Prague April 19-21

Dobrý den! Hallo! Salut! Hola! Hej! Yassou! Ok- that last one I had to use google translate for, but these are the ways to say hello in all the countries I have visited so far on my journeys! Pretty cool that none of those are English :) until this upcoming weekend when I will go and visit some family!

Catch up round two:
Dobrý den is the Czech way of saying good day! This was the first of two Czech words that I learned while traveling there. I was lucky enough to have a native Czech free walking tour guide showing me all the famous sites when I first arrived in Prague, and she taught our group how to say hello and thank you (
děkuji) among many other things. I cannot believe that this trip was over a month ago- I cannot get a hold of time these days! On Friday I flew out early in the morning and was ready to explore Prague alone until my good friend arrived that evening. Traveling alone, once an unthinkable demon, has now become somewhat normal for me. Taking the train to Frankfurt airport, figuring out times, schedules, transfers, READING MAPS, etc. is no longer a scary concept. In fact- I have begun to really enjoy the process! Not only that... but I am now quite a boss lightweight packer. I haven't checked a bag SINCE arriving! Anyways- the real point, after that little self pat on the back, is the feeling of exploring a foreign city alone. It is really a completely different feeling. You don't have to make the classic remarks of- 'oh wow look at that! That's the most beautiful (insert famous touristy sight here) that I have ever seen!' or pretend to be interested in seeing a certain sight just because you know it will please your travel buddy(s). You eat when and what you want (which on this fist day in Prague was a GLORIOUS chocolate crepe- more on that a little later), and you can move through the city at your own pace. Not that I would give up traveling with friends or family- but it was a really nice realization to have on that sunny day in Prague.

Main Square in the Old Town

Church in the Old Town

The Charles Bridge

Astronomical Clock!

When I first arrive in a city my first order of affairs is always to find my hostel. When exploring a new city I like to use my hostel as a starting point to the mental map that I will create during my travels there. Orienting yourself to the city with your hostel in mind, I have found, works really well for me and my navigation. The Hostel we stayed at in Prague was an interesting mix. So far it is my second favorite hostel (Behind only the Mezcal in Dresden) because it was spacious, had personal lockers, had a full kitchen and bathroom, and had only three people in a six bedroom suite. The hostel also had a nice view of a quaint church and courtyard! Unfortunately- the hostel was, lets say, not in a well lit area of town and not near the touristy bars and sights.

After finding my hostel and settling in,  I went for a walk towards the main town square. I immediately discovered why Prague is known for its beauty! The main square, filled with two churches, a large open central (naturally cobblestoned) space with a Jan Hus (criticized Church indulgences pre Martin Luther!) statue, and of course the astronomical clock! After taking all of this in I was able to notice all the food vendors set up along the outsides of the square selling traditional czech food. It looked very similar to German food- bread, sausages, beer, and potato salads! But then I saw the marvelous chocolate crepe stand and KNEW I had to get some! Prague was the first place I traveled to that was not on the Euro (their currency is about 25 Koruna for every 1 euro), making prices seem almost meaningless. I ordered a chocolate banana crepe for 65 Koruna (does no one else think that sounds ABSURD?!) and what I received was a glorious masterpiece and a show. The crepe was massive and given to me with one mini napkin and a large paper plate. I took my crepe to the astronomical clock to sit and people watch until the free tour started. Unfortunately, the tables were turned and I was the item of people watching instead of the other way around. I quickly realized, far too late, that one napkin would be far insufficient for tackling the beast I had ordered. The chocolate was melting out of the crepe from all ends, was sticking to the plate, and had covered my hands. All around me globs of chocolate were falling (LUCKILY the only causality of mine was my travel purse!) and people were staring. I had a few people walk by and seemed to mock me in their native languages- casually making a fool of myself in a foreign country. Oh well!

Jewish Clock- moves opposite to our 12 hour clock!

Kafka Statue

View from the Astronomical Clock Tower

The free walking tour began on the hour- right after watching the astronomical clock show. Unlike in Munich, this show was only about 15 seconds long but similarly disappointing. I am not sure what I was expecting from these clocks, but they did not live up to their hypes! The free walking tour was fabulous! I met three other young study abroad travelers like myself, saw all of the major sites, and got some history and fun facts about all of them too :)

On Saturday, after S had arrived, we decided to take over Prague via tower climbing! I am pretty sure we left no high point in the city unclimbed- and it was awesome! We started the day with breakfast at a little bakery. I had my first language barrier issue of my entire time abroad here. I ordered a 'pesto' sandwich (you know- mozzarella, tomato, pesto on delicious bread? Typical European breakfast of champions), but what I received was an 'espresso'. Easy mix up with devastating consequences for a non-coffee drinker. I tried it black, with all the milk she gave me, and all the sugar and it was still totally undrinkable. Fortunately, that was the only failure of the day! We walked through the main square over the Charles bridge and went to Saint Pauls and the Prague Castle (largest one in Europe!). Both were massive and breathtaking- Prague is the first place I have really seen the classic green topped buildings, which was a nice change from the red roofs of Germany. We got lunch at a traditional Czech restaurant to try out the food (very VERY similar to German food) and some hot mulled wine!

There she is!

It is really impossible to photograph massive beautiful structures...

St. Pauls!

After lunch we went to a Dali Exhibit which was pretty cool! It was a lot of his lesser known works, and we were able to pick out some of his recurring muses (long legged elephants, clocks, naked women... the usual). We climbed to the top of the metronome (where both Stalin and Michael Jackson statues had previously stood) hill, Petrin Hill, and the tower near the balcony where communism was officially renounced in the Czech Republic after the velvet revolution in Wenceslas Square. We ended our day at the KGB museum. The KGB museum was a once in a lifetime opportunity for many reasons, mostly because of the man who runs it. He was a very stereotypical Russian who was proud of all the artifacts he had collected over the years. He gave us a private tour of his entire collection complete with dates, stories, and posing for pictures with guns, outfits, and the like. It was definitely not a typical museum outing- which made it was better :)
That evening we met up with my friend S and her friend E for a night out. We ate dinner at an Italian place, then got to see where S lived in Prague! Her apartment was HUGE and in such an awesome location. We then went to a club called MeetFactory. I honestly do not have any words to describe this place other than fabulous, hipster, and artsy. The bottom floor was a dance floor filled with people happily dancing stag. The upstairs rooms (this was a house!) had all different art exhibits, tye dyeing, karaoke (which we nailed!), movies, and the like. The theme of the night was Native American- so upon entering we were given feathers and a club night survival tin filled with goodies like a cigarette, unknown herbs and pills, matches etc. Outside the club was a fire. RIDICULOUS BUT AMAZING. After MeetFactory we went to a bar that was completely underground and had tunnels connecting the rooms. A seriously cool experience.

Quote of my travels

Fred and Ginger dancing buildings

MeetFactory!

On Sunday we spent the entire morning exploring the Jewish Quarter of Prague. We went into all of the synagogues, cemeteries, and memorials. The most different was the synagogue modeled after the Spanish Alhambra- it was gorgeous inside! The most moving was the Pinkas cemetary, where the walls were covered in Holocaust victims names and birth and death dates. Prague is definitely a place I could explore more- it was such a different city with a mix of history, beauty, and a vibrant feel! Until next time!

Spanish Synagoge

:) Bye for now Prague!