Prague

So we got up at 4:30 in the morning to catch a train from Berlin to Prague, which was pretty easy to do. Our hostel was close to the train station, so we got there pretty early and then hung out and got some breakfast until our train arrived. We got on the train and got our own little car for the six of us and basically just passed out for a while, we were all exhausted from our intense touring in Berlin. We woke up and hung out for a while until we got there around 11:30, at which point we had to get ourselves to the hostel, but not before exchanging money first. I didn't realize how nice it was to have the euro in most of the countries in Europe - when I went on my first trip to Milan and Paris, I didn't have to exchange any money. It was kindof annoying to have to figure out the exchange rate from euros to crowns in the Czech Republic and Forints in Hungary, especially since I am constantly converting from euros to dollars in the first place. Things got a little confusing, but it was ok. So we got ourselves to the Czech Inn Hostel, and that's where the puns began. We spent the rest of the trip trying to come up with the best puns for all the cities we had been to - things were Budaful, we were Pragueably going to do something, or we didn't want to be Pests but we were Hungary. I'm sure that these puns will continue till the end of the semester between the six of us, haha. So anyway, we got to the hostel, checked in, and found out we had our own room for the six of us which was great! We got ready and went into the city to get some lunch. The first thing that was different about Prague (besides the language and money, of course) was the fact that the metro/tram system in Berlin was super-organized and could get us absolutely anywhere. In Prague, it was fine, but not quite as efficient. Besides that, the metro in Prague was so far underground that we had to take a 3 minute escalator to get there! Kindof scary, when you think about it. So we went in to the city and ate lunch at this place called Country Life where we got as much vegetarian food as we wanted and we paid by weight. After that, we went to the Jewish Museum, which is actually just a collection of 5 or 6 synagogues that survived the Holocaust even though the Jewish community in Prague did not. It was really interesting to see the synagogues again, since I had been to them on my trip to Eastern Europe/Israel when I was 15. I remembered a lot about them, but it was great to see them again, especially since each of them is so distinct. Also, the Jewish cemetery that is in Prague is fascinating because the Jews were not allotted enough space to bury all their loved ones and were forced to bury people on top of one another. The result is a mess of gravestones, but is actually very interesting to look at. After all the touring, we went to a beer garden that overlooks Prague, which is basically just an open space where they sell beer and where you can sit to just hang out and enjoy the view. Charlie met up with a friend from Brown and we all hung out for a while and then went to dinner. After, we were all pretty tired and went back to the hostel to crash.

The next day, we got a huge breakfast at the hostel and then went to the Old Town Square to see the Tyn Church, St. Nicholas' Church, the Astronomical Clock that chimes on the hour, and the old town hall. Prague is just a gorgeous city, and it is really fun to just walk around and enjoy the beautiful architecture. We did a little bit of shopping and then met up with our whole group to take a free walking tour of Prague Castle, which turned out to be really interesting. I had also been there before, but it was great to go back and learn more about what is there. We walked up the 206 steps to the castle and got to enjoy the gorgeous view. After the toru was over, we took a break to get something cold to drink and then walked down the hill again and across the most famous bridge in Prague - the Charles Bridge, which is now just a walking bridge and provides some of the most beautiful view of the city. We went to a restaurant with traditional Czech food, which was great - we all tried the goulash and a couple other things, along with traditional Czech beer, all for a very cheap price. I found that nothing was really that much cheaper in countries without the euro except the food. After our great Czech meal, we went back to the hostel to get our stuff and to get on a 12:15am bus to Vienna!

Prague Pictures