PRAGUE

Prague was one of those love at first sight moments for us. From the second we stepped off the bus, we could tell there was something special about this city. It felt so alive! We only had a few days here but we took full advantage of them and explored the city as much as we possibly could.

Our first night started off a bit rough. We arrived pretty late in the evening after a very long bus ride and once we checked into our Airbnb we tried to get some diner. It turned out to be more difficult than we had anticipated. Anything close by only accepted cash and we didn’t have any Czech currency yet. After a wild goose chase with Apple Maps, we ended up finding an ATM and buying corner store meat, cheese, and bread for sandwiches before catching the last train home. We learned a lot of things that night, but perhaps what we will remember most vividly is… don’t trust meat and cheese from the only place open at midnight in Czechia.

The next day we took it easy for a few hours then decided to go into Old Town for some sushi. On our way there we really got to see why Prague is so special. The Town Square is incredible. It’s constantly filled with people doing all sorts of things; playing music, dancing in polar bear costumes, making giant bubbles, and pretty much anything else you could imagine. And the buildings are breathtaking. Pastel colored rectangles line the square with a dark gothic cathedral looming behind them.

We were in awe of this place! We snapped a few selfies, grabbed our sushi, and headed home, looking forward to the next few days.

The next day, we brought our laptops into town with us to work at the Starbucks in the main town square. Before heading to work, we decided to have an authentic Czech dish for breakfast. We ended up buying haluski, which is potato dumplings with bacon and cabbage. While we could see why people would like it… we’re not really cabbage people (kimchi being the exception), so it wasn’t really our bag.

The Starbucks in downtown Prague provided us with the best office space in the world. We had a great view of not only the beautiful buildings, but the Prague Astronomical Clock. After earning a bit of cash, we headed off to check out the Vlatava River and Charles Bridge. We got to see the river but on the way to the bridge it started pouring! We sought refuge in a covered alley and eventually made a run for it to grab some dinner. We were soaked. I ended up drying my shoes out under a bathroom hand dryer, and once we were fed and (sort of) dry we decided to go see the Astronomical Clock chime on the hour. On our walk there, we spotted a rainbow behind one of the churches!

We watched the clock do it’s thing on the hour, and it was pretty cool. A skeleton rings a bell and some saints move around the clock. I’m not a skilled astronomer, but I think the clock also moves in sync with the planets. We walked the streets a bit more, continually impressed by the buildings here. We saw a street performer playing glass cups, an open air market, and even more bubbles!! After a long day of work and play, we headed home.

Our last day in Prague was pretty much perfect. We finally walked down Charles Bridge and over to the other side of the Vlatava. It felt a lot more medieval, and still buzzing with life. The streets were narrow and there was something to look at no matter where your eyes landed. We decided to go through a Ghosts and Legends Museum where we learned all sorts of scary stories about Prague. It was actually kind of creepy! There were skeletons, creepy witches, severed heads, and creepy dolls at every turn. It was a fun way to get to know more about the city’s history.

Our museum ticket also got us into the Museum of Alchemy. This museum was very informative and our tour guide explained how alchemy helped shape modern medicine and chemistry. We learned about William Shakespeare’s life in Prague as well as the original 007.

On up to Prague Castle we went! We had the most stunning view of the city and all of the red roofs. Pictures just don’t do it justice! Prague is stunning from above. We went to the castle grounds where we saw St. Vitus Cathedral, a dark gothic church that is enormous. We did our best to fit it in the picture! It sits high on a hill overlooking the city and can be seen from pretty much anywhere. We continued back down the hill to the other bank of the Vlatava and got a gorgeous view of Charles Bridge. Our stomachs were rumbling, so we ate at a medieval restaurant and had an amazing meal of salmon, chicken, and potatoes. Yum.

After eating, we went to a different sort of monument in Prague, the Lennon Wall. After the assassination of John Lennon, an unknown artist painted a picture of Lennon with some song lyrics. The wall was soon filled with paintings of him. As communism swept through Czechia, the wall was a source of conflict between young Czechs and the government. People would post their issues with the government on the wall and eventually there was an altercation between police and students nearby. The wall is continually being added to and original artwork is a few layers deep.

I had been itching to try a Chimney Cake, a Czech treat with a spiraled sort of churro filled with ice cream. As the picture suggests, it is HUGE and scrumptious. We walked the Town Square one more time and soaked it all in. Walking hand in hand down the streets of Prague we made some of our best memories and both of us agreed it was our favorite location yet.

We were sad to leave Prague, but very excited to move on to our next temporary home. It’s been 67 days of countries that don’t speak English, so you can imagine how much we were looking forward to a nice relaxing 30 days in Manchester!!