Day Twenty Three – Malostranská Station
The trickling of a water fountain is refreshing music to hear when walking the streets of Prague, especially as the sun climbs towards its apex on a summer day.
Coming from America, water is a free drink wherever you go, but finding free water in the Czech Republic is basically unheard of. While tap water here is clean – if you don’t care about the strange looks you’d receive, you could walk into the bathroom of a restaurant, fill up a glass and be hydrated without worry – restaurants aren’t the type to give you a glass of tap water and call it good. Bottled water, either still or sparkling are the only offered options at restaurants, and it certainly doesn’t come free.
The interesting thing is that oftentimes, beer really is cheaper than water. At beer gardens this is certainly the case, and at restaurants the price is usually around 30 koruna for either (a little over a dollar), making the purchase of a beer that much easier to justify.
While fountains aren’t uncommon in Prague, this drinking/hand rinsing fountain outside the Malostranská station is a rare find around the city, and the hordes off tourists that flocked to this watering hole seemed inclined to agree.
Wherever you go in the city, bring a water bottle and fill up when you can, the waiters may not appreciate large bottles on your table but hydration is key, especially in a city with alcohol this cheap.
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