There are so many amazing Christmas Markets across Europe, so it was hard to choose which one to travel to. Anxious to scratch a new country off of our very cool scratch-off map we decided to visit Prague, Czech Republic. We know lots of people who have been there, some who studied abroad, that had great things to say about the city. One of the best things about living in Europe is the ease of traveling from country to country so inexpensively. We like to use SkyScanner to keep an eye out for cheap flight deals. You can even set alerts for specific cities, and it lets you know when good flights are available. So, we bought our tickets to Prague for a short, weekend getaway to get us in the holiday spirit.
After an hour on the plane, we landed in Prague in the evening on Friday and checked in to the most incredible hotel we’ll probably ever stay in, the Boscolo Prague. This hotel is completely gorgeous and fully decked out for the holidays. I could have spent the entire weekend wandering around the hotel. We treated ourselves to some massages at their beautiful spa and had cocktails and cigars (Jonny) in a converted bank vault. A brief history:
At the end of the XIX century, Modernism arose in European capitals, a coming-together of artistic trends inspired by nature, which saw the noble arts (painting, sculpture and architecture) being united with applied arts (furnishing and textiles). The Boscolo Prague is a splendid example of this.
Designed by the Austrian architect Wölf, on the doorway of the exquisitely neoclassical façade, which recalls the National Theater and National Museum, there is an inscription: ‘HYPOTECNI BANCA CESKA’, that is the Czech Mortgage Bank, indicating its initial purpose.
During the communist period, it became the headquarters of the Czech Postal Service. After years of neglect it was restored by the Boscolo Hotels and the architects Maurizio Papiri, Adam D. Tihany and Simone Micheli, and is nowadays one of the most prestigious 5-star luxury hotels in Prague.
Traces of the old bank find a surprising rival in the brightness of the new metallic surfaces and the transparency of the glass. The bed heads in the rooms are original, and date from the first half of the XIX century, as do some tables decorated with period frescoes which have been expertly restored.
After checking in, we headed to the Christmas market in the Old Town Square (origins from the 12th century) for the first time. It was so festive! There was a huge Christmas tree and rows and rows of charming little stalls, all surrounded by beautiful architecture. There were twinkling lights everywhere; it just felt like a whole different time. We spent the evening walking around drinking mulled wine and eating traditional pastries made over the fire, trdelnik.
The next day we did a lot of sight seeing, and a lot of walking. It was cold but sunny, so we enjoyed strolling through town looking at all of the incredible Neoclassical architecture. Prague has such a regal feel to it; it’s such a pretty city! First, we went back to the Old Town Square to check out the Astronomical Clock. Then we walked through the Jewish Quarter and over the Vltava River. Once across the river we had incredible views over looking the city. We visited the Prague Castle and the Vitus Cathedral. On our way back to town we stopped at a tiny, cozy, underground restaurant to sample their Christmas Beer (it was the first day it was on tap). The final leg of our day was crossing back into town over the Charles Bridge. We would have liked to linger longer, especially to check out all of the neat artworks for sale, but it was SO crowded.
The last activity for the day was a Czech Beer Tasting. The highlight was tasting Pilsner Urquell, which is the world’s first pilsner beer. Additionally we learned a little about trademark conflict of Budweiser and the Czech version, Budvar.
Reluctantly on Sunday we headed to the airport around noon to fly back to Amsterdam. Prague is definitely a city we’d visit again! Besides the beauty and a great Christmas Market, it was also an inexpensive trip. It is a fact that beer costs less than water 🙂 For more photos you can click on the menu in the upper left corner and select the Adventures in Prague page. Thanks for checking in!
-Jon and Jill
#hermesinholland 
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