Prague is the capital city of the Czech Republic and is located along the Vltava river. It has all the architectural beauty you could hope for and almost none of the horrible tourist pricing that usually follows.
All in attendance: Kristen and her best friend Tom
Any hope of sleeping on the bus from Vienna to Prague was eliminated as soon I discovered that the Student Agency bus had a huge library of English Hollywood films. Instead it was time for a Lord of the Rings marathon as we wizzed pass the numerous dodgy strip clubs that dotted Czech side near the Austrian/Czech border.
We got off the bus, navigated in true clueless tourist fashion to the metro got out our first Czech koruna out from the ATM. A constant traveling bummer is the lengths you need to go to to make small change from newly withdrawled money. Off we went to our first accomodations (ATS Hostel Arnosta, 17 euros each per night).
We ended up having the entire 6 person room to ourselves! Tom bewitched 2 Polish guys to sticking with us and finding a good club to party at. We simultaneously could not decided if the Polish guys stuck around because they were in to me or in to him (or perhaps in to us both?). We walked around Prague that night (passing many sites that night, including the Charles Bridge) and ended up at Roxy Club.
The next day, we tried to find tickets to a ballet or an opera but to no avail. Instead, we wandered around all the touristy sites around the Old Town Square. We even had overpriced drinks near the famous Prague Astronomical Clock. Highlights include good views of the Church of Our Lady before Týn and hoards of tourists.
We popped into every interesting looking art store and tourists shop since I wanted to find Eric a night birthday present. We wandered through the maze of old town and the small alleys in between beautiful buildings. This brought us halfway across Vltava river and onto Střelecký ostrov (literally, Shooter's Island) that had a beautiful park that became official Prague Nap Place to us.
The buildings came increasingly nicer and nicer as we ventured into the New Town towards a mandatory stop in from of the Tančící dům (The dancing house/ Fred and Ginger). We had a lovely meal at a vegetarian restaurant called lehka hlava where we also shared a refreshing ginger tea.
The night finished off with some snoozing, some resting, some wine and a pizza movie night in our hostel room.
The next morning (after spazzing out because I accidentally left my wallet at the pizza place and luckily finding it), we sent off across the river in a different area and took the day exploring Prague's castle. Highlights include the castle itself, St. Vitus Cathedral and eating Trdelník (a sugary pastry).
We escaped an afternoon shower by lounging in a Irish pub while watching what we could of the London Olympics. The Czech Republic broadcasts seemed to only feature athletes from eastern Europe and Russia so Canadian presence in the summer games felt even lesser than usual.
Highlights from later that afternoon included an interactive tour at the KGB museum where the museum curator insisted on ridiculous photos, happening upon a children's dance show, the John Lennon wall and "art" along the river.
The next day, we had to check out of our shady, dirty hostel because they became fully booked and relocated to a much nicer, fancier one (Extol Inn, 18 euros each a night). We took a train and spent the day in Kutná Hora (next entry).
At night, we marathoned episodes of American Horror Story and checked out this club we had heard about called "Cross Club" and ended up staying until it closed. We met an American friend named Johnny that night and had too much fun for a Tuesday night.
To be honest, our second return to Prague was just to visit Cross Club and hang out with Johnny again. Being sketchy at McDonald's in the early morning hours is a global tradition that transcends any culture.
Things I liked:
- Prague itself! This is one of my favourite cities to be in, even just for the atmosphere!
- Cross club !!!
- How ridiculous the KJB museum was
- How a restaurant stayed open longer for us just so we could watch the Canadian Men's Relay
- Cross club !!!
- EAT MORE
- Go to a ballet or opera
