Thursday 2 June: This morning we went to the Jewish Quarter, a complex of synagogues and other buildings near the bend in the Vltava river. It was interesting, but quite crowded. I was interested in seeing the Jerusalem synagogue in another part of Prague. It was a little difficult to find, but worth the effort. It has a Moorish design, looking almost like a mosque - very ornate and colourful, if a little faded by time.
In the late afternoon we went to the south of Prague to Vyšehrad see the historical fort. It was built, probably in the 10th century, on a hill over the Vltava River. Situated within the castle is the Basilica of St Peter and St Paul, as well as the Vyšehrad Cemetery, containing the remains of many famous people from Czech history, among them Antonín Dvorák, Bedrich Smetana, Karel Capek, and Alphonse Mucha. From the fort, we had panoramic views of the city. It was overcast with drizzling rain, but quite peaceful and away from the usual crowds. We made our way slowly to Námestí Míru. This area is more suburban, with more commuters than tourists, although architecturally still interesting, with the Church of St. Ludmila in the main square.
By now it was close to dinnertime, and we had to find somewhere to eat. Frances still had that desire for Czech food and so we chose a local restaurant, the U Dandu. It had an ‘olde worlde’ feel about it, as in it hasn’t changed for many years and seemed to be full of locals. We asked for a non-smoking area and the owner/waiter said there was none, however he did have a table near a window which was fine. His English was minimal, and the menu Czech only, so we negotiated our order with some difficulty. Even getting beers was a challenge, but they did provide red and white wine, so we ordered one of each. The wines were interesting, and had a fresh grapey taste – not bad, but interesting. The red I’ve since identified as Víno Mikulov Svatovavrinecké, vino suché cervené (dry red wine).
What we ended up ordering was Lentil Soup and Pork Steak for Frances and Spaghetti Bolognaise for me, with sides of Croquette and Salad. Almost everything here comes with diced ham and the Lentil Soup was no exception, and it also had a vinegared flavour, similar to that used with white cabbage. Frances loved it. The Pork Steak came with green beans in gravy including…diced ham. Frances loved it. The Croquette were completely spherical flour dumplings, deep fried - not what we expected, but hey they tasted fine! The Salad was kind of Greek, it had fetta cheese, but the actual bowl was the best part – unique. Lastly the Spaghetti Bolognaise was pretty good, and no diced ham.
Unfortunately the Bolognaise sauce was so sweet it could have been a dessert. I raised this with the owner/waiter who indicated that it was original Italian recipe – who could argue with that! We had the impression that they didn’t get many international travellers and we were a bit of a novelty. Our host was really friendly and helpful, and overall it was a really pleasant evening.
In the late afternoon we went to the south of Prague to Vyšehrad see the historical fort. It was built, probably in the 10th century, on a hill over the Vltava River. Situated within the castle is the Basilica of St Peter and St Paul, as well as the Vyšehrad Cemetery, containing the remains of many famous people from Czech history, among them Antonín Dvorák, Bedrich Smetana, Karel Capek, and Alphonse Mucha. From the fort, we had panoramic views of the city. It was overcast with drizzling rain, but quite peaceful and away from the usual crowds. We made our way slowly to Námestí Míru. This area is more suburban, with more commuters than tourists, although architecturally still interesting, with the Church of St. Ludmila in the main square.
By now it was close to dinnertime, and we had to find somewhere to eat. Frances still had that desire for Czech food and so we chose a local restaurant, the U Dandu. It had an ‘olde worlde’ feel about it, as in it hasn’t changed for many years and seemed to be full of locals. We asked for a non-smoking area and the owner/waiter said there was none, however he did have a table near a window which was fine. His English was minimal, and the menu Czech only, so we negotiated our order with some difficulty. Even getting beers was a challenge, but they did provide red and white wine, so we ordered one of each. The wines were interesting, and had a fresh grapey taste – not bad, but interesting. The red I’ve since identified as Víno Mikulov Svatovavrinecké, vino suché cervené (dry red wine).
What we ended up ordering was Lentil Soup and Pork Steak for Frances and Spaghetti Bolognaise for me, with sides of Croquette and Salad. Almost everything here comes with diced ham and the Lentil Soup was no exception, and it also had a vinegared flavour, similar to that used with white cabbage. Frances loved it. The Pork Steak came with green beans in gravy including…diced ham. Frances loved it. The Croquette were completely spherical flour dumplings, deep fried - not what we expected, but hey they tasted fine! The Salad was kind of Greek, it had fetta cheese, but the actual bowl was the best part – unique. Lastly the Spaghetti Bolognaise was pretty good, and no diced ham.
Unfortunately the Bolognaise sauce was so sweet it could have been a dessert. I raised this with the owner/waiter who indicated that it was original Italian recipe – who could argue with that! We had the impression that they didn’t get many international travellers and we were a bit of a novelty. Our host was really friendly and helpful, and overall it was a really pleasant evening.
