a (near) perfect foggy autumnal prague day
i always think the question of “your perfect day” is an interesting one. what would a perfect free day in the big city look like for you?
i think about this a lot, especially when i have limited time in a place. we decided to pop up to prague for a one night getaway (dog in tow) about a week ago for the public holiday. actually, celebrating a century since the foundation of czechoslovakia in 1918! pretty cool to be in the capital for this momentous day, even though the weather was so awful we didn’t even want to bother with the firework show.
i awoke at a pleasant hour – early, but not toooo early and finished my book in bed, then threw open the curtains to see the view (above) of voroněžská street. then we went downstairs (in the hotel we stayed at) for breakfast, enjoying a cup of harney & sons earl grey and new-ish sufjan stevens tunes. i suppose my perfect prague morning would involve going out to breakfast, but you know. sometimes you’re lazy and hotel breakfasts usually are not too shabby! i quite enjoy lingering over a long breakfast at my hotel.
we then wandered down krymska (above) on this mid-monday morning when the only people out were dog-walkers or on their way to some appointment. the day before was so terrible and cold – the cold still lingered but with a nice atmospheric fog.
we took a nice stroll through havlíčkovy sady which i had only been to in the warmer months before – it looked so lovely with the autumn leaves falling! i love being in prague in the autumn. i don’t know if it’s just super gorgeous or if i get nostalgic this time of year because it was this month that i moved to the czech republic almost six years ago. it’s always worth taking some time to pop up there and putter around. it also is just outside of my daily routine enough to remind myself of another reason why i (still) live in the czech republic. when the daily grind (if you can call it that) gets me down, it’s fun to take in a bit of prague magic.
below, plevel vegan restaurant, which reportedly catered paul mccartney’s prague stop of his most recent tour. if it’s good enough for sir paul, it’s certainly good enough for me.
(took a break to swoon at the fresh baguettes at le caveau pekárna)
from there, we took an easy walk to my favorite starbucks (at i.p. pavlova) for my one and only (”official”) pumpkin spice latte of the season. did you know i used to drink one of those every single day? those were different times, indeed. (hot tip: for those of you who think they are too sweet, please customize! i always order mine with one pump less of syrup and it’s perfect).
warmed up and ready to go, we wandered up to muzeum, and down václavské náměstí (wenceslas square). another hot tip: if you think vaclavák isn’t going to be crowded because it’s early afternoon on an october monday, you’d be wrong, my friend. IT IS ALWAYS CROWDED FOREVER AND ETERNALLY PERIOD THE END.
eventually it was lunch time, and you know what is the most perfect place for a cheap lunch in prague that also happens to be very healthy (slash vegan)? enter: the loving hut. it has long been one of my prague favorites (although it’s not prague exclusive – i’ve even been in ljubljana before!) i especially like to head there before or after traveling as i know i can always count on a delicious healthy lunch. and, as i mentioned, cheap. we usually only spend about 300kc for the two of us. and don’t get on me with “prague is already cheap”! y’all, no it’s not. in the rest of the czech republic, there is the phrase “prague prices”. also, my salary happens to be in czech crowns (not euros). sometimes, cheap, healthy and good is just what the doctor ordered!
i used to go to an old loving hut near josefov but now there’s a beautiful new location open in černá labuť shopping center on na poříčí
street. not only is loving hut there, but downstairs there’s a new health/vegan shop (vegan world) which is absolutely amazing – cannot recommend this store enough. there is also a juice bar and cafe in the sample complex. viva la černá labuť! i do applaud this new development. my other favorite loving hut location is located upstairs in novy smichov in anděl. check it.
when i got home, i thought it might be time for a spooky LUSH bath with my black cat “bewitched” bubble bar. i adore LUSH’s halloween line and i try to pick one thing to take home for a halloween bath every year! i’ve never tried one of their bubble bars before but they ain’t kidding about the “bubble” part. i think next time i’d opt for a bath bomb as usual, but it was fun to try.
well friends, we am headed to iceland this week for – well, to be honest – my absolute dream trip that i thought would never happen: a family vacation + most long-awaited musical festival in one is sure to be fabulous. be sure to follow along for more snippets between blog posts. have a great week!
ps, if you liked this autumnal prague post you might also like autumn dreamland and prague autumn magic to get you in the mood.
