Europe by road __By Mosharraf Hossain

It was indeed a great decision to tour Europe by Road. This helped to enjoy the natural beauty. In this journey, we had to cover only 255 km to reach Prague from the East German city of Leipzig. It was difficult to compare differences of scenic beauty of two countries, Germany and Czech Republic, except that in Germany there were many windmills. Otherwise, landscape of both the countries looked almost similar. My camera remained most of the time busy for framing golden fields amongst greens. Gold and Green was an eye catching combination all around the landscape. Paddy fields in our country turn golden during the harvesting season. Similarly, wheat fields in both the countries became golden with eye-catching beauty. We reached Prague at about 9pm while the sun was still setting. Summer time daylight is relatively longer in Europe. We checked in to our hotel, which was conveniently located around the corner of the main city. After checking in we decided to try out one of the close by restaurants. Following dinner, we decided to walk around a bit. I would like to take a pause here and would like to bring up some historical facts about Prague for the readers.

Prague is not only the capital of Czech Republic but also the largest city and situated by the river Vltava. Prague became the capital of independent Czechoslovakia after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918 and Prague castle became the palace for the first President in between world war1 and world war 11

Traditionally, Prague was called the golden city. City of hundred spires and the heart of Europe. The history covers more than a thousand years, during which time the city grew from the Vysehard Castle to the capital of a modern European state. Several thousand years ago, trade routes connecting Southern and Northern Europe passed through this area, following the course of the river Vltava.
The city flourished during the reign of Charles 1V during 14th century. Charles University, the oldest Czech University was founded in 1348, which was the first University in central, Northern and Eastern Europe.

There are many historical places in Prague of which are the Charles Bridge, The Prague Castle, Prague Astronomical clock besides Old Town Square, river cruise on Vltava River etc On our first day tour we visited the Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge.

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While visiting The Charles Bridge one most spectacular things happened. At about midpoint of the bridge we could see from a distance that many tourists were gathering in a place. We followed the crowd and discovered two musicians playing a unique instrument making a beautiful melodious tune. It is common to find such amazing indigenous musicians in the city of Prague that surpass one’s wildest musical desire regardless of preferences for a specific genre.
After dinner, our walk took a turn towards the city center. As we walked past the streets towards our destination, even around midnight the city looked very festive, full of tourists wandering around and experiencing the city vibe. Prague’s astonishing beauty could be noticed everywhere. In the architectural wonders, in her magnificent historical monuments and narrow streets leading to yet another exciting discovery of a medieval structure with contemporary touchups. More surprisingly, the labyrinth of its cobblestoned streets and age old Tram lines added to the richness of the city. Our Google map finally enabled us to reach the city square half past midnight. It felt like opening up the gates of a fairytale city as we suddenly entered there, full of life and lovely people. Nearby cafes and restaurants were full of tourists. Prague has a soul of her own, which can be felt standing amidst the heart of it.

The main city was well connected through intersecting Tram services, making movement easier and convenient for both locals and tourists.

Local delicacies like Chimney cakes, patisseries, honey cakes, deep fried cheese and ice cream of different flavors are very famous and were found in almost on every alleys. We tried.

We spent rest of the days visiting around the city. Most of the time we walked around or took short hauls in public transports. Later we visited the Astronomical Clock, attached to the old Town hall in the old Town Square of Prague. The clock was first installed in1410, making it the 3rd oldest astronomical clock in world, and the oldest clock still in operation.

The beauty of the watch is that every hour of the day, twelve statues of the Apostles figure appears when the clock bells rang. On either side of the clock, there are statues of various Catholic saints.

On our final day at Prague, we covered remaining places namely…………..
We took a river cruise on our final day in Prague. It was a different perspective to witness the city from the river Vltava. After a quick lunch, we packed up and resumed our journey. Our next destination was Vienna.