MAP ILLUSTRATION: STELLA ISAAC
Take an up-to-date view of ever-evolving Prague, from the charms of the Old Town to post-flood Karlín, now a gourmet destination
IN A STONEWASHED SKY, the winter sun drops slowly towards the spindly spires on Prague’s red-tiled horizon. It’s a generous view, wide enough for sharing – which is just as well. Streams of jacketed, woolly-hatted camera-wielders patrol the 600-year-old cobblestones of Charles Bridge, braving the chill to admire mottled copper domes high on the riverbank. In the river appears a smudged relection of the bridge, lamp posts crowned with orange halos. Dusk is prime swagger time for this famously beautiful city; spotlights draw the eye to the elaborate castle and churches. ‘Prague never lets you go,’ wrote Franz Kafka, one of the city’s notable progeny. ‘This dear little mother has sharp claws.’