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Published: January 22nd 2007
Being the only person coming back to Prague for the second semester made me a little worried, to be completely honest. I didn’t want to be that person: the cynical wise elder, the one who has seen it all and doesn’t mind bragging about it. And while I am probably known as “The One Who Knows Where Tesco Is” or “The One Who Understands Night Trams” in circles outside my own, I am glad to report that it is nearly impossible to feel jaded when you are surrounded by such great people and beautiful sights.
My first week back in Prague has been a time for rediscovering hidden gems and exploring new ones. While much of the time has been spent doing the prerequisite orientation activities (many of which - like survival tours, meetings, and intensive Czech - I have skipped), I have had the opportunity to see so many exciting things in such a short amount of time. Last week, NYU in Prague offered various free cultural activities, such as the Czech Philharmonic, the opera, and hockey. I chose the philharmonic, since it was the only one I had not done last semester. They played a series of songs by Russian composers Mussorgsky and Borodin, including Mussorgsky’s famous “Night on Bald Mountain” - the song from “Fantasia” with the giant black devil cartoon - backed with an enormous choir. We sat in the front row (probably the cheap seats since we were perhaps too close to certain sections to hear the full orchestra at times), and the music was truly intense and moving. The night of the concert was also notable because it was the peak of what has been a week of ridiculously strong winds. I have heard the wind has made international news, but I can not stress enough how brutal it was. On the way to the philharmonic, traffic lights all went out, leaving us to dart between cars Frogger-style - an impressive feat considering the already poor quality of Czech drivers. Debris and dust were flying everywhere, making our fancy-night-out clothes a little wrinkled to say the least. The experience left me thinking that we would have no idea what was going on if a true emergency were ever to take place. Since none of us watch television here, and it is in Czech even if we did, how would we know if a hurricane was coming? Or the Slovaks were planning to invade? Or there was a giant wind storm during which it would probably not be advisable to go outside?
After the philharmonic, we ended up in one of my favorite Prague hot spots, Black Cat White Cat, a trendy cocktail bar in the Zizkov neighborhood. Black Cat White Cat was known last semester as “the place with alcoholic milkshakes” because, well, it has alcoholic milkshakes. The drinks are well worth the trip to the outskirts of Prague - butterscotch-flavored whiskey drinks, rum with chopped up ginger, gin and tonics with cucumbers, lychee martinis, and the literal crème de la crème, “The Ice Cream Sandwich,” a concoction of ice cream, oreos, and crème de cacao. Nice.
The next morning we needed to wake up super early in order to run to the NYU Center to sign up for trips at 8:30 in the morning. Knowing the rabid nature of kids with juicy free trips being dangled in front of their faces, I forced my friends to get up early so we could be the first in line. I am happy to say that, while we were not the first in line (that honor goes to three people who are even more OCD than I am), we made it there early enough to get the trips we wanted. Stay tuned for future blogs detailing the beautiful places in the Czech Republic I will be visiting. Since we were up already at such an ungodly hour, we figured we might as well not waste the day, so we decided to take a stroll across the bridge to the other side of the river, Mala Strana. The Lesser Quarter, as it is known in English, is beautiful, less crowded, quiet, and scenic. What it lacks in screaming children, touristy souvenir shops, pickpockets, and sausage stands, it makes up for in charm and churches. We started our trek on the Charles Bridge, truly one of the more impressive sights I have seen. While it does not break any records I know of in terms of size or age, the combination of the wide cobblestone lane and the majestic Baroque statues makes it a sight to behold. At the end of the bridge, I have found that it is better to avoid the normal route and instead follow a small staircase to the left right before the end which leads to Kampa Island. Kampa is a peaceful island haven filled with cafes that is separated from the mainland by a small creek in some spots and a Venetian-style canal in others. Once off the island, a favorite spot of mine on the other side of the river is the John Lennon Wall. An obvious tourist attraction, it is better than it may sound at first. The spot is essentially just a wall on which people have drawn and painted images of Lennon. Guests fill all available spaces with quotes, messages of hope and peace, and the occasional Beatles lyric. It is a truly exciting sight because, unlike any of the historic sights in Prague, the Lennon Wall is ever-changing. Each visit offers something new.
