Prague, Praga, Praha!

So this past weekend I went to Prague, or as the Italians call it Praga or the actual term used by the Czechs: Praha.

My First View of the City

My roommates and I decided to journey on this spontaneous trip just a few days before, and we are so glad we did. We booked Prague through a company called Bus2Alps, which is a very popular travel group for study abroad students in Italy. Although we were a bit hesitant because some of the reviews for the company were not that good, the trip went far beyond our expectations. The bus departed Florence at about 9pm on Thursday and it took 12 hours to get there. I discovered that sleeping on a bus is possibly the worst arrangement ever... but despite the lack of sleep we were ready to explore the city and everything this new country had to offer.

After we checked into the hostel, CZECH INN, we had breakfast and started our guided walking tour.
*A quick side note about the hostel. (Since I will dedicate a blog specifically for hotels/hostels) This was the first hostel I stayed in and I highly recommend it! The rooms were super clean, the staff was friendly, the location was easily accessible and the breakfast buffet was above average! They also had a great bar/lounge to relax, listen to music and mingle with new people.
To get from point to point in Prague the easiest way is to buy a 24 hr tram/rail pass. In reality no one really checks your ticket, but we were told they strictly uphold the honor system, and of course none of us were looking to be arrested over a few Korun (Crowns).
*The money conversion was the worst part of the trip because I was still struggling changing euros to dollars in my head but now I had an entire new currency to worry about which was a pain in the ass. However, we discovered an easy method by simply multiplying the korun amount by 0.049 to get the dollar rate (It may not be exact with each day's rate but it gets the job done).

1,000 Korun which equals about 40 euros or 50 dollars

When we reached Wenceslas Square we had a guide waiting to take us around the city and explain some of the famous buildings and history of Czech Republic. The National Museum sits on top of the square but we couldn't go in it because it's been closed for the past several years due to construction. Then we walked over to the restaurant where Vin Diesel filmed a scene of XXX and continued onto Old Town Square. There we got to see Old Town Square Hall Tower, Bridge Tower, Powder Gate Tower and St. Nicholas Church. It was crowded with tourists taking pictures, performers singing and dancing, locals passing through and small stores all around. It is the center of historic Prague and hands down one of the prettiest Squares in all of Europe. I recommend going into the Powder Tower (2 euros) to overlook the entire city and snap some BEAUTIFUL pictures.

All the colors and buildings look make-believe; I'm in a fairytale. 

St. Nicholas Church

A long hike up to the top of Powder Gate Tower!

We then took a stroll through the historic Jewish Quarter, known as Josefov, and learned some interesting facts about the Holocaust and Czech's role during the War. We saw the Old and New Jewish Synagogue, the Pink Synagogue, the cemetery and what was once the Jewish ghetto is now the richest community to live in Prague.
*Fun Fact: Hugo Boss designed all of the Nazi's uniforms!
The next day, we went to the other side of town to explore Prague's Castle, Cathedral, the Charles Bridge and the John Lennon Wall.

To get up to Prague's Castle and Cathedral complex there is a very steep hill to walk up, and it makes you realize how out of shape you are, but it's totally worth it because the little enclosed town-like complex is beautiful. It's free to get into the church and the view from up top is also one of the best in Prague. If I am not mistaken, Prague's Castle Complex is the biggest in the world because they constantly keep adding new buildings, and each architecture is different from the last. 

The Charles Bridge behind me

Typical Czech Desserts on the Bridge

The Charles Bridge is a great spot to walk through. There are many vendors on the bridge selling hand made jewelry and paintings. On one end of the Bridge there is a little shop that sells fresh desserts. You can even see the woman making them outside! It's super cheap and a must try! We had a lunch with Bus2Alps at a local Czech restaurant to try their typical cuisine. We all ordered different plates from Goulash, to Beef with Cream and Roasted Pork with Cabbage. The meal came with bread, vegetable soup (which was the best part) the main entree, some apple dessert (that wasn't sweet at all) and a thick Czech beer. *At least I can say that I tried Czech food, but it's definitely not my cup of tea. I am so thankful to be living in Italy where pasta and bread is the base for each meal and Everything is DELICIOUS!

Each meal also comes with "Dumplings" these are NOT our typical chinese dumplings. haha. It is like a soft, thick, chewy bread which really has no flavor at all. 

Goulash

Beef with Cream

Our hostel organizes a Bar Crawl on Friday night that includes two different pubs and entrance to a night club. Plus, a free shirt! Saturday we ventured to a 5 story club with each floor being a different theme and type of music. I must say it was one of my favorite nights out so far while being abroad because of the diversity in people and music. No surprise, we closed out the club at dawn and successfully found our way back to the hostel. 

Sunday, at 10 am after breakfast it was back to the bus for another 12 hour long trip! At that point we regretted staying out so late the night before… actually no we didn't… it was our last night in Prague and we're living with no regrets! 

For all of you back in Jersey who are stuck under piles of snow, don't feel so bad… I passed through Austria and Germany and experienced some snow myself =)

Arrivederci!