We arrived to Prague on Valentine’s Day, which is officially my favorite Valentine’s Day ever. No need for boyfriends when you’ve got Europe :). Getting from the airport to the hostel was a little tricky because it took a bus, train, and short walk. It was also hard because in Prague they use a type of currency called Czech Crowns. Seeing as we only had Euros and it was nighttime, this was quite the dilemma. We eventually figured it out though thanks to the very nice lady from the currency exchange who obviously knew, by our dumbfounded looks, that we were completely lost.
Alas we arrived to the nicest hostel I have ever seen in my twenty-one years of existence. It was the cheapest one we paid for during our entire break too, and it was so so nice. After coming from the closet we stayed at in Amsterdam, this was seriously heaven. It’s safe to say I was in love; it even had a bar/restaurant downstairs in the lobby! Anyways enough about the hostel I suppose.
Our first night in Prague we just chilled and prepared for the lovely day we had planned for Tuesday. We got up pretty early and walked to Old Town Square for a free walking tour. We got there a little late but it was okay because they had one again at two in the afternoon. We ate at this nice outdoor restaurant that had heaters and blankets everywhere, so it was cozy. I was a little disappointed because the portions were so small and I was starving. I literally had eight french fries on my plate. I had never wanted a supersize meal from McDonalds more in my life than in that moment when I ate everything on my plate in .5 seconds. Anyway after we ate our filling meal, it was time for our free tour!
We met for the tour in the middle of old town square which literally looks like a scene from a fairytale. There are these old building everywhere, with bakeries, and marionette shops, I felt as if I were in a Disney movie. Also there are all these couples taking wedding photos and it is simply enchanting. I can’t remember our tour guide’s name but he was from Ireland and he looked like a mix between Rob and Phil Hyma.
Our tour was perhaps the most interesting tour I have ever been on because before coming to Prague I knew absolutely nothing. We learned all about their history including the fact that the Czech Republic was a communist nation all the way until 1989. Perhaps just as interesting was that during World War II the city of Prague was considered the 3rd Reich’s Paris and also the location in which Hitler wished to live after retiring from the Army. Due to the 3rd Reich’s love for Prague during World War II it was virtually untouched by the damage the war caused throughout Europe. While the Jewish quarters of many cities throughout Europe were shattered during the war, Hitler actually preserved Prague’s in hope of one day opening it as a museum to an extinct race. Thank god it never came to that but walking around the neighborhood and knowing the reason that it still existed, it was just so unreal. It was truly moving; I was practically in tears during that part of the tour. It’s strange to think such cruelty exists in the world.
While it doesn’t sound like it, the tour was actually very funny as well and I would definitely recommend them to anyone visiting Europe. They are always very interesting and definitely useful in getting to know any city you visit. It seriously made me fall in love with Prague and I would highly suggest going to this city if you ever get a chance to travel in Europe, it is beyond remarkable.
Anyways that night we decided to hit up the famous five layer club in Prague. Unfortunately only a couple of layers were open and quite frankly I was glad because the layers I visited made me feel like I was about to die. There were strobe lights and smoke machines everywhere, along with actual people smoking. Apparently in some places of Europe that is still okay to do. Dislike. There was also a ton of lasers and electronic music, which I like normally, but it was a little much there. It did end up being fun though, we found the chilliest room we could and parked it there for the night. We met a lot of fun people and it ended up being a blast :).
The next morning was a Wednesday and we went on a free castle tour that day. The tour the day before was on one side of the Charles Bridge, while this tour was on the other side. It was bitterly cold but it was still worth it. My favorite part was definitely seeing the John Lennon wall. I didn’t know what to expect while we were walking there and I was actually really surprised when I finally saw it. It was pretty much just an enormous wall with a ton of graffiti on it, which doesn’t sound too amazing, but it really was. It was just too cool.
Wednesday night, Torie and I opted to stay in and hang out in the lobby downstairs. We seriously were just planning on having a chill night; we were even writing in our journals and drinking coke, I mean let’s be serious. Although next thing you know we are talking to all these people and, while it’s a lot of fun getting to know people at the hostels, before I knew it I had my first shot of absinth. Obviously it was disgusting and soon after I was ready for bed. Clearly I’m a party animal. Anyway Thursday morning we all woke up, composed ourselves and soon enough we were off on the last stretch of our journey, Dublin!
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