Prague by day and by night

Prague is a city that constantly amazes and surprises me, which I am very pleased about.

I was unsure if the first full day in Prague was going to be better than the arrival and I am very please to say that it was, although certainly having a friend in a foreign city goes a long way to making a bad place bearable, a bearable place good and a good place amazing.

Previously I have already said how fabulous the cities architecture but what is equally pleasing is the view when looking down on the city from its highest points, like its own mini Eiffel tower or from the top of Prague castle.

For anyone who is not keen on walking up steep mountains you can get a Funicular tram / train which runs up the short but steep hill to reach the bottom of their Eiffel Tower for around 26 Krona, which is almost nothing, but I advice that you allow yourself the luxury of walking down again as the views are great and you get to pause along the way for refreshments and photo opportunities against statues of their greatest love poets.

The tower itself has no lift, relying on a pair of winding stairs that rise up inside it like a double helix and both ways are clearly marked so hopefully you wont have to go past too many stupid or ignorant tourists trying to get past you heading the wrong way.

However it is not for the feint hearted or anyone who is afraid of heights as not only is the tower tall but it is also very thin and narrow and once at the top even a slight gust of wind is more than enough to make it ebb and sway gently in the breeze.

With my Czech friend playing gracious host and guide for the afternoon and evening I was able to learn that the best place to wait and try you hand at celeb spotting was at a famous local cafe located just by the bridge, which is also supposed to be one of the most expensive hereabouts to get a coffee, and I was not at all surprised to see that it was also one of the only buildings in the area to have any graffiti on it { probably from one of its patrons after looking at the bill for a round of drinks! }.

Although I never did find a place to get any washing done today, I was thankful that I can get it done first thing on Monday before I catch the train to Vienna, and I tried not to let this spoil my fun overfly.

Nighttime in Prague is a very different place than it is in the day and here more than every you need not only your wits about you but a great sense of direction and a map.

The biggest problem with the city and its free travel maps are a) the roads are not roman roads { i.e. they are not straight and almost always bend or curve away deceptively }, b) not all the roads are signposted, c) on a map not all the roads are labelled, and d) the roads do not run north to south or east to west.

Thus it was that even after a days travelling in a city where I am now able to identify key buildings, armed with a map and a compass I was still unable to find my way back to the hotel without going past it two or three times.

The biggest hindrance to finding anywhere in Prague is pride and thinking that you have studied the map enough to understand and second guess its twists and turns, so trust me when I say that unless you were born and raised here { or have Jedi powers }, no you haven't.

Although you might not want to stand out like a naive tourist by carrying a map and looking at it, this is probably the only way you can successfully navigate the city unless you stick to the main roads and are prepared to go the long way round everytime.

However, feeling slightly familiar with my surroundings, once my guide returned home for the night I chose to once again strike out on my own after dark { 8pm onwards }, minus all valuables and money as per usual in case the worst should happen.

In the media I had heard that Prague had become a hot favourite for stag and hen parties to head off to, and from walking down the main strip at night I am now certain that for once the media was neither lying nor even applying too much artistic licence.

In fact, walking after dark around Prague ignoring the occasional person on the street like myself, you could broadly categorise the majority of people out and about into once a handful of groups, although far and away the majority that was larger than all the rest put together was the number of Brits out on the lash celebrating something.

1) GBR stag or hen party guest; 2) Local teenage girl trying to look older; 3) Coloured balding tough guy type; 4) Tramp or vagabond; 5) Single lonely local guy in cheap bar.

Because of the many strip bars and "loose-women-for-hire" night clubs there does not seem to be a large red light district in the centre of Prague, which is just as well with the number of drunken Brits that there was wandering around with more spare money than sober brain cells.

The real shame is that not only do the Brits abroad seem to delight in shouting their loud mouths of to other pedestrians from across the street, but they are also ridiculously easy to eavesdrop on for information if it is concerning what they have done to whom, especially once they are together in bars.

Without even really trying hard I managed to overhear enough of a banter / conversation to get a good idea of what went on from one group who had just returned from one such club on the south side of town.

There is a club where the neon light advertises non stop action, and after following a selection of painted red arrows you get to a door where the bouncer / bar man lets you in and offers to fix you a drink for a standard price.

Once inside you are faced with a small confined room filled with comfy red armchairs and a selection of slim young looking women of various degrees of good looks. After looking at the menus printed on plastic cards { in English }, you chose what you want and with whom, pay the barkeep and then trolly off to have your time of fun with the girl that catches you eye the most. Although I am sure that some services must cost extra, by all accounts you can have anything from a quickie for EU $50 to a whole night for EU $300.

For myself however I have always felt that one indication of a city's standing is its McDonald's and sadly although it is open 24 hours, the one the centre of Prague { which also seems to be the only one in Prague 1}, comes very low down the list. Luke warm fries that were neither crispy not flavoursome, sold out of Apple Pies, no signs of milkshakes that I could see and the burger, though not totally devoid of taste, was probably the most pathetic looking specimen that I have ever seen.