Prague

Ah, Prague - City of a Thousand Spires, famous for stunning architecture, and some of the world's finest beers, at least according to some! I arrived at the train station, and set out walking in an attempt to find my hostel, which was a bit hard given the poor directions on the hostel website, once again. Eventually, I went into a hostel to ask directions, and it turned out to be the one I was looking for! I actually got a twin bed that wasn't part of a bunk bed, which was really nice for a change, and the hostel was located about 15 minutes from the center of town too! My first full day there, I took the free walking tour that was advertised at the hostel. It started in the main square, where there is a beautiful gothic cathedral towering behind some more modern, but beautiful, buildings. There is also the famous astronomical clock tower of the Old Town Hall, built in 1410, which entertains the massive tourist crowds on the hour with a bell-ringing skeleton. Really, they psyche you up for this great show that the tower is supposed to put on every hour, and so for about 5-10 minutes before the top of each hour, there are hundreds of faces turned upward, staring at the clock, waiting. And then, the tiny skeleton rings his bells, and you have to look hard even to see him, and then it's over! Even the walking tour guide said that he thinks it is officially the worst tourist attraction ever. I think I might have to agree, but it must be pretty funny to spend a day watching all of those tourists staring upward every hour all day long, waiting for something amazing to happen.

On the tour, I met a German guy named Holger, and after the tour, the two of us walked up the hill to see Prague Castle, which is huge and very impressive. We also stopped for a glass of wine and sat on a patio that overlooks basically the whole city - it was pretty cool to see all of those spires and red roofs! Then we went to Kampa Park, where we relaxed for awhile and enjoyed the nice weather and some good people-watching. Afterwards, we had to search around for a bit to find the John Lennon wall, which I had heard about from another girl and definitely wanted to see because it has a neat story. In the late 1980s, when communism still ruled Czechoslovakia, western pop songs were banned by Communist authorities, and especially John Lennon's songs, because they spoke of a freedom that didn't exist there at that time. Lennon became a hero to the youth, and at some point, his picture was painted on that wall, along with graffiti defying the authorities. The authorities repeatedly whitewashed the wall, but young people kept coming back, mostly at night, and risking imprisionment, to paint Beatles lyrics, odes to Lennon, and their own hopes and dreams for the future. The wall represented not only a memorial to John Lennon and his ideas for peace and freedom, but also a monument for free speech and the non-violent rebellion of the Czech youth against the regime. Today, the wall is continuously changing as new art covers over the old, as people still draw or paint on their feelings, mostly about peace and love, and in the center of it all is, of course, John Lennon.

Holger and I later enjoyed a beer by the river, watching the sunset, and listening to some live music. One of my favorite places in Prague was Charles Bridge - it has a gothic tower at each end, and 30 statues all along it dating from the 18th century. All along it are people selling art and jewelry, as well as musicians and other performers. Unfortunately, when I was there, it was really cold, windy, and rainy, so I didn't get to linger as long as I otherwise would have.
And of course, I can't talk about Prague without talking about the food! The first night I was there, I waited until late to venture out to find food, and ended up at a restaurant about 2 blocks from my hostel. It looked like it had reasonably priced traditional food, so I went in and ordered a beer - a Pilsner Urquell, of course - and then started looking at the menu, but they told me they weren't selling food anymore. It was only 10 p.m., so I was suprised, but I enjoyed my beer and then ended up at McDonalds because it was the only place open anymore. I returned the next night, before ten, and ended up being really happy that I did! I ordered a plate of one of the main Czech specialties: roast pork shoulder, sauerkraut, and bread dumplings. It was a good-sized portion, and under €4! I loved it - it had such great flavor, and the meat was so tender! On my last night there, I walked around in the rain looking for a new place to try, because, although I loved that first place, I thought there were probably plenty of places that were as good nearby. I was wrong, and after walking for awhile and getting too cold, I ended up at the restaurant below my hostel, which was where we had our breakfast every morning. At night, it is a bustling bar and restaurant. I was happy to be inside and warm, and tried to get a menu from the girl behind the bar. It ended up being a strange interaction during which she asked me if I wanted meat, or fries and fried cheese. Apparently those were the only two options for a foreigner? It seemed that people had other food so I was confused, but oh well, I said yes to the fries and fried cheese. It ended up being a huge plate of fries, along with an entire circle of deep-fried brie cheese. It was really good, especially when washed down with whatever dark beer she brought me!

Overall, Prague was a great city, and I can't wait to go back, and I definitely recommend going! Also, I just wanted to let everyone know that there is a link to my picasa photo album at the way bottom of the blog. I am way behind on photos, but please check out my journey so far! I am hoping to get caught up on photos soon!