Winter 2009 was a busy period for us both given that we'd just about caught our breath after our Milan trip but after a quick sit down and a cuppa we were bound for Birmingham airport to catch a plane to Prague.
Prague for those who are unfamiliar, is a quite wonderful city in the Czech Republic, most famous for cheap lager and bohemian culture, sounding good already? Well please, read on....
We touched down in Prague Ruzyne airport on a dark evening to be greeted by a cold snap and a bus seemingly straight out of the 80's. Whilst we enjoyed our retro bus trip to Dejvická metro station there was the much pressing issue of A) How to decipher czech and B) How would we find the ground.
After a meal in Wenceslas square and a stroll around the shops combined with another days sightseeing round the extremely impressive castle and Charles bridge we decided to check with our hotel regarding the upcoming fixture Slavia Prague vs Viktoria Plzen. Sadly the good ol' Czech FA had moved the game to the Monday thus no football. Undeterred by this minor setback we set upon our merry way in the direction of the Synot Tip Arena, home to a certain Slavia Prague.
The Synot Tip Arena is remensicent of my former weekly pilgrimage to the Walkers stadium, it is most definately a breed of 'identikit' souless bowl brand of stadia and a quick look around confirms your worst fears as a hotel and more sponsors than the superbowl rear their ugly heads. The bright side however is match ticket should set you back no more than around £8 but such is the popularity of the Gambrinus league, that the ground is often half empty
The City.....
Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic and goes under the currency of the Czech Koruna. The main airport is Prague ruzyne which is served by Bmi baby from east midlands and easyjet from the south. With the airport being in close proximity to the city itself a short bus or taxi ride will take no longer than 20 minutes. The city has an efficient tram and metro system which is cheap and easy to use, tickets can be purchased from your hotel or from machines at stationss. Transfer tickets are valid from 75 minutes after stamping on bus,tram and metro.
What to do/eat/Drink...
Prague is full of breathtaking sights of real prestige. Check out the Charles bridge and Wenceslas square. Take a tram up to the castle and take in the astronomical clock close to the Charles Bridge. The main cuisine in prague tends to be dumplings, try these with goulash in one of the local pubs, street food such as hot dogs and ham sandwiches are avaliable also. Beer is extremely popular in Prague and the Czechs are immensely proud of their produce, Pilsner Urquell was a real favourite of ours during our visit.
How to get to the stadium...
Prague is lucky enough to have two top division sides in champions league regulars Sparta Prague and Slavia Prague. Getting a ticket for either side is not a problem on the day given that the attendances in Czech football are generally not very high. Tickets range from 200KC (around £4) to 1,500KC.
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