We had several days off from school for Easter, and I decided (somewhat last minute) to attempt another trip to Prague since I hadn't made it there over the winter break. Prague is a close neighbor of Poland, and has been on my list of places to visit since I first got here, so I was really excited to finally go and 'czech' it off the list. I got to the city by means of a crowded, budget bus line, but after I 'czeched' into my hostel and went to 'czech' out the city, I knew the long ride had been worth it.
Czech puns aside (sorry I couldn't resist), Prague was a beautiful city and kept me very busy sightseeing during my three days of Easter break. Easter is actually a big holiday in the city, and Prague is known for their popular Easter markets, much like the many Christmas markets that pop up around Europe during the winter. I was shocked by the amount of people visiting the city - the main streets were packed on the weekend and I had to stay in three different hostels since every place was booked up! On my first day, I attempted to take a free tour of the city center, as recommended to me by a girl from Hong Kong that I chatted with at my (first) hostel. The tours were assembling in the old town square which was already bursting with people perusing the Easter markets. There were five or six guides trying to shepherd a massive group of tourists, and after a few minutes of watching this impromptu circus, I opted to go sightseeing sans entourage. I wandered around the old town, easily finding the main sights and churches, visited the art museum, and then spent what was left of the dwindling evening hours in the main square enjoying the celebrations and performances, and eating the famous czech 'trdelnik,' a flaky, rolled pastry covered in sugar.
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| An Easter tree! |
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| The famous Prague Astronomical Clock |
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| 'Trdelnik' |
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| Charles Bridge by day |
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| and by night! |
The next day was Easter, and I sought out an English speaking church to go to mass. The church was just as packed as the city, and even though I got there twenty minutes early, I ended up standing in the back with a crowd of people and a really cute little kid who kept trying to give me his toy moose.
I stayed at the most beautiful hostel ever that evening and met some other travelers visiting for the holiday, including a Dutch girl, an Irish guy with the best Irish accent, and another American girl named Jenny who was teaching English in Spain. We all went out for drinks together at a pub recommended to us by a local and drank the famous czech beer, toasting the city that brought us traveling nomads together!
The next day was Monday, and though it was still quite crowded, there was a little more breathing room in the city as many of the tourists and visitors cleared out at the end of the weekend. My new Irish friend and I decided to try attempting the free tour again, and we headed out to the main square in the morning. The crowds were much more manageable and we got sorted into a group of about thirteen people and taken on a great tour of the old town, lead by an older Czech man who spoke with his hands and heartily rolled his r's as he showed us around.
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| The long walk along Charles Bridge |
I decided to do a marathon of sightseeing that day and headed off to the Prague castle after the tour. The Prague castle is supposedly the largest castle complex in the world (though at this point I'm starting to feel like every castle I visit claims to be the largest)! It's difficult to feel like you're in a 'castle' though, because it's made up of a conglomeration of palaces and buildings all put together. At the center is the St. Vitus Cathedral, the incredible Gothic cathedral with beautiful stained glass work designed by Czech artist Alphonse Mucha. Also notable was the 'Golden Lane' named after the goldsmiths that used to reside in the tiny little houses. The writer Franz Kafka, a celebrity of Prague, used to live in one of the houses along the lane.
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| Changing of the guard as we enter the castle |
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| Inside the castle |
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| St. Vitus Cathedral |
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| Gorgeous stained glass |
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| Golden Lane and the mini houses |
After finishing my sightseeing, I headed back to the hostel with very, very tired feet to get my things and get to the bus station. I had another long bus journey back to Elblag, but all in all it was worth it. Prague was a beautiful city to visit for Easter. I give this trip a czech plus!
