It was more than a year since enroute to me in the city of a hundred spiers of gold, and it seems to me that it was yesterday. Prague is a city with a special charm where time has stopped in Franz Kafka. Yet for almost fifty years it has been under Soviet influence. Black Period that Praguers have removed. It is the historical memory of both moral disasters that materials that the Soviet era should instead keep alive left behind him. The majority of Prague, however, is formed by the younger generation of the thirties and forties who at the time were just born or teenagers. And adults prefer not to talk about the past. Those were the times that if you lived in a house maybe built with the help of friends in the afternoons after “the work was” at best you had to cohabit with someone “recommended” dal party, and at worst the villa was confiscated to make room for you “panels”. Buildings constructed with the technique of prefabrication strictly concrete face view, and then all gray. The dullness of the managers of the party was reflected in the cement gray. Obviously panely I was, but now they have been repainted in the colors of the rainbow. In addition to this suburb hailed in the 70s also from fashion architects in Italy, It remained a stratified urban fabric from the early nineteenth century in the historical center (Old Town). The past remain many vestiges of which the most important is the Cathedral of S. Vito and the Kafkaesque Castle memory once the royal residence of the Bohemian king of the dynasty of King Charles IV of Bohemia (1346 – 1378) now the President of the Czech Republic. King Charles IV was a modern monarch. We owe to him the foundation of Charles University, first university in Europe along with that founded the antipodes in Palermo in Sicily by the equally modern Norman King Roger II of Swabia. The S Cathedral. Vito stands out on the hill in the frieze on the left bank of the Vltava River (Vltava) dominating. In fact around the castle it has evolved over time the old town (Mala Strana) literally “A small part”. Slightly deeper than the river is the area of Kamp headquarters of prestigious exhibitions of the movement's representatives Dadaist Bohemian (A lot). Continuing south we find the Petriny park on which stands a steel tower similar to the more famous Effeil but small (circa 60 mt) where there is a breathtaking view of the city and its 100 golden spiers. Another place where you can admire the Prague skyline and the latest TV Tower (1985) which is on the newer part of the city than the opposite Vltava. A nord del Petriny Parkthere is the Strahov Monastery, where you can visit an ancient library of rare manuscripts. To comfortably reach Petriny you can use the cable car system (funicular) which starts from the bottom of the hill (Ujezd) where it was made a significant memorial to the cause of communism. Coming from Mala Strana is necessarily passes in front of the famous Church of the Carmel because it houses the Infant Jesus of Prague. In the sacristy Father Anastasio you will receive the Carmelite Fathers who is Italian and runs to the battered Central Africa where he founded a mission. (ed: if you happen to be there on Sunday at 18,00 there Mass in Italian for our large community) At this point, crossing the river via the bridge “now legit” that rests on the island Strelecky Ostrov we are right at the National Theater (National Theater) where you can see performances of Laterna Magika and the famous corner on the left cafe Slaviafrom nineteenth-century flavor. Meet the artists authors of Charter '77, and the velvet revolution of the '90s, from which sprang the Czech Republic we now visit. Among these illustrious Czechs are obliged to mention the theater actor Vaclav Havel Founder precisely the dissident movement Charter '77 and later the first president of post-communist Czech Republic. The events of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Empire were so sudden that even Prague found unprepared dissidents from which the people demanded a new democratic state. If we shift our gaze a little more to the right we notice the presence of Palace Dancing artistic expression of the Czech movement Dadaist. If you are not lucky to find room at Cafe Slavia continued to 150 mt on Narodni and you will find another fascinating Café Louvre, where you can feel like that at Slavia Czech typical dishes. These include the knedly (slices of steamed bread) contour together algli zeal (white or red cabbage and sour) to the various quality of pork (excellent shin). A dispassionate advice at any restaurant in Prague you are accompanied meals with beer because the wines are not always up, while beer is for the Czechs as the water of the mayor in Italy. We have not finished the Prague sightseeing tour but I want to suggest another local typical Czech U Pinkasu although it is behind Wenceslas Square in a tourist area, It maintains the originality of Czech cuisine. In this regard, remember that the typical local names begin with the U that is for our “gives”. A Wenceslas Square we find ourselves in the heart of the historic town (Old Town) but affected by the globalization