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CLOSE BY AND NOTABLE
Sometimes we overlook the things nearby. The immediate vicinity of Arena Hostel offers many such small treasures. Besides the Vystaviste complex, parks and Troja, which we mention elsewhere, there are several other places well worth a look.
National Gallery - Dukelských hrdinu 47
Travel Europe and enjoy the Permanent Exhibition of Modern Art - Known as "Trade Fair Palace" (Veletrzni palac), the Functionalist 30's style building is home to a permanent exhibition of 19th, 20th and 21st century art on three floors and acquaints visitors with the development of Czech and foreign fine art during the course of the last two centuries. The extensive exhibition space houses over 2,300 exhibits and spans an area of 145,000 square feet.
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St. Anthony's Church on Strossmayerovo nam.
Besides it's impressive appearance and notably beautiful interior, St. Anthony's church has a few specialties. One of them is a bell named "Vaclav," which now hangs in the North tower. This bell was modeled after Philadelphia's Liberty Bell and given to our first president, T.G. Masaryk, by Czech countrymen in the USA during Masaryk's visit in 1919. It weighs 1200 kg. For years this bell stood in the church's hallway, having been shipped from the Prague castle for reasons known only to the communists. It was finally allowed to ring in 1980. In recent history, St. Anthony's was the "homebase" for the famous preacher and thinker, Vaclav Maly, one of the leading figures of the 1989 Velvet Revolution.
COOL PLACES TO EAT / DRINK
Ouky Douky - Janovskeho 14
To most ex-pats, the Ouky Douky cafe and bookstore is known as "The Old Globe". Before the Globe moved downtown and passed the lease to a group of young Czech enthusiats, this corner cafe became famous as the only English language used bookstore in town. It was possibly also the first place in Prague, that combined the love of books with good coffee. Although Prague had plenty of bookstores and plenty of kavarnas over the centuries, the combination of the two is a relative novelty. The new Ouky Douky is doing a great job living up to the old fame. While the staff and books are Czech, the friendly feel is just the same and the addition of Internet connection seems natural.
Bar
Barka - Hermanova 27
An adrenaline sport fan?---you'll find the right peers in this bar. "Barka" in Czech means "rocky boat" and the interior has a nautical look to it. But don't expect a seafood joint. Barka's proprietors are avid divers, sailors and adrenaline sportsmen, establishing this bar as a place where people can get together and remember their expeditions. For this reason, the bar boasts the latest slide show, DVD and video technology and has a busy schedule of adventure shows. Yeah, and you can quench your thirst and eat something nice as well. Check it out at BarBarka.cz
