3 hours (or less) from Paris: Prague #3

Prague castle / Saint Vitus Cathedral.

Below: Prague at night

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Prague #2

Casual cafés and restaurants line the banks of the Vltava.

Below: perusing the menu with views of Charles Bridge; chef-helmed restaurants with open kitchens rival Paris' best; dry ice used to dramatic effect; chocolate as art

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Prague

  I've been excited about writing up our magical visit to Prague, one of Europe's most beautiful capitals, capping the summer. Czechoslovakia - now shortened to Czechia - is where my Austrian-German mother was born, and so much of what I saw evoked a flood of childhood memories, of stories, and histories, of the Bohemian Forest. Of a city and country of incomparable beauty and rich culture.   

Everyone couldn't have been kinder and more generous as we spirited from castle to café to Kirche. With our elegant hotel just steps from Old Town Square (merci Terry!), we were able to walk almost everywhere. Street markets brimmed with street foods: crispy trdelník, fire-roasting ham hocks, fried cheese sandwiches, bite-sized chlebíčky, endless sausages, potatoes-on-a-stick and my favorite, halušky, tiny gnocchi-like potato dumplings tossed with kraut and smoky bacon. Palačinky, small yeast pancakes (almost but not quite as good as mom's) took me back to our family table and dishes I still make today.

Old-world coffee houses, phenomenal restaurants, a "ghost tour" (though night silhouettes of Prague's imposing baroque towers are spooky enough), a walk through the Jewish Quarter and a day trip to gothic Karlštejn fortress with a hike in the Bohemian Forest made this séjour unforgettable. - BPJ

Photos: knockout views from the top of Old Town Hall Tower


Monday - a week in photos

3 hours (or less) from Paris: Praha, “City of a Hundred Spires"

South side

Back of the Basilica from a south-facing private rooftop terrace.

Above: the light changes quickly as the sun sets

A Paris morning

Fountain square off Place Colette.

Hot dog

Crunchy all-beef hot dog "wraps" baked with a hint of Dijon mustard and, on top, a dollop of house mayonnaise, straight from the oven.

Pâtisserie Boulangerie Boris Lumé
48 rue Caulaincourt 75018

- hotdogs on Sundays only - 

Keeping in shape

Pompiers de Paris take advantage of Montmartre stairways for their daily exercise.