While in Prague we spent a lot of time going to the Globe. I would lug my laptop across the river and it was exhausting. All for wifi and tea. Which is why when one of my teachers told me that in the past the students use to hang out at a place called the alchemist cafe I got super excited. However I wasn’t told this until I was about ready to leave. I took my laptop and went in hunt of the cafe, trying to figure out how I had missed it. It was literally on the other side of the block we were on from our hostel.
I went once and it’s one of the places I really wish I had known about earlier and spent more time in. They had a beautiful menu, blue cloth bound all in Czech but with art work that explained everything. They had a good size tea menu with little art by the tea title, so lady grey was a woman sitting next to the earl grey which was a teddy bear with a monocle. When I went I had the entire place to myself.
At first I was nervous, because my knowledge of Czech was down to practically hello, yes, no, thank you and cheer. So I said hello and the young man working there starting asking me questions in Czech. It opens into a small bar like area and I was looking for a menu. So I asked for one and he broke out into English. I was told I could sit wherever I wanted and that there was an outdoor garden. So I popped my head out, thought about sitting there but was really planning to be there for awhile and didn’t want to be sun burnt. It was a beautiful garden, green and filled with plants and a pond. People came through while I was there with their dogs to go look out at the garden. I ended up sitting near the door outside into the garden in front of a cage filled with birds that chirped and chattered while I did my homework and checked my e-mail. The place was filled with old knick knacks, delicate looking and strange. It felt a bit like being in a grandmothers home. There was a piano with a sign saying not to play it.
For tea there were a couple different sizes I could order. I decided to get a pot of tea, assuming since I’d be there for awhile and thinking it would be the size of the tea pots I got at the globe or when I was out at home. But no, the tea I was brought in the pot was huge and they brought me a small dainty cup to drink from. I consumed so much tea.
While I was sitting and working people came and went but didn’t stay to long. They purchased sweets and the worker played english music, sang along and danced while cleaning. It was probably one of my favorite places I went to while in Prague. I loved the atmosphere, their beautiful menu, and the company of birds and a friendly waiter.
Cukrárna Alchymista is located at Zajíce 975/7, 170 00 Prague 7.