Holidays, Prague page 2. By Nicholas Boldock Continued from Holidays, Prague page 1.

By day, Charles Bridge is also home to a whole host of stalls selling a range of local arts and crafts from oil paintings to handmade jewellery. There are also buskers - including the impressive Bridge Band, a jazz/skiffle ensemble with a rotating line-up, who seem to be there all day, every day, in one guise or another. The Little Quarter is best explored on foot. This part of the city is hardly touched by modern progress. Like most of Prague, the best way to enjoy it is by simply wandering around and taking in the sights.

The Jewish Quarter, north of the Old Town, has a number of important visitor sights, all of which can be accessed by purchasing a central ticket. The Old Jewish Cemetery contains some 12,000 gravestones, crammed shoulder to shoulder, although it is estimated that the number of dead buried in here is nearer to 100,000 - the bodies in the cemetery are buried up to 12 layers deep. The oldest grave (marked with a plaque) is that of Rabbi Kara, which dates back to 1439.

The Pinkas Synagogue contains a moving memorial to the 77,297 Czechoslovak Jews who were held in Terezin concentration camp, and later deported to various Nazi extermination camps during the Second World War. The names of each and every one of them are inscribed on the synagogue walls. It is here in Prague's Jewish Quarter that the legend of the Golem originates. The Golem was supposedly created from clay by Rabbi Low, in the 16th century. He brought the creature to life for it to be his servant, but eventually the Golem went berserk and the Rabbi had to undo his sorcery. The legend says that the remains of the Golem are hidden in the rafters of the Old-New Synagogue. The final area of Prague is Hradcany, or Prague Castle, which is not a castle per se, but rather a walled citadel containing a Palace, three churches, and a monastery. It is an unmissable part of the city.

The centrepiece of Hradcany is the gigantic St Vitus's Cathedral, home to the tomb of "Good" King Wenceslas. This awesome cathedral can be partly seen for free, but to tour the whole building (highly recommended) as well as the crypt and the steeple, you will need to purchase a ticket. Within St Vitus's Cathedral is the spectacular stained-glass window designed by the artist Alfons Mucha, a 20th-century addition, but no less inspiring for it.

St George's Basilica, also within Hradcany, dates back to the 10th century, although much of it has necessarily been rebuilt. Bohemia's first female Christian martyr, St Ludmilla, is buried here. Her martyrdom came about when she was strangled from behind as she knelt in prayer. The picturesque Golden Lane, a narrow street lined with tiny, low houses originally built in the 1500s to house the castle guards, is another must-see in Hradcany. Most of the houses are now shops, selling arts, crafts, books and souvenirs. The house at No 22 was once (briefly) home to the great writer Franz Kafka, and as such is now a souvenir shop in his honour.

Outside the Castle perimeter, but still within the Hradcany area, is The Loreto, an important place of pilgrimage for Christians from around the globe. The main feature of The Loreto is the Santa Casa, a copy of the house believed to be the Virgin Mary's. Constructed in 1661, and resplendent with solid silver decoration, the Santa Casa is a breathtaking sight, regardless of your religious alignment (or lack thereof). Upstairs in The Loreto is the Loreto Treasury, which is accessed through the kind of door usually reserved for bank vaults. It is easy to see why. The treasures in here, mainly dating from the 16th-18th centuries, are all housed behind thick glass, and protected by hi-tech laser security, such is their value. You can only gaze in wonder at the displays of solid gold and jewel-encrusted religious artefacts. So, you should get the point by now that there is not much in the way of modernism in Prague. It is a Mecca for those with an eye for history, for architecture, and for culture.

And also for those with a taste for fine beer. For it would be remiss of me not to mention here one of Prague's greatest buildings. A visit to this fine place should be made compulsory for all visitors to Prague. I am referring to Prague's oldest (and best) beer hall, U Fleku. U Fleku, in the Old Town, serves only one beer, a dark (almost black) pilsner-style beer by the name of Flekovsky, which is brewed on the premises and is not sold anywhere else in the world. Its wonderfully rich taste is moreish, but caution is advised - it is also very potent and must be treated with respect! In U Fleku there is no queuing for the bar. As in many Czech beer halls, the beer is brought by waiters on large trays. If you don't have one, or if you are running low, they'll slide another in front of you, until you say stop. You don't need to ask.

