Prague: Part 1 - Day 1 Afternoon: Arrival and walk in town

I begin the year with my visit to Prague, the capital of Czech Republic. The only thing I know of Prague is that it is famous for its beer. Then, I saw a couple of people that I followed on Instagram visited Prague during winter too and how pretty the city is with its architecture and historical buildings. I was afraid that there will not be many things to do in Prague during winter and there will be snow all around which will make it difficult for me to walk. But I was so wrong. It is warm winter this year, and there is no snow at all. I was happy.

The flight tickets with Norwegian Airlines were bought on the first week of November 2019, so they were slightly expensive as my travels were on the first week of January 2020. It was about two months before my travels, so I know the tickets were not going to be on an economical level. For return tickets Stockholm to Prague, they costed SEK2104. I booked extra leg room and a few days before the flight, I got a message that the airplane from Stockholm to Prague is changed from an Airbus to Boeing so the seats were not the same. So, I did not get extra leg room but I got refunded for this after I sent an email to Norwegian Airlines Customer Service. 

Day 1 (Afternoon)
Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 1 Afternoon.

3/1 Day 1: Airport --> Alqush Downtown Hotel --> Prague town

Must-Incur Costs
None

Optional Costs
(A) Transport and accommodation
(1) Van transfer for 2 from Prague airport to hotel - EUR21.60
(2) 3 nights in Alqush Downtown Hotel for 2 (without breakfast) - EUR171

(B) Food
(1) Dinner CZK761 at Vycep restaurant - Grilled pork tongue, dill sauce, donut, onion jam CZK285, Wild boar in puff pastry, sea buckthorn, fermented vegetables CZK355, non-alcoholic Birell beer 0.3liter CZK31, 2 Beer 0.5liter CZK90 and tips CZK100
(2) Chimney stick CZK160 at Christmas market - With chocolate paste CZK90, Plain CZK70
(3) Sausage with bread CZK95 at Christmas market
(4) Two 1.5liter water bottles - CZK38

The Story

03012020 Afternoon: We arrived in Prague at 1.25pm, and got the airport transfer that we booked in Stockholm, to drop us at the hotel. I thought that it was a bus shuttle that we were sharing with other travellers but it turned out to be a private transfer in a minivan. It took about 1 hour to get to Alqush Downtown Hotel. For me, the hotel is strategically located as it is about 5 minutes walk to town or the city center, or the Christmas markets.

After checking in, we walked to our first restaurant which is Vycep that has good reviews and it took us about 40 minutes to get there, with a few stops along the way as I snapped photos.

Ta-da, Vycep Restaurant! I saw three tables that were occupied by travellers or tourists. There were a couple of locals who came in to get a beer. I would say that this is a luxurious restaurant although it has a very simple interior design. Their food's prices are not on the budget side, but it is affordable if converted to Swedish Crowns. 

My non-alcoholic beer that is light.

My dinner - Wild pork that is pulled in a pastry puff. I found the meal a bit salty.

This is the fermented vegetable that came with it. I guess, the meat dish needs to be balanced with some vegetables. 

Grilled pork tongue which is so soft! The green liquid around it is dill sauce. 

The little doughnut that came with the grilled pork tongue. 

After dinner, we walked back to the city center and I was attracted by this shiny metallic building. It is not metallic. It is the white lights that make it so to my eyes. This is the National Museum which closes at 6pm. We were tempted to see the museum but it was 5pm and we thought it was not worth it to pay for the tickets when we have only 1 hour to explore the place. 

So, we decided to look for the Christmas markets which were just opposite the National Museum. It is on the middle pavement flanked by the colourful trees. There are actually many Christmas markets in Prague. The ones opposite the National Museums are the smaller ones. The one in Old Town is a huge one. Also, there are Christmas markets on the first week of January in Prague because Russia celebrates Christmas on 6 January and there are a number of Russians in Prague and not to mention, lots of Russian tourists too. 

The first food that caught my eyes - Chimney sticks. This snack is made of dough and it is filling. Dinner was not filling so, we bought one each. It looks so tasty but they are slightly plain. Thankfully, it is sprinkled with cinnamon, plus, it is good to eat when it is still hot. I thought this was a Czech food but it turns out to be a Hungarian food. Somehow, there are lots of stalls selling this. For extra CZK20, you can get chocolate spread in its 'chimney'. Pretty expensive, I would say. 

One can see a number of pigs being grilled outside restaurants. It does keep one warm, though, standing next to the grill. 

We walked to the next Christmas market which is separated by a distance of 100meters from the first Christmas market. And got our next food - giant sausages which we shared and we were stuffed by then. Also, I love their Christmas trees.

Then, we passed by a candy shop that sells candies like it is in a mine. I thought Sweden has too much sweets but this is too much too. Plus, Prague is more creative than Stockholm when it comes to selling their candies - mining! 

Walked past a market that was founded in 1232. I am surprised that they still have huge strawberries!

Then, it was a walk back to the hotel. Along the way, we stopped by a convenience store and bought 2 bottles of water (1.5liters). We were unsure if one could drink tapwater and if it was possible, was it safe to drink.