The next morning, after some very marginal amount of sleep, we went to the hotel breakfast buffet, which was thrown in since we opted against the "upgraded room". Decent selection and variety of foods were available, far surpassing what is typically offered in any state-side hotel.
Potatoes, sausages, bacon
Scrambled and hard boiled eggs, beans, tomatoes. An omelette station for made to order options was also available
Cheese and bread/pastries
Smoked salmon, porridge, dumplings, miso soup
Juice
After breakfast, we got dressed and layered up with what clothing we did have with us and headed towards Old Town Square. The outside of the Intercontinental could definitely use a facelift
Walking along to the Christmas market...such lovely architecture here!
Fairly empty and not so festive during the daytime
Metal working
The trdelnik, or chimney cake
Over an open flame
More food stalls
Hashtag anyone?
Christmas ornaments everywhere
And the famed, but extremely underwhelming astonomical clock is just a few steps away
A better view of the entire square can be had from this angle
At this point, Mrs. ChongL complained of the cold and wind chill, so we opted to head back to the room in the hopes our luggage had arrived by 10AM as promised. With nothing in site, we checked with the hotel concierge who again followed up with LH. I figured out the information they had could be found on a website, so I started checking on my own. But hunger struck, and the desire to not waste who knows how many hours waiting for baggage seemed just a bit contrary to why we flew across the pond. And so, we opted to get some food, and buy whatever winter coat necessary to keep us going
Deciding to stop by at Mincovna
Pilsner on the cheap
Goulash
Beef tartare
And a potato soup
All were delicious, with the tartare being the standout for me. With some hot soup warming up our bodies, we ventured back out and bought jackets and beanies (still need to contact LH about getting reimbursed. If anyone knows where to start, please let me know!). Not too much further from where we were was Wenceslas Square, the other main market in town
Vibrant colors on display
Just more market stands selling similar types of items
National museum on the opposite end
Henry's Tower
For dinner, we stopped by Kantyna, which is a pub/butcher shop concept. As you walk in, there are cuts of meat and sausages that you can order, and the chefs will cook to your liking. The meat is paid for by the pound, and beers are tallied by marking off beer mug icons on the back of the check
More beef tartare (2nd of 6 for the trip)
A cut of sirloin with signature coffee and truffle sauce. I don't normally opt for sauce on my steaks, but I must say it paired very well. Some mashed potatoes as a side
And a pork kielbasa to finish things off
Calling it a day, we stroll through the much more festive Old Town Square at night before retiring to the hotel
But the wife had other ideas first
And that's a wrap for the first full day
Next up, Christmas Eve, where the national holiday means many places are closed. We see a few sights before crossing St. Charles Bridge over to Mala Strana for the afternoon