The Bite Magazine Issue 17

Images courtesy of Boutique Hotel Golden Key bite travel W hat amazed me about the historic city of Prague in the month of July was how extremely hot it was. You would expect this kind of heat from exotic countries such as the Maldives, Turkey, Mauritius or Spain. However, it was a welcome change from the weather we were having back in the UK at the time. When you visit the capital of the Czech Republic, there is just something special about it. Besides being the filming location of choice for productions such as Amadeus (1984), The Trial (1993), Les Misérables (1998), Hellboy (2004) , Casino Royale and The Illusionist (2006), it has an amazing historic feel that distinguishes it from cities of similar status and makes it more enchanting. Hotel Golden Key, where I stayed for the duration of the weekend, is an ideal location for visiting Charles Bridge and Prague Castle which are walking dis- tances in both directions of the hotel. There are so many sights to see in Prague including the Palace Gardens, the Old Town Square with Astronom- ical Clock, the Jewish town of Josefov, and Pet ř ín Hill but Charles Bridge and Prague Castle are two of the main places to have at the top of your list. Charles Bridge, a medieval stone bridge that crosses the Vltava River was first constructed in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV and was finished at the beginning of the 15 th century. At the time, this bridge which stretches 621 metres (2,037 foot) long and is nearly 10 metres (33 foot), was the only means of crossing the river and connected Prague Castle with the city’s Old Town and adjacent areas. As you walk along this bridge, you’ll find that it’s besieged by crowds of tourists and natives, with a number of artists working their craft and vendors selling their goods. The most fascinating sights you will see along Charles Bridge are the many gothic figurines that are mostly dark in colour but still very intriguing. The Charles Bridge Museum is located in the Baroque building of the Military Order of the Crusaders of the Red Star which was established by Saint Agnes of Bohemia in 1252. Here you’ll find several hundred figurines of workers and dozens of models of con- struction machinery. You will also see how Prague’s Old Town looked like in the Middle Ages. The museum gives visitors the opportunity to find out for themselves what it was like to build the gothic stone bridge through their inter- active medieval construction works. Prague Castle, the castle complex located up the hill from the hotel in the opposite direction is simply sen- sational. It dates from the 9 th century and is the official residence of the President of the Czech Republic which explains why there are so many soldiers