After the most comfortable four-hour bus ride ever, Mariah and I arrived in Prague. Our first day there was rather uneventful because I had a paper to write, so we hung out in cafés as I finished my work.
The next day we were up early and ready to take on Prague. We got breakfast at the delicious Bohemia Bagel. Between the bagels and the bottomless coffee, I was a happy camper. So happy that Mariah managed to talk me into a bike tour. For those of you who know me well or have been following my blog, you know I am not a good biker. I don’t know why, but it’s not my thing. You know the saying, “It’s just like riding a bike!” Yeah, no one says that to me. Luckily, I didn’t crash once and I only ran into one person, but he was asking for it. Our tour guide took us all around the city and I was able to see everything and make mental notes of what I would have to go back to see again. We grabbed dinner at the James Dean Diner and called it a day.
The next day we returned to all the spots we didn’t get enough of the day before. We made our way to Old Town passing a few sites along the way including the Municipal House, which is a major civic landmark and concert hall. It was originally built in 1912 and the structure is said to be an artifact of the Czech nationalism of the time. We also walked right through the famous Powder Tower, a Gothic tower and one of the old city gates leading into Old Town. It was built as one of the thirteen gates to the original city of Prague. As the city grew beyond its old walls, the tower was used as gunpowder storage, hence its name.
Continuing our walk through Old Town, we came across Old Town Square. It was bustling with people, tourists and otherwise. Mariah and I walked up to the top of the Astronomical Tower and got to see beautiful views of Prague spanning out in every direction. We then made it down just in time to see the Astronomical Clock hit the hour. The clock dates back to the 15th century and it considered a “marvel of medieval craftsmanship,” according to our tour guide from the day before. Tons of people gather around it every hour to watch as the doors open and the characters inside go around. One of the reasons I found Prague so cool is that I can really imagine what it must have been like to live there hundreds of years ago. Like the clock, for example: I can imagine the people of Prague marveling over it as it chimed every hour, clapping as it went. That probably sounds silly, but I can’t quite figure how else to describe it. I just loved the look of Prague: the buildings, the squares, the streets. It was just very apparent to me how much history the city holds.
Anyways, we then made our way to the Charles Bridge, the historic bridge that crosses the Vltava River. Its construction began during the reign of King Charles IV in 1357, but wasn’t finished until the beginning of the 15th century. Until 1841, it was the only way to cross the river.
No trip to Prague would be complete without a stop (and a photo shoot) at the John Lennon Wall. In 1980, when John Lennon was shot, someone painted his face on a wall in Prague. The wall actually belongs to the embassy of Malta. At the time, Prague was under communist rule and Western music was banned. Painting Lennon’s face was a nice slap in the face to the communist government, but because the wall was technically the property of the country of Malta, they could do nothing about it. Since then, the wall has been ever changing with new graffiti on it every day. I even left my mark on the wall by writing “BOSTON STRONG.” It made me smile to see that I wasn’t the first to mention Boston on the wall. In general, it was awesome to see all of the positive, hopeful, and uplifting things that have been written on it. I wish I could thank the person who was brave enough to start it with that one single John Lennon portrait that is long gone underneath layers of paint.
The day was still young, so Mariah and I decided to hike up Petrin Hill and walk the 250 stairs to the top of the tower that sits on it to see the incredible views of the city. The long hike was totally worth it. I think the pictures speak for themselves. Of course, the best part of the day was finding a Mexican restaurant called Cantina, which was unbelievably delicious and there has been nothing I’ve craved more this semester than good Mexican food and margaritas.
Our last full day in Prague was a rather lazy one. We spent most of the day sitting at a café, eating and talking. However, we did make it to the Jewish Quarter where we walked around for awhile. It soon got dark and we made our way to the Charles Bridge, which I had been told was breathtaking at night. It was.
Lately, I have been overwhelmed by how happy I am and how lucky I am to have had this experience and it’s not over yet! I still have one whole month. Isn’t that crazy? Exactly one month from today I will be going to sleep in my old room in North Carolina. Where has the semester gone?
Sbohem,
Erin
Wanderlust 