Czech It Out: PRAGUE Day 1

Where in the world is Jenny? PRAGUE!!!

If you couldn't already tell from my previous hints, I spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the capital of the Czech Republic getting back to my roots! Since my dad's parents are from Presov and Slatina which were once both part of Czechoslovakia, I jumped at the opportunity to visit the country.

My travel group included my friends Lauren, Lindsay, Matt, Arthur, and Nick. We caught a cab at 3:45 AM on Friday, then took an hour-long bus ride to Luton Airport in London. It was a two hour plane ride to our destination, but I was much too excited to catch up on sleep.

Our airline, Wizzair

When we arrived at the airport, we found an ATM to withdraw Czech currency: crowns. My bill labeled "1,000" made me feel like a big spender...but in reality the exchange rate for 1 crown is actually .0571 dollars. I must say, the weekend was a nice breather from the high expenses in London.

Airport in Prague

We had arranged for a car service ahead of time and quickly met up with our driver. He kept us entertained the whole ride; I asked, "What's the best thing to see while in Prague?" and he responded, "Me!"

My very first hostel experience took place at the Mosaic House. The lobby was gorgeous, with food services and a lounge. I didn't care too much for our actual bedroom though. Sixteen people in one room is a bit much for me. However, it had a superb location, close to the center of the city and right by the Vltava River.

Our hostel, The Mosaic House

The boys stayed at the hostel right across the street from us. Their place was more like an apartment, complete with a great city view from their balcony. The air was calm and the sun was shining when we arrived in Prague, so talk about a great photo op:

Our first mission in Prague: finding food! Our empty tummies caused us to choose the closest place that looked yummy. We ended up at Mr. Falafel and ate, well, what do you think?

Falafels=so yummy!

No longer hungry, it was time to break out the map and navigate the city. It actually wasn't too difficult to find our way around.

Fearless explorers

The surroundings in Old Town were breathtaking. I was fascinated with the buildings and streets of Prague, one of the only European cities not bombed during World War II.

The tram, which we only rode once

We knew we made it to Old Town Square when we saw the Astronomical Clock. Built in 1490, this clock displays Central European Time, Old Czech Time, Babylonian Time, and the movement of the sun and the moon through the zodiac.

Astronomical Clock

Per our hostel's recommendation, the six of us took the "New Prague Tour," a free, 3-hour long tour of the city. Our tour guide was a loud Irish man named Remo. I really enjoyed learning about our surroundings, despite the fact that the temperature dropped considerably.

Can you tell we're cold?

Some of the sights covered on the tour included St. Nicolas' Church, Kinsky Palace, the Jan Hus Statue, Powder Tower, Czech National Bank, Wenceslas Square, Estates Theatre (location of Mozart's first performance), the Kafka Statue, and the Old Jewish Quarter.

Wenceslas Square

Sunset view of the Prague Castle on the other side of the Vltava River

After we thawed out from our tour and spent an hour or so settling into our hostels, it was time for some genuine Czech food. We went to a restaurant and brewery called U Fleků.

U Fleků, or as I believe it was pronounced, "Ooflaka"

Girls at dinner

Boys at dinner (and the Star Wars figurine they found and insisted on including in every photo)  

Typical Czech entertainment?

As soon as we were seated, the waiter brought us complimentary glasses of the Czech Republic's world famous drink: pivo, aka beer. In Prague, the beer is often cheaper than water! We think the waiter said "cocoa" as he handed out these pints of very dark ale, so we kept referring to it as "choco-beer!"

 Na zdraví!

Typical Czech cuisine definitely fills your tummy. The typical meal consists of a meat (beef or pork), knedlo (dumplings), and a side like zelo (cabbage). Plates of roasted sausage, sauerkraut, and goulash filled our table. It was a truly delicious dinner.

My meal: potato rösti, hash browns, warm vegetables, & white cabbage

Not about to slow down, we checked out a night club in the city called "Karlovy Lazne." It was a great way to meet visitors from all around the world (as well as run into a few other kids from the BU Program; we're taking over Europe!).

Dance floor

The walk back to the hostel gave us a beautiful night view of the city. Across the river, the Prague Castle was lit up...but more on that in the next post. Stay tuned for "Prague Day 2"!