U Fleku also has nightly entertainment in the form of a lively oompah band. Unsurprisingly, the hall is a magnet for tourists, and there are few (if any) Czechs to be found drinking in U Fleku. This is a shame, but is the only negative comment to be made about the place. If you go to Prague, you simply must go to U Fleku. Simple as that.

On the whole then, Prague is a beautiful, captivating city with much to recommend it. Besides its physical character, it has an excellent transport network, with a clean, efficient, uncrowded and cheap Metro system complimented by frequent bus services and extremely cheap minicabs. Avoid the street taxis (parked at ranks around the city) like the plague though - you WILL be ripped off in a very big way (just as we were on our first night there, ahem). If you need a cab, phone one from the superb AAA Taxis - their operators speak fluent English and they'll get you from A to B with the minimum of fuss, and without robbing you in the process.

We didn't want to leave Prague, and we can't wait to pay another visit. If you are going there, pack your comfy shoes as you'll be doing lots of walking. And don't worry about taking loads of cash with you - you won't need it. Prague is cheap, especially compared to the UK. And if anyone reading this is planning on going anytime soon, pop in U Fleku and have one for me. Cheers!

Holidays - A night in a Haunted Inn By Stuart Batley

	After watching many episodes of Most Haunted on Living TV and finding it very interesting, my partner and I decided to spend a night in a haunted inn previously visited by the Most Haunted team and investigate for ourselves. Loaded with many ghost hunting Read more...

Holidays - Ibiza, The World Keeps Gurning By Andi
	Ibiza has long been known as the clubbing capital of the world. However, recent years have seen the development of resorts such as Ayai Nappa in Cyprus and Faliraki in Rhodes. This has lead to a fairly wide-spread belief that Ibiza is dying it's death. Read more...

Holidays - Al's Trip To Croatia By Allen Miles
	£649 is a lot of money in most people's eyes. And to spend that much money on seven days away when you're only earning £130 a week might be in a very real way considered lunacy. However, I decided to go for three reasons; Read more...

Holidays - Simple Holiday Pleasures by Mike

	The time was 7.30 am and I was already awake. Liz stirred as I crept out of the caravan without waking Alex and Anna. From our elevated position overlooking the bay, the Med looked as calm as a millpond. The panoramic view was stunning as usual. Read more...

Holidays - Prague by Nicholas Boldock
	So off we went. On arrival at Ruzyne airport, my main worry was that our taxi driver would not be there. For some reason this was the thing I was most concerned about. My fears were unfounded. Read more...

Holidays - Cyprus by Petra
	One dismal Monday afternoon I was sitting in the pub with my neighbour David, bemoaning the weather and feeling miserable, when David uttered the immortal words "let's go on holiday". Quicker than you can say " Linford Christie" we were at the travel agents choosing our destination. Read more...

Driving - Jo's DRIVING LESSONS
	Here I was living alone with my 3 children, my husband having just left us to cope alone. My eldest daughter, only just 18, was keen to learn to drive and I didn't want to spend a fortune on driving lessons, at least not until she could learn as much as she could from me. Read more...

People - An Interview With Torso Horse By Steve Rudd
	Torso Horse, for those people who don't know, are a Goth-Metal band from Bridlington. They have been plying their trade for about five years now, and in the past couple of years in particular they have become very well known indeed: both in and around Read more...

People - Computerman at Fairview Recording Studios By Michelle Dee
	Computerman are a Nottingham band, who have been on the scene since January 2004. They recently came to Hull, specifically to Fairview Studios in Willerby, to record an eight-track demo CD. The demo will include tracks: Increasingly so, No recover Read more...