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Published: March 13th 2010
Praha, Praha, Praha!
I have recently come to the conclusion that it takes me so long to write these blogs because I write them when I get home. I would absolutely prefer to write my blogs while I am visiting these places--it would just be so much more fun to write them WHILE I'm there soaking everything in and feeling fully inspired by what is around me. Sadly, lugging a laptop throughout Europe seems a little more than slightly frivolous, especially for a weekend. Not only that, but I enjoy being away from things that have a tendency to take up half of my time and leave me in a coma like state. But, that means that when I get home I have to acknowledge the fact that the trip is over. Writing my blog feels like a putting a "point final" on my adventure. But, I guess all good things come to an end, and, despite what many people keep telling me, I know that I can come back one day. And I will certainly be seeing Prague again. Thus, what follows is a short summary of my experience in Prague.
Admittedly, I knew very little
about Prague other than what I had learned from others. And the only thing I had learned from others was that Prague was one of the most gorgeous cities in all of Europe. Most gorgeous cities? What about Paris and Venice and I could go on and on and on. One of the most gorgeous? I was sold. I just had to see it. My friend Abby and I had been trying to plan a trip, so I asked her if she would be interested, and off we went. We had an absolutely wonderful time seeing each other and catching up--we hadn't seen each other in two years! She was a wonderful travel partner, and we couldn't get enough of the gorgeous city.
On Friday afternoon, March 5th, I let my last class of the day out 15 minutes early, grabbed my bag and bolted. My class got out at a quarter to 15h, and my plane was scheduled to leave at 17h05. I ran down to the bus stop to catch a bus to the airport--the whole while practicing my breathing and telling myself that I would make it in time. As a side note: for those of
you who know me well or have traveled with me, you know I have a tendency to be a little jumpy when it comes to catching planes. I would honestly rather be at the airport 5 hours too early. If I have a flight out mid afternoon, I spend the whole day worrying about missing my flight. If I have a flight in the morning, I wake up intermittently throughout the night convinced that my alarm has not gone off and I have missed the plane. I might really need to start taking happy pills before I travel. Needless to say, I was a little worried. But I arrived at the airport, checked in, got myself through security and to the boarding gate all under an hour with an hour to spare. I refrained from doing a happy dance, don't worry.
The flight out of Nice was, as per the usual, absolutely breathtaking. This time we hugged the coast so I could see Ville-Franche, Beaulieu, St. Jean and all the other nearby towns from the air. I could only guess that we were passing over Italy when I saw bridges much similar to those I crossed via train on
the way to Venice.
Not only was the view gorgeous, but the flight was one of the best I've ever had. I am not going to lie, I paid a pretty penny for this flight, but in retrospect I am so glad I did. So I am sitting on the plane reading and listening to music when the flight attendants start coming around handing out snacks. I immediately assume I will be handed a bag of crackers or a muffin. Much to my surprise they are handing out sandwiches! And not just any sandwiches. Good sandwiches. My sandwich consisted of a freshly baked mini baguette with cheese spread (not just any cheese spread mind you, and certainly not like that canned crap we have at home. We are talking about the good stuff here), fresh lettuce and fresh salami! And to top it off, they give you chocolates too! (Pardon my language, but I'd rather not invent falsities in my blog) "Holy shit," was all I could think. Then come the drinks. I am not going to lie, I was half expecting to not receive a drink. Seriously, airlines are cheap, and after that amazing sandwich I would not
have been surprised if they had said, "Oh, you're thirsty? 15 euro for a Coke". BUT, no. I had one of the most wonderful tasting German beers. Beer. For free. Now I am thinking, "Oh hell yes". When the flight attendant came around a short while later, she asked if I would like another drink. Well, obviously I wanted to jump up and down for joy and ask for another beer, but I didn't want to seem like the gluttonous American so I politely declined.
I had a stop over in Munich, Germany, and we landed no problem. What followed is one of the funniest experiences I have had in an airport. Mind you, I am used to French airports. More specifically, a Southern French airport. Planes do not even start boarding until the departure time, and oftentimes afterwards. Do not ask me how these planes land on time, but they always seem to so I don't mind. So, I land in Munich, find my next departure gate and then go wander. I wander through a couple of stores since there isn't much else to look at, wander back by the departure gate, grab a newspaper (a free U.S.A
Today--thanks Lufthansa), sit down for a minute and then decide to go grab a free coffee (again, thanks Lufthansa). As I come back to sit down with my coffee I hear an announcement. "Wait a second. Did they just say last call for Prague?". I jump up and go over to look at the screen and the nice German man behind the counter looks at me and says, "Prague?". When I respond in the affirmative he proceeds to say, "Well, COME ON! You are the last one! I see you come and go come and go come and go. We are waiting for you!" Whoops. I apologized profusely and really wanted to explain that I simply was not accustomed to German punctuality, but what are you going to do. Thankfully, I made my flight.
