Czech This Out: A Weekend in Prague

I felt like we were barely back in London when we jetted off to Prague- quite literally, I got back from Barcelona on Monday night and left for the Czech Republic on Thursday morning. There was barely time to do laundry! I was particularly excited about this trip because A. our friend Catherine Anne was going to be traveling with us and B. I almost studied abroad in Prague and was curious to see how I would like it.

When we arrived at our hostel, we were pleasantly surprised. There were five of us in total so we ended up staying in one of the private apartments. It could not have been nicer- and it was the cheapest place we stayed! Not only did we have our own bathroom, but we had two huge bedrooms between the five of us and our own kitchen! If anyone is ever in Prague, definitely stay at the Czech Inn- everything was clean and the staff was so helpful!We got there pretty late on Thursday so we caught a bite to eat right on our block and hit the hay. The next morning, it was off to the races, but not without a quick bite to eat- our hostel served a great breakfast! My friends and I were sitting in a booth enjoying granola and yogurt when I looked over and saw Lindsey Gould, one of my high school classmates. She is studying abroad in Rome this semester and just happened to be in Prague the same weekend and staying at the same hostel! What are the odds?! After we finished breakfast, we were headed up the giant hill to Prague Castle. Here's Liz and I with the view from the Prague Castle courtyard. It was perfect timing! We arrived just in time to see the changing of the guard!

And take a somewhat unsuccessful serious picture next to the guard!We were a bit confused upon arrival at the Prague Castle as it is not a single fortress, but instead a grouping of buildings including St. Vitus Church (pictured above), The Old Royal Palace, St. Georges Basilica, and Golden Lane.

Golden Lane is a cute street with lots of tiny houses where Kafka lived! Now each house is filled with a shop selling different Czech crafts and souvenirs. I felt like I was in a winter wonderland- half the stores were Christmas themed selling ornaments and handmade nativity scenes. Prague is also known for wooden puppets, but those stores scared me a little. After we were all shopped out, we stopped into a pub-like restaurant for some traditional Czech food. I had the gulash which was surprisingly good, but I think we were all so cold that anything warm would have been satisfying.

Prague Castle took most of the day, but we were able to hike back down the hill to see the famous Charles Bridge (pictured above).

And we walked through the Old Town Square where the castle that inspired Disney's Cinderella's Castle is located.

Pictured above is Prague's famous clock- on the hour it plays music, a skeleton goes up and down and the 12 apostles parade around the top. It is quite a spectacle. "Cinderella's Castle" at night. After several attempts to find a good Czech restaurant, we gave in and went to the American favorite, Hard Rock Cafe. I was tempted to order something for the sole reason of it having Hidden Valley Ranch in the title, but instead opted for the pulled pork- it was quite possibly in the top 5 BBQ sandwiches I have ever had! haha!The next morning we set off to find John Lennon's Imagine Wall. Tucked under a bridge, it's more difficult to find than you would expect- so ask for specific direction instead of just wandering around looking for it like we did. Although it's not a super popular tourist attraction, I recommend it. I thought it was really cool.

I signed my name in the g of "imagine" :)

London roommates in from of the peace sign.

Wake girls!

Being a hippie hahaAfter the Imagine wall, we adventured to the Jewish quarter of the city. Unfortunately, we didn't plan appropriately and went on a Saturday (the jewish sabbath) when everything closed. We were able to see the outside of the temple and the cemetary though!

On our last night in Prague, we went out with some of our Wake friends who are studying abroad there. We went to this cool pub located in an old wine cellar so you had to go down lots of stairs to get there.

Overall, I loved visiting Prague. The culture there is so different, the pace is much slower, and I had to keep reminding myself that communism ended there only 20 years ago. That being said, I'm sticking by my choice to study in London. While Prague was great for a weekend, it is so much smaller than the vast metropolis I've spent this semester exploring.