Postcards from Prague

I spent an amazing five days in Prague. The city was beautiful, and I met some great people. Every detail of what I did will absolutely not fit into one blog post, however. I don’t think you want to read a 5,000 word essay. I thought I would just hit some of the highlights instead.

I arrived in Prague as the sun rose at 6:30am thanks to the night bus. The hostel I was staying at was really more of a bed and breakfast, so the nice owner met me at 7:30 am to let me check in. I was also greeted with a traditional Czech greeting: a shot of schnapps. Actually "you have two legs" so we both took two shots. It was quite enough alcohol before breakfast to make for an interesting morning.

In order to get an overview of the city, I decided to take another one of Sandeman's free tours. I had enjoyed their tour of Munich when I was there. We started in the old town square, where the Easter market was still in full swing.

Our guide, Tijo, told us the history of the two churches on the square, Týn Church and St. Nicholas Church. Both of them are connected with the large monument to Jan Hus. He was an early proponent of reform in the Catholic Church, and was therefore burned at the stake in 1415. His martyrdom sparked the Hussite wars in 1419. These were the first in a long series of religious conflicts in Czech history. 

In addition to learning about religious wars, we also passed most of the really famous buildings in Prague. On the tour we stayed on the Old Town Square side of the river, but there was much to see. Many of the buildings are these remarkable, untouched Gothic structures. Almost all of Prague was saved from the destruction of World War II, so stuff is a lot older than some other places in Europe. Particularly around the edges of town there are big tower gates, like the Powder Tower. Originally it was the main gate in and out of the city, and where taxes were collected on goods. One major source of income was silver being transported from nearby Katuna Hora. Seeing these towering gates was very impressive.

We also walked around the Jewish Quarter. For many years this was the only section of the city where Jewish people were allowed to live. When they were finally able to move out, most people left immediately. The whole area was then gentrified between 1893 and 1913, and is now the most expensive part of Prague. I never got a chance to see inside any of the synagogues or the cemetery, but it was a very interesting part of the city to learn about. 

The Spanish Synagogue

The New Old Synagogue from 1270

Since the tour was about three hours long, we stopped for lunch along the way. I could’ve taken a break to run off and get food on my own, but I decided to follow the crowd. We were taken to a café where we had the opportunity to order off of the “food for 500” menu. I ate some cold Czech goulash. But I met some very nice fellow travelers. We were all planning to go see Prague Castle in the morning, so we decided to go together. 

My goulash was more photogenic than delicious. Oh well.

From far away the Prague Castle looks like one large building, but when you actually climb the hill, you discover that it is made up of many buildings. It is really more like a walled town than a castle. The silhouette that you see is mostly the spires of St. Vitus Cathedral.

Me in front of the castle

The front of St. Vitus

St. Vitus from the back

We walked back over the hill towards a giant modern art piece called the Metronome. That route gave us the best views over the city and the river.

The Metronome

It was nice after traveling alone for two weeks to have some people to hang out with. The group grew and shrank, but I had someone to wander the city with for several days. Major shoutouts to Jenesse, Alisha, Grace and Glenn for being excellent company and just plain fun!

Took a paparazzi pic

One thing you have to do when in Prague is walk across the Charles Bridge. It is nice and crowded during the day with tourists and vendors. I made the pilgrimage twice. The second time Glenn, who I was with, suggested going back to the city via another bridge. We walked past the John Lennon Wall, as well as a sculpture garden. Crossing the most Legií (Bridge of Legions) there was an island with a climbing playground. For a few minutes I was 7 again, pretending to be the next ninja warrior as I conquered the course designed for small children. It was really fun! Prague was like that, with little surprises around every corner. 

Entrance to Charles Bridge

All of the people on the bridge

John Lennon Wall

The sculpture garden

On the playground!

I also got to meet up with my friend Lucie, who lives in Prague. She is on exchange in Vienna this semester, but had gone home for break. It was so cool to have her show me around her city! She kindly hosted my travel-weary self for tea, and we got ice cream one evening. Later we saw the river and all of the buildings lit up at night. Thank you again Lucie, for being an excellent host in Prague!

The castle at night!

Another evening I decided to go to the opera at the Estates Theater. The Estates Theater is most famous for being where Mozart premiered his opera Don Giovanni in 1787. It is also where they filmed parts of the movie Amadeus. Outside there is a statue of Don Giovanni's consciousness that looks like a dementor.

Dementor-esque statue

Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) was playing Friday night. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see a Mozart opera in one of the only surviving theaters where he had actually premiered operas.  I went to get tickets just before the performance, and lucked out. An elderly gentleman had bought tickets for him and his wife, but at the last minute she couldn’t come. He offered to sell me the seat at his senior discounted price. It was a great seat and a great deal!

I really enjoyed the show. It was my first proper opera. The singers sang in German, but English and Czech subtitles were displayed on a small screen above the stage. The plot was quite funny and the performers did a great job. Plus, the inside of the theater was beautiful!

I know it’s super nerdy, but I was really struck by the architecture in Prague. Because the city has such a long history, many architectural styles are represented there. Art Nouveau definitely stood out as my favorite though. The best example, I think, was the Municipal Building. It sounds so boring but it was a masterpiece. I happened to walk by the Municipal Building around 5:30 PM, when the lighting was just perfect, so I went a little crazy with pictures. These are just a few.

A few of the other Art Nouveau buildings I saw:

Later on my trip I saw some more Art Nouveau masterpieces. Alphonse Mucha was born in 1860 in what is now the Czech Republic. He was most famous for designing posters of Sarah Bernhardt, and his work went on to shape the Art Nouveau movement. I had seen so many of his posters floating around, but had never known the artist. Just by chance, I happened to see a flyer for the Mucha Museum in Prague. I knew I had to check it out. 

His famous posters were even more striking in person. The museum itself was small, but very interesting. In addition to the posters, there where other paintings and drawings he had done. There were also a few exhibits about his life along with personal artifacts. I found it fascinating how he incorporated his Czech heritage into his art, especially his later pieces.

The one picture I was allowed to take.

 There was another Art Nouveau building that I went to, but not for the architecture. On my last day in Prague I had brunch at Café Savoy. It was heavenly. In fact, other than my cold goulash, the food in Prague was amazing. I stopped in at a few cafes, had traditional Svíčková at a tiny, local restaurant, and ate my fill of delicious street food. I won’t bore you with the rapturous details here though. I’ll save food for it’s own separate post. It deserves it.

The past is constantly mixing with the present in Prague. It's like an amusement park that takes you back in time. Around each turn is a new time to explore. It was an absolutely beautiful city. I could have spent the whole time just walking through the winding streets. And I can’t say enough how grateful I am to the friends I met there. Not just them, but every person I encountered was so friendly. So, to summarize: ‘Beautiful’, check. ‘Historic’, check. ‘Delicious’, check. ‘Friendly’, check. What more could I ask of a city?