Why Prague is like the sugar cube in a black coffee

Leggi in italiano
Prague is silent and sweet, dissolving and giving a better taste to a coffee, black like its mysterious night.

It melts away soon in the tales of travellers, that will keep on talking about other big capitals while Prague will emerge in their memories while talking about another (higher) level of beauty and other trivialities… like these:

More than Paris and Dublin…
No need to tell you those truths that the most of you already know, like ‘after you see Prague you’ll realize Paris is not the most romantic city in the world, nor in Europe’.
No need to tell you that, in Prague, beer costs less than water and is eventually drunk more than it.
Now, let’s focus on some other things that made me change the perception of travel destinations after I visited the capital of Czech Republic.

Like London…
First of all, it’s addictive: I have been there 3 times. Just one time less than London! So, this dreamy east Europe capital is competing with London among the cities where I ‘casually’ have to go every now and then. Another thing it has in common with London, getting even over it, is the local relation with Theaters. Maybe you didn’t know that in this city with about 1,2 millions inhabitants, there is an amount of 3.4 millions seats in theaters. Almost always busy and booked.

More than Scotland…
The area of the Castle of Prague, over 7 hectars wide, is the widest in the world. Moreover, the Czech Republic is one of the countries with the highest density of castles in the world.

Just like Prague…
There’s plenty of things to see, live and breathe here in Prague. What you won’t find in many guides is the Marionnettes shops and galleries. Someone might be scared by them. They’re colorful and smiling but mysterious as well. They represent mainly the characters of the local folklore, their wizards, fairies and legends.

Some of these shops:
Obchod loutkami (The Puppet Shop), on the top of Nerudova Street in Lesser Town. Two other locations are at Jilská 7 and Jilská 22 in the Old Town, not far from the Old Town Square. Then see also Truhlář Marionety, Galerie Marionette and Marionette Shop on Golden Lane.

If you are not amazed/scared enough, you can visit the Toy Museum

This collection of toys in the Prague Castle is the second largest in the world and goes from the ancient Greece to the present days with toys from all over the world. The toy museum is spread over two floors and includes a large exhibition of Barbie dressed up by famous stylists.

One last thing that will change forever your perception of Czech Republic: we owe them the invention of the soft contact lenses and of the microwave oven.
And… of the sugar cube, in 1843.

Flights for a September week end (Autumn is amazing there, but it lasts very little. In October you’ll find the snow):
From Milan, RTwith Ryan, abt 80 euros
120 euros from Roma Ciampino (abt 100 with easyjet)
100 euros, always Ryan, from Bari and 150 from Palermo.
A bit too much (abt 200 euros) from Pisa.