Prague: Czech Us Out!

Sorry about the title guys; I couldn't help myself:)

So let us begin this delayed entry with my journey to the last destination in my stellar spring break line-up: Prague, Czech Republic.  Like in Vienna, our group's plan was to venture to our next destination via night train.  (Background info: we purchased these tickets in a group from a random Polish rail agent over the internet…in hindsight probably not the smartest idea, but we got a killer price discount.)  So, it's fair to say we were caught completely off guard when the conductor told us our tickets were not valid for this train.  Apparently the first conductor in Vienna took a portion of our ticket that we needed for this ride!  Eek.  The train began moving while we were still negotiating with an agent, so it became a scary reality that we might actually be dumped off this train in the middle of Poland.  The issue finally got resolved 40 minutes into the train ride when one of my groupmates dropped 340 Polish Zloty (approx $105) to buy new tickets for us.  THANK GOODNESS.  We were finally able to settle into our cozy 6-person sleeping compartment (twice as many people in the compartments we had in Vienna), and we slept until we arrived in Prague at 8 am.

Smile, but be careful not to smack the person across from you with your elbows! (Legitimate concern)

Upon arriving in Prague, we were still quite chilled from Prague, but at least excited to see sun and NO snow!  Our accommodations, the SG1 Hostel, was in the heart of Old Prague, just north of the Charles River.  Just like the website suggests, it seemed nice, so we were psyched!  The man working at the desk, speaking in great English, suggested attractions and tours for us.  We could not believe our luck...this great service and location for only 8 euro (approx $11) a night?!  *LOL note the ironic foreshadowing*

We began our walk around the city to find it was deceptively FREEZING.  I was bummed to drop 500 Czech Kronas (approx $24) on a hat and gloves, but I was left with legitimately no choice haha.  Thin wallet> hypothermia, any day.  After bundling up, we walked on the Charles Bridge towards Old Town and the Jewish Quarter.  There we joined a walking tour so we could learn some fun facts along the way.  This guide was especially skilled with pointing out the different architectural styles within Prague.  I had no clue that the city prided itself on blending so many different types of architecture.  It was charming, random and eclectic.

View of Prague from the Charles Bridge.

Believe it or not, this was actually the coolest hat I could find in Prague.

In front of the Astronomical Clock in Old Town, a famed Prague landmark.

Pic of New Town's market and shopping center.  This square is where my tour guide celebrated when the communist regime collapsed in 1989.

After walking around a bit, we ventured back to the hotel for a shower.  Ha. Ha.  The fact that the shower stalls were located in the hostel's kitchen should have been our first indicator that this would not be an enjoyable experience.  But don't worry, I quickly got the picture once I stepped in the shower stall and discovered that the drain did not work.  In fact, the thing was overflowing with other peoples' filth.  And to top it off, the water was freezing.  Classic.  So it's fair to say I didn't shower for the rest of my Czech experience hahaha.

One by one we experienced the worst shower of our lives, and afterwards we ventured to the outdoor market for dinner.  There I indulged in a few Trdleniks, which are virtually churros cooked in a spiral pattern.  Not only were these suckers 50 Kronas, (approx $2.50) but they were AMAZING.  I had like four.  Sorry I'm not sorry.  Later that night, when we returned to our hostel, we continued to realize the sketch that was happening right underneath our eyes.  The nice English-speaking employee mentioned earlier completely vanished, and in his place was a creepy one-toothed Czech woman who only knew English cuss words.  She was simply mental.  We could not have locked our door any more forcefully that night!

Trdelnik (pronunciation unknown): THE BEST FOOD EVER.

Well we all survived Friday night, so when we woke, we were pleased to see such a sunny day outside!  We first ventured just a few minutes away from our hostel to the Lennon Wall, which used to be the site of anti-Communist graffiti in the early 90s.  The wall was decorated by young students who rebelled against the government, and still to this day is seen as a sign of youth thought in the world.  Today it is decorated with lyrics of peace and love, inspired by Beatles songs.

Cheesing at the Lennon Wall.

Jesus made an appearance.

After checking out the Lennon Wall, we stayed on our side of the Charles River to explore the gorgeous Prague Castle, the largest coherent castle complex in the world (its area is nearly 70,000 square meters).  As we explored the complex, we witnessed the Czech changing of the guard.  In my humble opinion, this was nothing compared to what we have in London, but hey, it was still pretty cool!  My favorite part about the complex, though, was the breathtaking St. Vitus Cathedral.  I was in awe of how the light shone through the cathedral's pastel stained glass.  Note that the picture below does not do the view justice!

Grabbing a little snack during on the way to the Castle.

4 girls, 1 very serious Czech guard.

Inside the Cathedral.  Sigh.

We finished the day by going to an authentic Czech beer house for dinner and then heading to the Lennon Wall one last time.  There we smoked a few Viennese cigars and reminisced about our favorite memories from this unforgettable week.  Overall, we loved Prague.  It certainly was not as cheap as we had heard, so our wallets suffered a little bit.  Also, staying at that hostel made us feel like we were legitimately one second away from getting murdered, but we made it through!  Everything about the trip--good and bad--was an unforgettable memory.  I hope one day to return to this majestic and authentic city, except maybe next time stay somewhere else...anywhere else hahaha.

Thanks for your patience in waiting for this entry! Stay tuned to hear about more Bobber parties in London and my Easter weekend in the holy city.

Cheers,

C 

This group pic was taken by a random tourist who had a very interesting idea of subjects in a picture frame.  Thank you to my group mate, who let me use this photo! :)