An hour or so later I was in Prague and waiting for Abby to arrive (her plane got in just a short while after mine). The money situation was rather humorous--Abby had been absolutely certain that the Czech Republic was on the euro. They're part of the EU, so why not? I still can't answer that question, but I thankfully knew they were on the
crown (koruna). Needless to say, that just underscores how little we knew about this country. Our directions were actually quite good though, so we made it into the city no problem. To be completely honest, I had spent a good portion of the flight wondering what the cuisine would be like in Prague. Not only did I wonder about the cuisine, but I specifically hoped that it would be like German cuisine, and by German cuisine I mean bratwursts. (What a horribly American thing to think.) Of course, as soon as the thought crossed my mind I chastised myself for being so culturally ignorant. Of course it's not going to be just like German food. Just because the two countries are situated close to one another geographically doesn't mean the two countries will have the same food. French cuisine is quite different from Spanish and German. So imagine my surprise when Abby and I leave the metro to find sausage stands on every corner!!!! Bratwursts and Gluhwein! Brats and vin chaud? Is this a joke? Am I dreaming? Did I die and go to Heaven? By the way, we definitely got bratwurst and ate it on the way to the
hostel.
Day One
The first morning we awoke to snow. Quite a bit of it and quite a lot falling. My grey boots met their end in Ireland when the zipper broke, so I only had two pairs of flats with me. Yikes. The first part of our morning was spent getting me acceptable shows for snow. Thankfully, I found a pair of warm boots on sale, so off we went. We came to Prague with no itinerary and no real expectations; all we really wanted to do was explore. So that's what we did.
We spent the day wandering and exploring, ducking into small places for vin chaud (or Gluhwein) whenever we got too cold. We wandered over to St. Henry's Tower and decided to go up and check out the view. We wandered through the Old Town Square, saw the Astronomical Clock, and got vin chaud from a vender in the street (it was the best I had all weekend). Every time we passed an art gallery we went in and looked around. I loved it. We went into a Belgian chocolate store and got chocolates. We wandered over to Prague Castle, walked
through the churches and down Golden Lane. The view from Prague Castle is utterly astounding. I initially thought that I would prefer to save Prague Castle for Sunday when the weather would be nicer, but I am so glad we saw it in the snow. Looking out over the entire town covered in snow with its white rooftops and all of the spires peeking above the roofs was just incredible. Standing above the city, everything quiet with the just the snow falling. Prague, and Prague at that moment especially, embodied every romantic notion people hold of Europe. You just felt like you were being whisked back to another time, and it was almost other worldly. We stopped and had vin chaud at a little smoky bar and we had dinner at a restaurant in Lesser Town (at least I think we were in Lesser Town). There was an open hearth fireplace, mismatched tables and chairs, and wonderful, wonderful food. It was perfect. We walked back over Charles Bridge at night, and the view over the river was beautiful. The castle was lit up, and the lights from the town and from the moon reflected over the water in a very
"Starry Night over the Rhone" sort of way.
The second day we awoke to sunshine and warmer weather. It was great seeing how different the city looked and experiencing it in so many different ways. We found a great Irish pub that offered breakfast (I LOVE Irish breakfasts--Irish bacon is the best). We spent the day wandering around the town and seeing some of the same things, and then we wandered over to the other areas of town we had not seen. We saw the Dancing House--one of the coolest buildings I have ever seen. We spent a lot of time just wandering and looking and taking everything in. The buildings were all just breathtaking, and it was so interesting seeing so many different forms of architecture in one city. You can literally see thousands of years reflected in the architecture of Prague--Romanesque, Baroque, Gothic, Art Nouveau it's all there. One might thing that so many forms of architecture would clash with one another, but this couldn't be further from the truth. Whereas in Rome I felt like there was history piled on history piled on history, the city of Prague never overwhelms but seems to quietly stand
on its own in a confident mélange that astounds you and and transports you through all the ages of its history. I loved taking it all in and letting it wash over me, and I cannot wait to go back.
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Eric
non-member comment
Hey Kelly, Your Prague adventure sounds awesome and your photos are great. My blog is looking for photos to post. I was wondering if we could have permission to post a few. If you have time check us out at: www.dirty-hippies.blogspot.com Continued fun on your trip! Eric