Even typing this, I cannot believe my life at the present moment. Prague is a city I have dreamt of visiting since high school, and I thought it would always be this illusive city that I would never quite get to. All of that changed on Thursday when I set my feet on the ground in the Bohemian city of Prague, Czech Republic.
I took a bus and then a train to the apartment that we rented for the weekend. It was stunning- on the top floor of the building fully equipped with a microwave, oven, internet access, the most comfortable beds, and a scorching hot shower. I met David at the apartment, and I was thrilled to see him and have the opportunity to catch up with him and hear all about his time in Sevilla. He and I headed out to explore the city (Prague is split in half by a river, and our apartment was on the opposite side from the center of the city, so we were somewhat isolated from the hustle and bustle in our little haven of an apartment which only added to its appeal). We crossed the famous Charles Bridge, walked around the Jewish neighborhoods known as Josefov, grabbed a Starbucks coffee (yes, even in Prague) to warm our frozen bodies, and then made our way back to the apartment to wait for Casey. When she finally knocked on the door I nearly tackled her to the ground- I was a little excited to see her. She got settled, and then we picked out a restaurant (courtesy of the guide book I purchased in the airport which proved invaluable for food recommendations and directions). We decided on Stoleti, and we were not disappointed. I had a chicken breast with seared pears in a marmalade paired with steamed carrots and broccoli. (Another great thing about Prague is that, unlike every other European city I have visited, the dollar is extremely strong here. For example, when I first arrived I skeptically withdrew 3,000 koruna from the atm, which just seems like a lot, but it was only the equivalent of $150.) Thus, our elegant meal was rather reasonable, and the company was priceless.
The next day we got going early. We walked through a park to the castle which towers above all of Prague. Inside the walls of the castle there are multiple churches to walk through and take in. We were enjoying the beauty of the buildings, but we were also all freezing, especially since none of the churches were heated- it was colder inside than outside! The castle tour took several hours, and then we whipped out the guide book for assistance in choosing a lunch destination. We crossed the famous and stunning Charles Bridge to get to the other side of the river, and we made our way to Lokal. We knew it would be good when almost no one spoke English and the entire menu was in Czech- they quickly realized we were American and brought us one in English. Casey and I thawed our toes with the help of some tea, and we all enjoyed some sausage and lentil soup followed by a beautiful, fresh vegetable salad. The rest of the afternoon we spent in the Jewish area of Josefov, because it is closed on Saturday, the holy day. We walked through the Old Cemetery and several beautiful synagogues in the area. The cemetery was deafening, and we were all incredibly moved by the memorial to the Czech and Bohemian Jews who died in the Holocaust. The memorial is inside this building, and it is simply names written on the walls, but it is two stories and seeing the names reminds you of their identity and how similar they were to you and me. Following Josefov, we were ready to get back to our haven and warm up. Once inside, we could not bring ourselves to venture out again for dinner, so we ordered Chinese food and washed it down with beer. I have not had Chinese food in the longest time, not even at home in the U.S. It absolutely hit the spot, and although we all ordered different things, we are pretty sure we all received the same thing with varying degrees of spiciness. (The language barrier was horrible here. We read several things that told Americans not even to attempt to learn any Czech because we would only butcher it.)
Saturday, Casey and David’s final day, we slept in a little bit, and then made our way to John Lennon’s Wall. The wall is a memorial to John Lennon that is spray painted with Beatles lyrics and quotes about love and peace. After his death, the youth in Prague began spray painting the wall in his honor, and the police protested and fought it for several years, but they finally gave in, and it is now a huge tourist attraction. Following this, we walked to Communist Museum and stumbled upon the city center of Prague. We would have never found it and discovered the more modern part of Prague had it not been for my lack of knowledge with the map and directions… we literally just stumbled right into it. The Communist Museum was in a questionable building, and we all had our doubts, but it turned out to be extremely informative. We spent a good two and half hours there just soaking in the history. Another check off our list, and then we headed to lunch. We pulled out the guide book and were on the hunt for the Opera Garden. Tucked away behind several buildings, this restaurant was a true gem. Once again, we were the only customers that did not speak Czech, and only one waiter spoke a bit of English. They started us off with free aperitifs (this shot of two beers, one light and one malt, with bits of cookies on top), we ordered traditional dumplings for the table, Casey and I got roasted eggplant with poached egg, David got a steak (they had actual slabs of meat hanging in the back of the restaurant), and then we polished it off with a chocolate fondue for the table.. Needless to say it was delicious. Following our gourmet meal, we did some souvenir shopping at a huge outdoor market and then made a pit stop at this adorable café, Bakeshop, for cappuccinos and cookies, just in case we didn’t have enough at lunch. After our snack, we made our way to the cathedral to see the famous clock show. The lighting was perfect, and we were all just taking in the beauty of the moment and the shear perfection of our lives at that very moment. That moment was the best of my entire trip thus far. I was perfectly content, perfectly happy. Later in the evening, after relaxing in the apartment for a while, we went out for some Czech beer at a local pub to toast our last night together. The atmosphere was great, and we were once again amidst mostly locals.
In the morning Casey and David left early for the airport, and I was left to my own devices in Prague. I went for the perfect long run through the castle and then headed into the city to get some last minute souvenirs and a cappuccino at our favorite place, Bakeshop. I had the most enjoyable day to myself, and I realized half way through that that was the first day I had been truly alone since coming to Europe. As you all know, I cherish my alone time, so this day came at just the right moment. I got to catch up on some television shows, Skype for a little while, and hit the sheets early.
My final morning in Prague, Monday, came to a close with a quick morning jog, long shower (oh how I have missed them), and train and bus to the airport. Prague met and surpassed my every expectation, and the company completed the trip. Now I am headed to Dublin to discover my dad’s heritage with Megan and Mary!