To start off spring break, I went with some friends to Prague! When I got here on Friday evening I was so tired, so we pretty much just hung out near the hostel and had a lovely Italian dinner (go figure).
Saturday morning we got an early(ish) start to the day and set out to explore the Old Town and Prague Castle. In the Old Town is the Astronomical Clock, which puts on a little show every hour in which the windows of the clock tower open and little saint puppet statue things peep through to music. I can't think of a better way to explain it... :). We then climbed to the top of said clock tower and saw beautiful views of the Old Town, Vltava River, and all around Prague. Then we had lunch and crossed the river towards Prague Castle. On the west side of the river we walked around the beautiful winding streets with pastel colored buildings to the Lennon Wall: a huge wall covered in graffiti and dedicated to the late John Lennon. While we were there, a large group of kids who looked like they were on a school trip started to spray paint the wall. There was also already paint that read "NYU 2016" from a fellow NYUer who had visited the wall before us! Then we passed a fountain called "Piss." It is well-named, as this fountain features two metal men peeing. From there we continued on to the Castle. Prague Castle offered more beautiful views of this red-roofed city and the huge gothic St. Vitus Cathedral which was absolutely gorgeous. Also around the castle we walked through Golden Lane, which has rows of small old houses turned into shops. display windows, and an armory museum with a room on medieval torture (ick! didn't spend much time there it was scary). We then headed towards Letna Beer Garden, atop another hill (my legs are getting sore thinking about all the walking/climbing we did that day!) where we had some drinks and dinner while we watched the sun set over Prague. After dinner we headed back to the hostel to rest for a bit before heading back out to a bar and then a club. It was a very long yet fun and exciting day.
Sunday we were very tired from the day before and did not leave the hostel until after noon! Once we left we headed to the Jewish Quarter (formally a Jewish Ghetto) where we had a traditional Czech lunch (I had goulash - which many countries in this area claim is traditionally theirs, according to my guidebooks) and explored old temples and a holocaust memorial. The Spanish Synagogue was one of the most beautiful temples I have ever seen, which its interior entirely painted, large stained glass windows, and stars of David incorporated in every way possible including the central light fixture. From there we took a tram to Petrin Hill, which features the Petrin Lookout Tower (commonly known as the mini Eiffel Tower). While it is much much smaller than the Eiffel Tower, locals like to claim that because of the hill it is on, it actually reaches higher than the one in France. We climbed (well, they climbed, I took the lift because my feet were killing me from climbing up the hill to the tower) to the top for more beautiful views of the city. Then we went to the Petrin Mirror Maze, which was insanely fun and we spent lots of time in there even after completing the maze just to take pictures. The maze also featured a room with distorted mirrors like those in fun houses. We were enjoying ourselves much more than the little kids whom were probably the attractions attended audience. Before heading home we walked across the Charles Bridge which is a famous bridge lined with statues of Saints and people that I don't know, but it was beautiful! Sunday night I stayed in because I was exhausted.
Monday morning my friends departed for Berlin and I was left to fend for myself! When I woke up I was a bit nervous about what I should do and where I should go, which was only furthered when I looked out the window and witnessed a tremendous downpoor. I sat in my bed frustrated and finally talked myself into going out to take advantage of my last day in Prague despite the weather. So, I got ready and headed out, only to find it had stopped raining! I decided to walk around the area that my hostel is in for a bit and found a couple nice parks to stroll through on my way to the tram. Then I took the tram to Vysehrad castle, which my guide book claimed was "worth a look." It was worth a look alright! The beautiful old castle grounds dated back to the 10th century, though much of it was destroyed in various wars and had to be rebuilt. When I got to the top of yet another hill, though, it started raining again! Not knowing my way around, I decided to just tuck into a nearby church. Little then did I know that this Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul would be one of the most beautiful churches I'd ever seen. It was completely painted, with gold alters and giant stained glass windows for the mere price of 10 crowns (about 50 cents). Then I decided to walk around the adjacent cemetery which was filled with marble tombstones and covered in flowers. Not one person looked forgotten. I then walked around the old castle walls high above the river, and again had another wonderful view of the distant Prague Castle and the city's rivers and red roofs. Next I wandered through the area and found an entrance to part of the original old fortress that was repaired in the 1800's to use as bunkers against Napoleon's army if the French were to attack. Through these old dark halls built into the hills was a room that held some of the original statues from the Charles Bridge. I didn't even know that some of the statues on the bridge were replicas! Apparently the sandstone that made up many of the originals was proving too soft to withstand the wear and tear of bridge life, so they moved them to this old hall for safe keeping. After a few hours I decided to leave the castle so I walked back towards and along the river until I reached the tram that goes right to my hotel. After getting on the tram, though, I decided to get off a couple stops early at the Namesti Miru, which is a small park and market in front of yet another church, where I got some icecream. Then I finally headed back to the hostel. Once back here I packed up/organized my stuff for tomorrow, and decided to catch up on some long overdue blog posts. So here I am.
Tomorrow I am off to Vienna! Expect more soon!
Some pics from Prague:
View of Prague Castle from Vysehrad Castle
Astronomical Clock in Old Town Square
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