First published by The Journal Gazette
It was an early December morning, and I was walking across the Charles Bridge in Prague. The cold weather and the gentle wind made it a miserable morning, but people looking at pictures of this very moment would never guess that. Smiling and warmly dressed tourists stopped on the bridge to take pictures. The magnificent orange glow rising from behind historic buildings enhanced the scene.
The capital city of the Czech Republic is a hot spot for photographers because of its historical architecture. But I wasn’t there only to take pictures. I was there to ride a horse and stuff my face.
I took a 20-minute Uber ride to the green countryside where there was a small house and horse stable surrounded by undulating hills. I’ve only gone horseback riding a few times, but I signed up for the amazing horseback riding tour near Prague. Mesha, the tour guide and professional horse trainer, gave me a riding helmet. These days it’s safety first, no cowboy hat.
I nervously stood a few feet away as Mesha saddled up a horse, but there was no turning back. I had to trust the horse, and the horse had to trust me. I walked beside the horse and stepped onto a small plastic footstool as Mesha held the reins. I placed one foot in the left stirrup, then lifted up while my hands gripped the horn of the saddle. I swung my other leg over the horse’s back and then placed my other foot into the right stirrup. I had an unsettled stomach but I didn’t know if that was from the lunch I ate about an hour earlier or butterflies in my stomach.
Mesha walked forward and guided the horse by pulling its reins. I sat while tightly gripping the horn of the saddle. The beautiful view of the area helped calm me. I rode the horse over a small wooden bridge and on a path beside a lake. Mesha paused, then she lifted the reins and gave them to me. I now felt like an excited teenager receiving the keys to his parents’ car for the first time. I tightly held the reins to control its movement. I used my legs to gently bump the horse’s sides, and said, “Giggy up!”
The leisurely ride was a little bumpy. I could feel a light breeze on my face. I saw the grass in the field moving gently in the wind. In the distance, I saw a curious metal detectorist scouting the green rolling hills. The area is home to lots of European history.
Mesha walked closely behind.
“We don’t do this all the time,” Mesha said. “The horses would get bored doing the same thing every day.”
Then Mesha stood still as I slowly rode away. The horse went into mud. I said “whoa” a few times. I pulled the reins. But the horse ignored me. It has a mind of its own. I got nervous. I wasn’t in control. Mesha then called out to the horse. It stopped.
“Horse riding is popular with some tourists. I once had a lady from the U.S. that wanted to ride a horse in Prague,” Mesha said. “She had a horse ranch back at home. She liked riding horses even on vacation.”
We came to the end of the tour. I slowly dismounted from the horse with help from Mesha. My legs felt stiff, so I walked it off.
My next adventure was the Prague: Guided Street Food Walking Tour by Dominik. Prague’s food scene is famous for its combinations of old-school Soviet flavors and today’s culinary recipes.
Our first stop was at the Liberske Lahudky. It’s a sandwich shop that offers a variety of delicious open-faced sandwiches where deli meats, cheeses, vegetables and condiments are spread on a slice of bread. I made a mess. There was no second slice of bread to control overflowing spread.
Next, we went to Knedlin. It offers about 20 different potato or yeast dumplings filled with sweet and savory sauces. I had one filled with beef and corn and a second filled with chocolate. I only took a couple bites out of both.
We went to Kolacherie Celetna and grabbed espressos and pastries with sweet poppy seed paste and cream cheese. I enjoyed the espresso. The pastries were decent.
Dominik talked about the area’s history on the tour.
“Streets used to be named after animals,” Dominik said as we made our way along dimly lit cobblestone sidewalks. “Only recently were the streets numbered.”
We went to Nase Maso where I tried a delicious meatloaf sandwich. At this point I felt my waist size increase by a few inches. Of course, the natural question for Dominik was how does he do this tour every evening without putting on the pounds?
“I walk a lot to burn off all the eating,” Dominik said. “But my feet hurt after walking on these old warn roads. I’m always trying new shoes.”
Our final stop was the Cukrar Skala. It offers delicious desserts. I ate two yummy miniature chocolate cakes. I looked at Dominik and thanked him for the wonderful tour, while he held a dessert in his hand. I then turned to take a picture of the desserts on display, and then when I turned back at Dominik – poof, his dessert was gone.