Our next stop took us to the church which houses the Infant Jesus of Prague. I can not stress enough how underwhelming this place is. Housed in a rather mediocre church, the Infant is a statue that was given by the Spanish to the Bohemians centuries ago. It is dressed in gaudy robes and, for some reason, has become an international phenomenon. After the church we walked through the embassy district, an area filled with quiet winding streets and international flags flapping in the breeze. Soon the quiet neighborhood gives way to the hill which leads up into the castle complex. We wandered around the marionette stores and gelato shops that dot Hradcany before we decided to hike the wooded hill that leads to the Strahov Monastery. I had not been to the monastery at the top of the hill for a few months, so we got a little lost along the way. We ended up in a random vineyard next to a wall. We later found out that the fortification was called the Hunger Wall, since it was built by hungry fourteenth-century peasants in exchange for food. As we stood at the gate in the Hunger Wall contemplating whether or not to go through, a huge greyhound trotted out and stared at us before sneezing and running off. My friends thought it might start talking to us and whisk us off to Narnia, but, never having seen the movie or read the books, I didn’t get the reference! On the other side of the fence we found signs suggesting that the land was owned by the Czech military and that we were not welcome. Considering how angry even Czech restaurant owners are when we wander into their establishments, I doubt the military would offer us smiles if we stumbled into their area. We hurried away further up the hill to the monastery.
Judging by its emptiness, the Strahov Monastery is an area that remains undiscovered by tourists and even locals. That is most definitely not a bad thing, but I think people are missing out on one of Prague’s true hidden gems. One of our first stops in the monastery complex was the brewery where the monks make beer. Frothy and dark, the beer is one of the reasons why we need to return to this spot atop the hill. Another amazing destination is the monastery’s library, which houses curiosities (such as dried sharks, narwhal tusks, and even a dried dodo bird which looks suspiciously similar to teriyaki beef jerky) among beautiful Renaissance wood- and leather-bound books, gorgeous painted ceilings, and old-fashioned globes. A more modern spot that is no less interesting is the Miniature Museum. An artist has spent the past decade creating incredibly tiny art that is so small it requires either a microscope or a magnifying glass to see. Works include insanely tiny camels going through the eye of a needle, gold horseshoes on a flea, a lock and key being held by an ant, the Our Father written on a hair, and a car driving on a mosquito leg. The experience surely doesn’t scream “monastery” or “historic,” but it is well worth the trip. Leaving the monastery, we were lucky enough to see a rainbow spanning across the horizon. While a rainbow is a cool thing to see over any skyline (including a Target parking lot in Tampa), there is just something a little better about seeing a rainbow over a castle, a river, and countless church steeples. It takes “rainbow” to a whole new level. To finish the day, we walked through the castle grounds, making a stop in the St. Vitus Cathedral. Unexpectedly bright and colorful, the Gothic and neo-Gothic construction is more majestic than you can imagine. After coming down from the hill, we ate crepes at another of Prague’s hidden gems. In a window in the building next to the Polish embassy is a one-room takeout-only crepe store that sells tasty and cheap snacks. No one knows about it, but it is one of my favorites. What a good day.
On Saturday, my friends and I went to Vysehrad, the medieval fortress on a hill down the Vltava River from the rest of historic Prague. We brought cheese, crackers, and wine to make a picnic in the peaceful park next to the neo-Gothic church. Overlooking an insanely scenic panorama of the Vltava, we couldn’t help but wonder aloud how lucky we are to be having this experience. After the picnic, we walked around the cemetery - the final resting place of composers Dvorak and Smetana among others. Vysehrad is another place that more people should know about. I’ve been thinking of writing a book called “Prague: Get The Hell Out.” It would be focused on getting people the hell out of Old Town Square and into the amazing places which are only one or two metro stops away. Think I could make any money with that? It could be a series: "Get The Hell Out of New York," "Get The Hell Out of Boston"... you get the idea.
Well, it has only been a week and I am already having too much fun. Can’t wait to explore for a whole new semester!
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Ron Sr
non-member comment
Education, Experience,Entertainment
Great Blog. Great experience and I'm glad to see you are enjoying your return to Europe. Do us all a favor and post some more photos on the blog and maybe even try a video this time. GET THE HELL OUT! I love it