We're in Prague, Czech it Out! (This Title Brought to You by Tom)

When Tom and I learned we were moving to Rome, we almost immediately made plans to do some traveling toward the end of the year.  After some quick research (which, frankly, involved a lot of "Google image" searches), we came up with the plan of seeing Prague, Budapest, and a couple different spots in Croatia. Although there's a difference in opinion as to whose plan this originally was (although, really, let's face it, we all know who the planner of the family is...), we both now agree that it was completely genius.  Neither of us have ever been to this corner of the world before, and with bus and train travel it's really quite easy to make our way around relatively cheaply.

View of Prague's Castle from Across the River

However, after spending a few days in Prague, I have to say that our other destinations really have their work cut out for them.  People talk about how beautiful Croatia is and how much fun Budapest is, but I really have a hard time imagining a place more beautiful and/or fun than Prague.  I literally spent my first day here constantly jumping up and down out of excitement (and if you know me well, you know that sort of behavior is not exactly "normal" for me).  It's true that it's extremely touristy in some places (something you may not be able to tell from the pictures, since I have a habit of avoiding crowded shots), but it's really not too hard to get away from the crowds.  And, Prague is really completely unlike anywhere I've ever been before.  It has such a different "feel" and "look" from anywhere in Western Europe, and we've spent hours just strolling through the scenic city streets and admiring the architecture.

Streets of Prague

View from the Castle (with Charles Bridge in center)

Prague is located in the northern part of the Czech Republic, and has a very long and interesting history.  It was part of the Bohemian Empire, and in the 14th Century was the third largest city in Europe (after Rome and Constantinople).  Many of the city's most famous buildings and churches were built around this time.  In 1618, an incident in the Prague Castle (where Protestants literally pushed four Catholic officials out of a window) provoked the 30 Year War, which began a long period of decline for the city.  More recently, following WWI, Prague became part of Czechoslovakia, and then became the capital of the Czech Republic in 1993 after the split (Bratislava is now the capital of Slovakia).  Today (at least to me), the city seems to be thriving. Prague effortlessly mixes the new with the old, and, of course, all of the tourists seem to be pouring plenty of money into the local economy.

Old Town Square (from the Tower)

The Vltava River runs through Prague, and the city's many bridges allow cars and pedestrians to cross from one side to the other and admire the beautiful shoreline. The most famous of these bridges is the Charles Bridge (pedestrian only), which is constantly flooded with hundreds of tourists, as well as local musicians, artists, and vendors.  The north side of the river is home to Prague's castle, and on the south side (a few blocks off of the river), tourists flock to the Old Town Square, which houses (among other things) a famous Medieval astrological clock, the Gothic Tyn Chruch, and the Baroque St. Nicholas's Church.  Prague is a very walkable city but the city's public transportation system is also amazing (or, at least, much better than Rome's!).  Between the bus, metro, and street car (my favorite, after years of living in San Francisco), you can easily get anywhere you want to go (although, as always, Tom and I often prefer walking)   

Tyn Church

St. Nicholas's Chruch

Astrological Clock

Not a Bad Birthday View!

Our first full day in Prague happened to be my birthday, and I'm sure it's one I'll never forget.  Due to its northern location and somewhat high elevation, Prague is a bit cooler in the summer than many other European cities (the July high averages around 72 degrees).  But, the birthday gods must have been smiling down on me because we woke up to an unusually hot and sunny day (which was absolutely perfect in my opinion).  We spent the morning rambling around Petrin Park, which has amazing views of the city as well as a beautiful rose garden, a small "Eiffel tower" like structure (that seems huge but is only about 1/5 of the size of the real thing), and a mirror maze (which Tom went nuts over).  Then, later on in the afternoon, we rented a peddle boat and spent a glorious hour out on the river, sunbathing and touring around the bridges.

Which is the real Tom?!

Rose Garden

A Little Piece of Paris in Prague

Tom Enjoying the Peddle Boat (and not doing much peddling at the moment)

Beautiful Views!

Visiting Prague Castle

On other days, we visited the Prague Castle, the Jewish Quarter, the "New Town" area, climbed the tower in the Old Town Square, and even took a day trip to Cesky Krumlov (although I'll save that visit for another blog post).

We also spent a lot of time dining, since after almost a year of eating Italian food, it's been amazing to suddenly have so much variety!  During our five days in the Czech Republic, we've had Mexican, Chinese, Indian, and, of course, some more traditional Czech food, too.  We spent one evening at a beer hall where we had some delicious beer and Tom tried the goulash (which was basically pieces of beef and white bread swimming in a beef gravy).  Hungary also has its own variety of goulash, so I look forward to hearing which he prefers.  (As a vegetarian, I ordered the mushroom barley dish.)  We also fell in love with the crepes, known as palacinky (our favorite was the cherry), and also trdelink, which are hollow cylindrical pastries often covered in cinnamon or almond.  Between this and the abundance of vegetarian restaurants, I'm basically in culinary heaven!

Inside Prague Castle

Trdlo!! (singular form of Trdelink)

Look, it's not wine!

Goulash and Mushroom Barley

I've probably already told you way more than you wanted to know about Prague, but before I sign off, here are just a few random observations:

1)  Prague has to have the highest number of KFCs per capita of any city in the world (and, yes, that's as in Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food joints).  There seriously seems to be one on every corner (and they are definitely far more prevalent than McDonalds is here).

2)  Tom and I must look more Czech than Italian.  In Italy people almost immediately assumed we spoke English or could tell as soon as we spoke a few words in Italian.  Here, though, (even in the most touristy areas), people address us in Czech and almost seem embarrassed when they realize we don't understand them.  When we try to speak a few words in Czech (thank you, hello, etc), they also continue on in Czech as if we were native speakers.

3)  There really is something to that "Bohemian" label.  Maybe there are just a lot of college age kids who backpack through Europe, but I have seen a lot more drum circles, hippie skirts, dreadlocks, and vegetarian restaurants (all fine by me) here in Prague than I have elsewhere in Europe (especially compared to Italy).

4)  Czech seems a very "cutesy" language to English speakers.  Plural words often end in "y' so you see all sorts of funny looking words like "plasticy," cigarettey," "desserty," etc.  But, of course, most of Czech is very different from English, and many elements of the language are harsher sounding, including some sounds that I'm pretty sure I could never pronounce after years of practice.

5)  The '80s Rocker look is very in here (for men).  I'm not sure what more I can say about this.

Okay, back to the pictures:

More Views Along the River

Restaurant Boats

Balloon Above the Vltava

After having such a wonderful time, we're very sad to be leaving Prague but also looking forward to seeing Budapest (although we're not especially excited about the seven hour train ride to get there!).  I have to say that this might be the most "leisurely" vacation I've ever taken (we're not at all rushed for time- I mean, look, I have time to blog after sight seeing and we've been taking afternoon naps!), and I'm loving every minute of it.  Many Europeans get the whole month of August off to take trips just of this nature, so I like to think we're just blending in (even if a month early).

Alla Prossima,
Erin

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Sun. July 14:  The weather in Prague has been great (although a bit chilly at times).  Mornings start out cool (in the upper 50s) and it warms up to around 70 by mid-afternoon (with the exception of my birthday, which was downright hot!)