characters unfamiliar to visitors. But I didn’t have the same problems in Budapest, where the language is equally indecipherable.
In my view Prague could solve a lot of their transport problems, by adding some simple signs, which as I found a couple of years ago in Munich could be picture-based.
The Blanka tunnel being built appeared to be a road tunnel. And it is, if you look at Blanka Tunnel Complex in Wikipedia! Which says this.
The complex will connect the area west of Prague Castle with Trója district in the northeast. Its length is about 6.4 km and consists of three tunnels: Bubenečský, Dejvický and Brusnický. The tunnel complex was designed to relieve the historic centre of Prague from heavy traffic.
It’s just a pity, that some small change from the project, wasn’t used to improve the current system, with good maps and decipheral information.
My Hotel Ibis In Prague
I stayed at a Hotel Ibis in Prague.
The value was OK, but the hotel doesn’t compare in value to the average Premier Inn in the UK.
Supper With Celia
I had supper in a restaurant called Švejk Restaurant U Karla, which I found by typing “gluten free restaurant Prague” into Google.
The food is traditionally Czech and I found it excellent.
I don’t think you call the Celia gluten-free lager or the gluten-free bread traditional, but it is also Czech and excellent.
The only problem with the restaurant is that due to Prague’s maps and information, I found it difficult to find. In the end I was just on the point of giving up, when I found it.
I was certainly very pleased that I persevered.
Wenceslas Square
The last time I was in Prague is described in Getting Emotional, and although I was alone, I had to go and stand there.
I will probably do this every time I go to Prague.
From Katowice To Prague
There was only one direct train I could catch from Katowice to Prague and that left at 12:22. So after my short tram trip around Katowice, I gave myself plenty of time to have salad before I got the train to Prague.
The journey went smoothly, if not at a great speed and with a half hour changeover between the Polish and Czech crews.
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An Excursion In Katowice
Katowice is one of those places that has stuck in my mind, because of a mining disaster in the 1950s or 1960s.
I took a walk around the station, followed by a tram trip for a short distance from the station, a relaxation in a park for half-an-hour or so and then a return to the station for my train to Prague.
It is a typical modern city, that is like many you see over Europe. Unlike Krakow, there weren’t that many older buildings.
But like me, if you need to change trains in the city, there are many worse places to stretch your legs, perhaps take an excursion on a tram or get yourself something to eat and drink.
What helps in Katowice is that the well-equipped station is linked to the main street, where the trams run, by a very modern shopping centre. I struggled at first to find a ticket machine, but as in many countries, you buy tickets from the tobacconist. But as it’s Poland, the first younger person, I asked, gave me directions in perfect English.
The Toilets In Katowice Station
When I saw the toilets, I just had to take pictures and they deserve a section of their own.
In some ways, these facilities are a great reason to choose Katowice as a station to change trains.
I think they cost me about twenty pence to enter.
They give the phrase going to the loo, a whole new meaning. Apparently 2theloo is a Dutch idea and company.
The Anonymous Widower 