NoJennyNo: Moving to Prague

Prague Old Town

April has been a busy month thanks to the Prague move squeezed in between the travels. E and I had exactly two days to find and pack everything we owned all over the world and another two days to ship them over to our new place - all before heading to the airport for an event here and tournament there.

Then I'd get a three days here and two days there to unpack some boxes and purchase furniture before heading off to another country again. It's a good thing we hardly own anything besides clothes and computers. Though anyone who knows E well enough knows he owns 4 times more clothes and shoes than I do, enough to require 20-odd boxes just for his closet*. True story.

Famed Parizska Street

*I'm a minimalist and prone to throwing away unnecessities whereas he finds possible future use for any and every object.

So here's a quick view of Prague and its districts. A quick where to live and not to live guide as well.

Most people who visit will only ever get to see Prague 1 (Stare Mesto) and the Old Town. All the articles suggest staying out of this area for the noise, the chaos, and high price. And especially, ESPECIALLY far from Old Town where those terribly tourists are ever-present. As tourists ourselves we chose to live here.

These two are my favorite buildings on the street, like two pristine castles that resemble the real Parisian buildings.

The tourists don't bother me, in fact, I prefer the bustling crowd over quiet streets. Quiet, empty streets especially at night have an eerie feel that make you look back twice. When there are loud tourists to keep you company, even the darkest streets feel lively.

My ever-present temporary neighbors

Another plus, I was lucky enough to have a rooftop view of the Tyn Church in Old Town. You definitely can't get this perk in a non-touristy part of town.

Furniture shopping was definitely more difficult than imagined. Most quick google searches turned up hopeless since everything was in Czech. We decided to venture out on foot in the hopes of accidental finds, but in Old Town, that's near impossible. I at least got to become more familiar with the streets while being lost around the square.

The Old Town Square

Church and the late Easter Market

Astronomical Clock Tower

Some statues and my shopping buddy

Then I searched in the nearby Vinohrady area in Prague 2. I found Vinohradsky Pavillion, the first shopping center opened post-communism. It's now a large art gallery with high end furniture and paintings on display, all for sale. The open space and art make it beautiful.

View from the entrance

It is also a quiet space to enjoy some coffee since for most people come to browse rather than actually buying much of the furnishing with prices that are inaccessible to most.

I'm not quite certain that a rather plain leather bedframe should ever cost $10,000 or justify purchasing a little rose shaped chair over $6000 for a makeup room, all taking about 8 weeks to deliver. My search continues.

I'm in love!

All the walking and failed shopping deserves a nice little coffee break. We went over to La Bottega Bistroteka which serves not only great coffee but also delicious Italian snacks and meals. The restaurant is cozy, service fast, and food fresh. They are known for their brunch as well so we got some Prague inspired egg dishes as well as healthy sweets.

Capuccino with foamed sugar. Normally I take my coffee sugar-free, but these whipped confections are too awesome to skip.

Crab and poached egg toast

Prague ham and eggs. So orange!

Banana pancakes with Greek yogurt and berries

Chia pudding for dessert

After a long search and some success in furniture shopping, we returned to the Old Town area and decided to take another walk while searching for a cafe to end the night with.

My neighborhood <3

I wound up at Cafe Savoy, which most taxi drivers knew by name. It is well known for its beautiful interior and amazing brunch, which is a shame because neither of them were available this late at night. It serves coffee worthy enough to impress a picky date.

The photos don't do justice in the dark and they only had traditional Czech and some French fusion as the dinner menu. It was still great, just felt as if I need to come back during the day to fully appreciate this place.