Prague: The Fairytale City

When I was looking at studying abroad in Europe, Prague was one of my top considerations.  It was amazing to visit the city and check out life in Central Europe as opposed to staying in Western Europe the entire time!  I finished my European History final and from that, two friends and I hopped on a train to Amsterdam Airport and from there, we got on our first domestic European flight!  It was so easy to fly the airline and it only took us 1 hour to get from Amsterdam to Prague!  We arrived and after a few stops on the metro, we came across our hostel.  My friend Jack and Lindsey and their friends from Italy had booked the same hostel, and oddly enough, we were in the same room as them!  In addition to that, our hostel was right around the corner from the Old Town Square where all of the excitement in the town happens.  Traveling with just a small suitcase really made us appreciate the free towels, hairdryers, and breakfast that the hostel gave us.  It was dark out, but we all decided to check out the city by night.  We met up with Jillian's friend who is studying in Prague and he showed us around some local sights.  After some bar hopping and meeting new friends, we called it a night. 

Apparently a big deal!

Full Day 1:
We had heard good things about the free city walking tours, so we decided to indulge in the opportunity.  We met outside the astronomical clock tower in the Old Town Square in the morning to meet our cheery tour guide.  He taught us a lot of history, but kept us laughing and on our toes the entire time.  Again, we got so incredibly lucky with the weather this weekend and got to experience the beautiful changing of leaves.  After our tour ended, we decided to go to the Jewish section of the city.  We went into the Old Jewish Cemetery as well as a couple synagogues.  It was interesting, because I had never been in one before, but being in the Czech Republic, we felt it was necessary.  The Old Jewish Cemetary was certainly very moving.  There was such little space back then that graves were buried twelve bodies deep and gravestones were piled on top of each other.  The area was very uneven and showed how desperate space was during that hard time.  We went into a memorial and the tribute was to the children of the holocaust.  Drawings and paintings were posted all over the walls, along with a picture of the child, the camp they were sent to, and the date that they died.  It was equally as humbling as the Anne Frank House.  That night, we took advantage of the hostel's kitchen and made dinner at home then hit the town for some more bar and club hopping.  We met an assortment of European students at a friends flat and got a very international feel for the night. 

Getting our Starbucks Coffee fix.

Astronomical and Zodiac Clock.

 

The Old Town Square.  Right by our hostel!

Old Town Square.

Charles Bridge

Prague Castle from the river.

Relaxing by the river.

 

Beautiful statues line the bridge.

Old Jewish Cemetery.

So little space and so many unfortunate deaths.

Day 2:
Our second day in Prague was full of exciting new experiences. 
We started off our day at the John Lennon wall, a tribute to John Lennon's work for peace and displays love from all around the world.  It was so colorful and such a reviving start to our morning.  After spending some time at the wall, we went to the Petrin Tower, also known as the miniature Eiffel Tower!  It was a great opportunity to see the best view of the city and to grab some hot mulled wine and some lunch.  Later, we walked around the castle grounds and enjoyed the enormous Gothic St. Vitus Cathedral.  That night, we enjoyed a wonderful Mexican meal at a restaurant recommended by some locals.  It was amazing to have Mexican food, since every single one of us had been going through deprivation.  For night life, we checked out a Halloween club party and were treated to a fire and flame show as well as some fun music to dance to. 

So much love!!!

'Laska'  is the name of one of my favorite poems and look what I found!

Love Like Lennon.

What a wonderful saying!

Are we in Paris?

Beautiful Praha Castle and Cathedral

Praha

 

 

St. Vitus Cathedral

Prague was so beautiful and so full of history, it seemed like a fairytale.  I will remember this trip for the rest of my life, and Prague has now become one of my favorite cities in Europe!