A Kafkaesque Day In Prague

By Leila

a room with tables and chairs

I had a “Kafkaesque” day in Prague, though not in the strict definition of the word. But what a great day indeed.

Day Two In Prague

The true meaning of “Kafkaesque” is situations that are bizarre, illogical, and disorientingly complex, often with a nightmarish quality, and typically involving bureaucratic systems…thankfully, that was not the case.

But my second day in Prague included a lot of Kafka…

I wasn’t all that hungry when I woke up, which always presents a dilemma when you are staying at a hotel with a large buffet. The Linder Prague Castle (a Hyatt JdV hotel) does have a very nice breakfast spread, but I stuck to my intermittent fasting and skipped it…

a buffet table with different food items on it

a buffet table with food on it

Instead, after getting some work done, I headed out for coffee, stopping for a cortado and flat white at a place called The Miners (a specialty coffee chain based in the Czech Republic).

a group of people walking on a street with tables and chairs

a coffee shop with a plant in the front

a cup of coffee with a heart on top of it

a cup of coffee on a tray with a spoon

Now properly caffeinated, my first stop was the Franz Kafka museum. I had read Kafka in high school in both English and German…quite an author indeed…but it had been many years since I had read “The Metamorphosis,” and I had never read “The Trial” and “The Castle.”

I’ll say more in a separate post on the Kafka Museum, but what a fascinating and deeply-layered character. I do love museums and there are few museums I have ever regretted going to. This was certainly worth the two hours.

statues in a courtyard

a black and white photo of a boy

a black sign with white text on it

people standing in a room with glass cases

a man taking a selfie in a mirror

a reflection of a person in a mirror

a display of books on a shelf

Hunger set in by the time I was done and I sought out Mexican food (as one does in Prague).

a group of people walking on a street with a statue in front of a building

a street with a red light and people walking on it

a group of bicycles parked in front of a wall

I found a place called Cantina and you know something? The food was just fine…my chicken quesadilla was very acceptable.

a building with cars parked on the side of it

a room with tables and chairs

a plate of food on a table

I forgot my wallet…and the restaurant did not accept credit card (everywhere else I just tapped my phone). The guys were very nice and I said, “You’ve got to trust me. I’ll walk back to my hotel, get your money, and come back.” They agreed…what choice did they have?

The walk back to my hotel required climbing Petřín, which was both beautiful and somewhat steep in certain points. Spring blossoms were just beginning to bloom and it was a beautiful time of year…cool, but not bitingly cold.

a path through a grassy area

a group of buildings with towers and trees

a person walking on a path with trees and buildings in the background

a city with many buildings

a path with trees in the background

a man taking a selfie in front of a city

a city with red roofs and trees

I walked through the courtyard of Prague Castle before returning to my hotel, grabbing my bag, and heading right back to Cantina.

a path leading to a building

St. Nicholas' Church, Tallinn with a steeple and a cloudy sky

a building with flags in front of it

My destination this afternoon was The Andaz…I would have been fine with a second night at the Linder, but figured a second hotel review made more sense.

a building with plants in pots

This is a fabulous hotel and likely my favorite Andaz in the world. I’ll have more to say about this hotel in my full review, but I took the rest of the afternoon to workout, sit in the sauna + steam room, and get some work done…for better or for worse, work never stops for me, regardless of where I am in the world.

a room with exercise equipment

a room with lounge chairs and a plant

a glass door in a sauna

Later on, I took part in the Globalist Happy Hour in the bar before getting some more work done.

a bowl of nuts and a drink on a table

For dinner, I took the recommendation of reader Ricardo (thanks Ricardo!) who suggested I visit Café Imperial to try Czech food, where Kafka used to go.” It was a “Kafkaesque” day, so I thought it fitting that I visit not just any Czech restaurant, but the very restaurant Kafka himself used to frequent.

a building with lights on the side of it

Located in the Art Deco style Imperial Hotel, Café Imperial opened in 1914 and has beautiful high ceilings and ceramic mosaic tiles.

a glass doors with a couple of statues in front of them

a wall art with a lion and women

a staircase in a building

a room with tables and chairs

a ceiling with lights and a tile ceiling

I had a late dinner and thankfully, there was no wait for a table.

The menu changes daily. For dinner, I had dill soup with poached egg followed by braised rabbit with porcini mushroom sauce and truffle dumpling. Very delicious dishes…

a plate of food on a table

a man sitting at a table

a receipt on a tray
10% service charge…

This was another nice day in Prague. Could I have crammed more in? Of course…but that’s just not the way I travel. I appreciate that I can remotely work and workout, balancing daily tasks with a bit of culture and cuisine when I am in a different venue.