First trip… Praha!

Finally embarked on my first trip!

This past weekend I went to Praha, Czech Republic with 5 of my roommates. I couldn’t have asked for a better first trip. We left Thursday night and unfortunately 17 hours later arrived in Praha. Detours held us up. And the fact that our bus drivers only spoke one language. Not even sure what language it was. But they had a rough time asking for directions. The 17 hours definitely had my mind wandering. I found myself reminiscing on old memories. Thinking about my family and friends back home. Missing Madison and even missing the American culture. But the things we leave behind are never as wonderful as those we come to find. The path is long and unknown but we continue because it’s one of growth and experience. So I keep looking forward. I let go of all my wandering thoughts and emotions. Sometimes it seems like there is some extraneous force that can see beyond what you can and can guide you to better things. Praha.

First thing we did once we arrived was go on a walking tour through the city. Started in the Jewish ghetto. I honestly had no idea that there was so much Jewish background in Praha. Could’ve connected the dots… but definitely didn’t. We saw the first build synagogue and the Jewish cemetery. Kinda freaky. There are roughly 12,000 people buried in the small cemetery. Buried on top of one another. Numerous times. Made me feel a bit uneasy.

We also made it to Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis statue. Sounds pretty nerdy, but I thought it was so cool to see because I had read that story back in high school. Being able to see that his work was so well known and cherished was one feeling I hadn’t experienced before. Makes me want to brush up on some history before going other places.

Actually, this city brought back SO many old memories. Back to middle school. On the tour we passed a James Dean restaurant. I couldn’t help but think of 8th grade with my good old friends Sam and Kendall. We were obsessed with James Dean! And Kendall with Eric Clapton of course. Had to snap a pic for old times sake. So weird to think that all this time has passed but just the smallest of things can bring back an inflow of old memories.

Eventually we made it to Old Town Square. This was definitely the most breathtaking part of the city. Some say that it is the heart of Praha. The beauty of it is wrapped in the surprising details and incredible ambience. The Astronomical Clock is located in the square. Fortunately we were there at the hour and witnessed the clocks short show. Also there is the Church of the Virgin Marry Before Tyn, which is the church that inspired the castle in Sleeping Beauty (more old memories). Old Town Hall. We actually went to the top and had the most alluring view of the city. I can’t even begin to explain the views of this city that I got to see. We had to sign our initials at the top to leave our mark.

The city is honestly so beautiful! Much different than Roma. All the buildings are different colors. Much quieter and less congested. I could definitely see myself coming back again. The tour basically ended in the square where we all parted ways. We went to Pilsner Urquell for lunch/dinner. I tried sparrow and dumplings. Trying to indulge in Czech food. Pretty decent. Pilsner beer is too hoppy for me though.

That night we went on a bar crawl. It was a blast! We started at VodkaBar. Free all you can drink. Always a plus. They even had free hookah. Hollaaa. Stepping it up from the US I would say. We stayed there for a few hours and went to another bar…can’t remember the name and ended at The Lounge. All the bars were so unique. The way that they were decorated was like we were transferring through time zones or something. It was another world.

Saturday we got up around 10 and went on another tour of the city. We started at Charles Bridge. It was incredible! There were about 20 Roman Catholic statues throughout the entire bridge. So beautiful. It amazes me that everything I am seeing has been created by people’s bare hands. Just unreal.

Had to try the chimney cakes at the end of the bridge. Greatest deserts ever!

Then we went to the John Lennon Wall. (John Lennon has never been to Praha). Much smaller than anticipated but unique in itself. The wall is always changing making it so similar to life. Nothing ever stays the same. One minute everything could be perfect and the next in shambles. Life is full of the unknown making it so tasteful. “On the road, never stop exploring.” When I saw this quote on the wall it immediately resonated with me. I won’t ever stop exploring. Not now. Not ever. Sometimes we are thrown curveballs, but we have to roll with it. There is no reason to dwell on the past when there is everything in the future waiting for us to indulge in.

Finally we went to the castle in Praha! First castle I’ve seen yet and DAMN was it awesome. Biggest and most glamorous piece of architecture. The gold. The stain glass windows. The intricate paintings. Just everything. Wow. Inside there was a small area to light candles. I lit one for my dad. I miss him everyday and know he’s traveling with me on this journey. He will keep me safe.

Later that night we went out to dinner where I had THE BEST mean yet in Europe. OMG so good. Probably because it had goat cheese on it. Totally my favorite. And the chicken was spicy. It was just a win win.

After we went to the biggest club in ALL of Europe. 5 stories. Whhatttt? We spent most of our time on the oldies floor. Dancing to the Macarena, Dancing Queen. All the good stuff. It definitely was the most fun I’ve had out yet. And it showed the next morning. The bus ride was brutal. Just kept telling myself to go back to sleep. The method worked haha. We got home around 3am and that was that.