of shops with the presence of numerous global brands. Some shops of yesteryear still resists such as the international library at the corner of the Prague metro stop Mustek where you can find rare books on art. Crossing Wenceslas Square, also famous for the martyrdom of Jan Palch during the Soviet invasion of August 1968 we find ourselves in the pedestrian boulevard na Prikope. In a parallel lane (Ryorska)there is a stable market with many local products. If you happen to be in Prague for Easter you will find the colored eggs to decorate the table, and at Christmas you will find ornamental dolls for the tree made of straw. Also on this road it is the City Theater and the headquarters of’ Carolina University. At the performances in Czech Municipal Theater are enjoyable because sottotitole in English. At the end of this path you will arrive on Celetnà. In this way it resists still some jewelery where there are stone and amber jewelry stores offering the famous crystal Bohemian. Turning right will meet shortly after the Torre del Municipio (Prasna Brana) Piazza Repubblica (náměstí Republiky) where you can see famous ballets such as The Nutcracker or Gizelle. If you turn left instead you'll find yourself on the beautiful square Old Town Namesty (Old Town Square) with a statue in the middle of one of the founding fathers of Bohemia January Huss, on the left Clock tower (ed: Try to happen just before noon and will witness an engineering spectacle like few in the world) and on the right the Tyn Church of the Madonna. Crossing the square you will find on Parizska bordering on the right the old Jewish ghetto Josefov and left the Jewish cemetery where the remains of Franz Kafka. Entrance is paid. If you keep the left with a bit of luck you'll find yourself near the Rudolfinum(Theater deputy to symphonic music). Near you find a typical restaurant that I recommend more At the Rudolfinum. At this point you stay to the left a few meters from the right bank of access Carlo bridge. The Charles Bridge combines all the mysterious charm and magic of the town especially in foggy days. But it is also impressive in a beautiful summer day. About the best season to visit the city depends on your tastes, but in June and September you will have no unpleasant surprises. After crossing the Charles Bridge we again Kamp to your right is one of the most famous restaurants U trii Pstrosu (At three geese). Continuing you find yourself in the square Lesser Town Square where taking the uphill road Nerudovà (ed: on the right you will pass by the Italian Embassy in Prague) you to the Prague Castle. This requires at least a full day to be visited. In addition to St. Vitus Cathedral, the Castle Museum and the church of S. Giorgio fact, you'll find the small street of Prague which is called Golden Street(asked) that golden road. At the office information you can find the most suitable combination of the whole tour. For those interested there is also the Technical Museum which is located in the north of the castle on the Letna hill. Here there is also a nice park (Prague is full) Letna park where there is a great metronome that beats time. Speaking of parks as well as to Petriny, that of Letna there are two other notable parks in the north of the Park Stromovka where it was made the Universal Exhibition of 1891 and to the south the Park Vysherad that before the construction of the castle was the royal seat HradCany. Even if they are not at the center are easily accessible by subway (Red line). One other curiosity Prague amazing are the Botyotel or hotels on huge barges moored on the banks of the Vltava. The rooms are furnished in the old marina style. For the gastronomic tour focused on beer, I relied on the advice of my dear friend Martin that when you come to find leads me to taste the various beers that are produced in Prague, accompanied with meat. One of those places that has struck me is Josefov and it specializes in the cuisine of the various parts of the pig. The other places where I was fine, in addition to those previously mentioned you are all located in the center where with 25 EUR can spend a pleasant evening with friends. In order are U Fleku (Kfmencova 11), At the Golden Tiger (Hus 17).
As a film buff, If you like the original language films and documentaries I recommend the film Svetor (Look on the world) which is located in the corner of Vodickova Vaclaskve Namestie. Finally after spending three days in Prague take home as souvenirs food over Prague ham, oplatky the wafer that are from the original circular shape and using the Christmas dinner and the aromatics Slivoviza Becherovka liquor and can be enjoyed along with the crepes are called in Czech palazinky. And if in these three days you have got to know someone will realize that although the Czech language is tricky, however, is melodious like one of those lullabies your mother sang there in the evening. I recommend you go back to Czech Republic perhaps to know the other Czech beauties around Prague, a Karlovy Vary, known for its thermal waters, where in June there is a major Film Festival, and all the host of Castles of which I will talk about next time.