My second full day in Prague turned out to be the best, managing to surpass even the highlights of the previous day. The weather was similar - bright and sunny, but very cold, and I walked into town as before, but this time I headed for the New Town. I stopped to admire the statue of King Wenceslas, in the square (or should I say elongated rectangle) that bares his name, before browsing a few bookshops. I was looking for a book entitled "A Guide to the Beer Halls of Prague", written by László Polgár. I thought that this publication might be similar in scope to the excellent "Beer Drinker's Guide to Munich", which proved so invaluable on my last trip to the Bavarian capital, but although the shops I looked in were full of umpteen guide books to Prague and its charms, my quest for this drinker's guide was not successful. (Have just checked on Amazon and the book is out of stock, with no indication as to when it might next be available!)
Undeterred, I headed away from the square, passing the New Town Hall which overlooks Charles Square. My goal was one of Prague's home brew pubs, a place which one guide described as "looking like a shop selling Soviet kitchen appliances". Pivovarsky dum, does look pretty non-descript from the outside, but inside offers a wide range of beers brewed on the premises; in fact this brew-pub occupies the ground floor of the Czech Research Institute of Brewing and Malting!
Although Pivovarsky dum offers such strange offerings as coffee, banana and nettle beer, I stuck to the two mainstream varieties, confusing the waiter slightly by requesting a glass of both the pale and the dark. I sat in the plainly furnished rear room which, although virtually empty when I arrived, soon filled up with lunchtime diners. I hadn't that long eaten breakfast, so confined myself to just a bowl of chicken noodle soup. This went well with the beers, and of the two I preferred the pale over the dark.
On leaving Pivovarsky dum I noticed the temperature had dropped significantly. I could have done with my warmer hat and gloves which I had left at the hotel, but a brisk walk soon warmed me up. I headed down to the Vltava river, pausing to admire the imposing National Theatre on the way. I had bought a ham and cheese roll in a supermarket en route, and stopped in a park on Zofin Island, opposite the theatre to eat it, before crossing via the Legii Bridge into the area of the city known as Mala Strana.
My plan was to take the funicular railway that runs up Petrin Hill and from there to make my way to the monastery at Strahovsky klaster where there is another brew-pub, that was reputed to be well worth visiting. I made my way to the bottom of the funicular railway, but after standing for what seemed an age in a queue that did not appear to be moving, I decided to walk up the hill instead. I say hill, it was more akin to walking up the side of a mountain! Now I am reasonably fit, but I had to stop several times in order to catch my breath. I was not alone on this ascent, as there seemed to be quite a few people, both visitors and locals, taking the same route.
Eventually I reached the summit which is crowned by the 60m high Rozhledna Tower, built as a tribute to the Eifel Tower in Paris, and completed just two years after the original. The trouble with beer drinking is that the end product needs to be got rid of. On a cold day the need to pass water is intensified by the low temperatures. Fortunately, as I headed towards Strahovsky klaster, there were just sufficient trees, not too many walkers and light that was starting to fade to allow me to stop and answer a most urgent "call of nature" without causing any embarrassment. From the edge of this woodland hideaway I was rewarded with the most spectacular view of Prague imaginable. I could see across the valley towards Hradcany and the castle complex, dominated by the twin Gothic towers of St Vitus Cathedral. There was a slight haze in the air, the sun was starting to go down and the reddish tint to the sky gave the hint of snow to come. Far below, just glinting in the slowly fading light, I could see the Vltava river, slowly winding its way through the city. The whole thing was a magical experience for me, and one of the highlights of the trip.
I was relieved though when I reached the monastery complex and found the Klasterni pivovar Strahov brew-pub in some buildings opposite the impressive church. I was glad of the chance to warm up, and after managing to find a seat, settled down to enjoy the beers (pale and dark), that are brewed on the premises under the St Norbert badge. Whilst there, I studied my "Good Beer Guide to Prague" carefully and learned that there was a pub called U Cerneho Vola close-by, selling beers from the Kozel stable. From the write up it sounded like my sort of place, so I set off to find it.
It was dark when I left Klasterni pivovar Strahov, and was cold out as well. I walked the short distance towards the Loreta Pilgrimage Church, where the Guide informed me I would find the pub opposite. There was no sign of it. I stood for a while admiring the imposing Cernisky Palace, one of half a dozen such palaces in the shadow of the castle. This one was particularly impressive, having been recently restored to full glory; what's more it was floodlit, as was the church. I walked up and down the square in front of the palace, even venturing as far as the road on the other side of the square, but all to no avail. I retraced my steps and was about to abandon my quest, when beneath the arches of a cloistered walkway, to the right of the church, I noticed a faded sign next to a set of wooden doors. I realised that I had walked past these doors earlier, without realising they were the entrance to the pub. The sign itself gave little away and it is only now, after studying the photo I took, that I can just make out the words Pivnice Cerneho Vola.
I passed through the doors and found myself in a lobby area, crowded with drinkers. I noticed there was a room leading off to the right, so after removing my hat, gloves and scarf I entered what turned out to be the bar. It had a high, heavily beamed ceiling and floors of bare-brick. It was sparsely furnished with just a few simple wooden benches and tables, and to the right of the entrance was a free-standing bar counter, complete with a fount for the beer, and a sink for washing up the glasses. Behind the counter was a surly-looking, apron-clad, mustachioed barman, looking like a character from a Bill Tidy cartoon, dispensing the beer. I pointed to the sign for the 12 degree pale and was duly given a 0.5l mug, all for the princely sum of Kc 26.5! This was definitely my sort of pub, even though I couldn't speak, or understand a word of Czech! There was nowhere for me to sit, so I stood over by the coat racks, taking in the goings on in this very local's local of pubs. The air was thick with tobacco smoke (the Czechs haven't succumbed to a smoking ban yet!), and I noticed the barman himself happily puffing away. I of course stayed for another; this time sampling the dark Kozel beer instead.
After the second beer, I decided I had better get something to eat. I reluctantly left this wonderfully unspoilt pub and wandered back towards the Charles Bridge, following the steep road leading down below the castle ramparts. It had been an afternoon and early evening full of superlatives, but now I found myself back in the heart of the Old Town, crowded out with its hordes of tourists. I headed for Ferdinanda, a bar I had visited the previous afternoon. I knew the menu was reasonably priced, and having watched some of the dishes being served, I also knew the food would be good.
On the way, I passed through Wenceslas Square. It had just started snowing, and by the time I reached Ferdinanda, just a few blocks away, there was already an inch or so covering the ground. The notes I took at the time record I ordered a pork fillet cooked with blue cheese and accompanied by french fries. I must confess I don't remember that much about the meal, the day's beer consumption having started to tell on me by then, but I washed it down with a glass of Ferdinand's 11 degree dark beer, followed by a coffee.
The snow was quite thick on the ground by the time I departed, but I noticed an army of local authority workers, armed with snow-shovels, out clearing the pavements. This was in complete contrast to the chaos that had ensued in my home town of Tonbridge, following the heavy snow that had fallen a week before Christmas! Back in Wenceslas Square I jumped on the next No 9 tram, and after a short journey was back at my hotel after what had been a most wonderful day out.
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