Prague, the Original Bohemia

Astronomical Clock

We got into Prague in the late afternoon. Our hostel is once again in the very center of town and everything we want to see is within walking distance. That evening we walked through Jewish Town and the Old Town Square. We saw many cathedrals and stopped at the Astronomical Clock. On the hour, this clock chimes and the 12 apostles turn around on a track. It's pretty cool to see when you remember that the clock was built in the 15th century. We also crossed the Charles Bridge, which is lined with beautiful statues. For dinner we went to a traditional pub that Hannah's mom told us about. She found it years ago when she was visiting Prague. This pub is just full of long tables lined with benches. You just find a seat and the next thing you know a mug of beer is put in front of you. This beer was really dark and really good. I was surprised to find I liked it because normally I prefer a light beer. After the beer was served, a man came by with shots claiming that it was tradition and good for the stomach to take it before dinner. The taste was very herby and a little bit like a Ricola cough drop. I had really good sausage with cabbage and potatoes. The Czech Republic is definitely a meat and potato country. They really don't believe in fresh vegetables. After dinner the guy with the shots came back and told us again that it was tradition and good for the stomach to take the shot after dinner. We just laughed at him. We made it an fairly early night in order to get up early to tackle Prague Castle.

In order to get a quick and easy introduction to the city, we took a guided bus tour. It gave us general history and pointed out all the important buildings. There was just so much to see and do that we knew we couldn't get to it all. The bus tour helped to fill in the gaps and assisted us in seeing the important sites. After, we hiked up the hill to the biggest castle system in the world and the oldest castle still in use by the government. This place was beautiful! There were all different systems of buildings and palaces all clustered together. There was also a huge cathedral that was breathtaking inside. We did an audio tour and I was glad because it gave all the back ground information and little stories about what we were seeing. There was even a changing of the guards which happened every hour.  We spent the entire day at the castle. That night we went out and met some people from Sweden. It was a really fun day overall.

Cathedral at Prague Castle



Prague Castle at night

Inside the Cathedral



The Doll had Vampire Teeth



The plan for Saturday was to go to Jewish Town and see the Old Jewish Cemetery and the synagogues. What we failed to considered is Saturday is Sabbath and all the Jewish buildings were closed. So instead we went to the Communism Museum. It was really interesting. The history of communism in the Czech Republic is fascinating. People in exile in Russia brought the ideas of Marx back to the country. During the end of WWII, Prague forced the German's out of the city a day before the Soviets were able to liberate them. The Soviets were actually upset because they could not claim the liberation of Prague. Czech was behind the iron curtain and anti-America propaganda spurred the spread of communism. It's weird to think that the USSR was still in existence when I was born. The Velvet Revolution took place in Prague in November of 1989. It is called this because the end of communism in Czech was a very easy and smooth process. It was a very cool museum and I learned a lot.

Next we went to the Franz Kafka museum. Kafka, author of Metamorphosis, was born in Prague. This was a very weird museum but very fitting for Kafka. He was a strange man and in my opinion whiny and wishy-washy. I found the museum interesting, but overall not my cup of tea. I don't understand Kafka and the museum was set up in a way to reflect his writing and in general his mind. There was weird music playing and it was very darkly lit. There was media art throughout. Good experience, but I have no desire to go back.



Old Jewish Cemetery

Saturday night we joined the Prague Pub Crawl. This was the cheapest way to check out all the local clubs. One was the largest club in central Europe with 5 different themed floors. It was so much fun and we met many people from all over. I was even able to practice my German with a group from Berlin. The next morning before our train left, we went back to Jewish Town. We saw the old synagogues and there was a museum about the Jews in Prague and in Bohemia. We caught the one o'clock train back to Vienna with very tired feet but also a great feeling of accomplishment.

Overall, I had an amazing 10 days! I have learned so much and feel rather independent. It was fun living in hostels with other travels. I wandered cities I only dreamed about visiting. The three of us made all the travel arrangements ourselves. I navigated the streets of three different cities without speaking the local language! Yes, I'm exhausted but so overjoyed! I'm loving my time here in Europe. I've been here a month now, but the time has just flown by. Anyway, back to reality (if you can believe going to school in Vienna for the next three months as reality)! I start my classes tomorrow and I'm really excited for them. I need a routine again. Well, I'll be sure to let you all know how my first week goes!