Prague

Even though we left Budapest eight hours ago, Reed and I arrived in Prague in the early afternoon. I just had learned the day before that, by sheer luck and no planning, my friend Jen and her German boyfriend were in Prague as well. Our visits overlapped for a few hours, so our first move in Prague was to meet them for lunch. It’s not always easy to meet up with someone without cell phones or e-mail, and in the rain, but we managed.

Jen had been living in Europe for months, and I was really glad to have the opportunity to catch up with her. So Reed, Jen, Henning, and I shared lunch at a Czech restaurant. I had a mixed plate of cooked meats and traditional dumplings that was called “Butcher’s Delight” or something similar. We all caught up, and they gave us a few tips on Prague for sightseers, and then we checked into our very nice hostel.

Prague was rainy that day, and for the first time since I was in London, we had more than one day to spend, so we took our first afternoon easily. Eventually, at night, we wandered down to have dinner in the Old Town Square.

The Old Town Square is truly picturesque. There, you’ll find at least four or five significant buildings including the old town hall, a famous clock tower, St. Nicolas Church (32), and the Tyn Church (33). The architecture style falls somewhere between Germanic castles and French chateaus with various Eastern European influences. The buildings all open out into a large cobblestone courtyard, and everything shined wet from the rain in the moonlight. It’s hard to describe, but the whole place looks charming - like something out of a Disney movie.

Reed and I had a nice dinner there on a restaurant patio, and then we walked along the Vltava River to get glimpses of Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, and the rest of the city by night.

Jen and Henning had advised us that there would be a changing of the guard at Prague Castle in the morning, so that was where we headed first. Our hostel was entirely on the opposite side of town, so we decided we’d walk straight to the castle and then work our way back. We finally arrived at the castle atop the hill just in time to hear the music play and the see the guards march in for the changing. I pulled my camera out of my pocket to see the battery compartment wide open.

Damn it. I left my battery charging in the hotel room. I watched the changing of the guard for a few moments – which really wasn’t all that photo-worthy anyway, and then with a deep sigh resolved to walk back to the hostel while Reed waited at the castle. It probably took an hour round-trip for me to walk down the hill, across the river, and through town to the hostel and then back through town, across the river, and up the hill to the castle… in the rain. So by noon already, I had walked the length of Prague three times. But at least I had my camera now. And I passed some guards on my way back to the castle, so I got a way better shot than I would have from my crowded place at the changing.

Prague Castle technically refers to a larger walled-in area that makes up the entire castle grounds. So most of the buildings in the pictures are part of the “castle.” The Gothic part with the towers is actually St. Vitus Cathedral (33) – which is located on the castle grounds and is the largest church in the country. Strictly speaking, Prague Castle is the largest coherent castle complex in the world, but it sounds a little more impressive than it actually is because it’s more of a large complex of miscellaneous buildings than a big ol’ traditional castle. In any event, it’s still impressive to walk around.

Before heading down the hill and back across the river, Reed and I walked over to Strahov Monastery to walk around. After all, it had been a while since we saw a monastery. (Lisbon, I think.) It was really starting to rain though, and we were really starting to get hungry, so we moved on. It’s not easy to find quick food in Eastern Europe, but I managed to grab a cheap piece of pizza. Reed wanted to sit and eat, but when I tried to sit with him to keep him company, we quickly learned from our shouting, neurotic waitress that not eating at a restaurant is frowned upon in Prague. Service with a frown, I guess.

On our way back across the river, we took the Charles Bridge. The Charles Bridge is over 600 years old and historically was part of an important trade route between Eastern and Western Europe. The sides of the bridge are lined with a variety of life-sized, mostly Christian statues. And during the day, painters, musicians, and trinket sellers set up shop amidst the high pedestrian traffic. It’s was a cool place to visit – even on this wet, gray day in Prague.

Back on our side of the city, we strolled through the Jewish Quarter and then made our way back to see the Old Town Square before dark. It was just as impressive to see the beautiful town square and its distinctive buildings as people bustled all around it during the day.

To wrap up our time in Prague, we strolled down one of the city’s largest streets and walked past the huge National Museum.

When I was in Europe in 2005, Prague was kind of a trendy place to visit, but I never really knew why. I would ask people why they wanted to go, and the answer was nothing more than “I hear that it’s really pretty.”

Well, I’ve been to Prague now, and I really enjoyed it. And believe it or not, the best way to describe it is that it’s just really pretty. As in Budapest, nearly every building has a distinctly local character. But compared to Budapest, Prague is quite a bit nicer. The whole city seems very clean and safe, and every street is perfectly cobbled with a new pattern every few blocks. There may not be a ton to do in Prague, but even in the rain and under the perpetually gray sky, it’s a beautiful place to visit. It’s a great place for a nice relaxing weekend in a new part of the world.

More pictures of Prague: