Prague: of great conversations and inspirational walls

We had no problems with security at the airport on our way to Prague (Praha in Czech) but Kendra and Sean's bags were deemed to be too large, even though they weren't, and they had to check both of them and also pay a 38 euro charge. Despite this annoyance both our bodies and our bags arrived safely in Prague.

The Easter market in Old Town Square.

It took a bit of time to figure out the currency exchange, as 1 USD is about 15 Czech crowns, and then had a bit more trouble trying to figure out how to get from the airport to the hostel but by 9PM we had arrived at our hostel. The hostel itself had an incredibly friendly atmosphere which made up for the awful service we'd had in Rome. One man at the hostel named Isaac even drove us into the center of town and then to the beginning of a pub crawl.

The pub crawl itself began in the basement of an old and no-longer-in-use medieval church and certainly set the mood for what Prague as a city would be like. Somehow or another games began with some English boys that were there and both English and American national pride were tested via such games.

The Charles Bridge, buzzing with people, on a sunny day.

As we walked to the next bar I found myself, as I do, in a conversation with one of said English boys about history, politics, environmental issues and each of our own countries. I don't think anyone would have a very difficult time believing that I found it to be a fantastic conversation and a great part of the evening. Unfortunately, I did not have similar conversations with the other English, one of them telling me (along with many other very bizarre things) that because I wore my hair in a plait (that's braid in American English) I was "practical" and "organized". Said person also turned out to be incredibly creepy and I had to be continually saved from him by either Michelle or Amy.

Beatles inspired graffiti on Lennon wall.

When the night was over we ended up having to take a taxi back as our hostel wasn't located in the center of the city and for newcomers Prague can be incredibly confusing to navigate. The taxi also made dealing with some of the more inebriated members of our party a bit easier.

The next morning after using the internet for the first time in a week (I spent the majority of the time searching Nikonians for any help with my camera) we set out to explore the city. Prague itself is a wonderful mixture of old and new. The center of the city is largely old with gorgeous architecture and wonderful winding streets. Although Prague's streets were much better labeled than Rome's, I found them much more difficult to navigate and we ended up walking in directions we didn't always intend to see.

A message pasted on to Lennon wall.

We were; however, able to profit from the Easter market set up in Old Town Square. All across the square little booths were set up selling everything from sausages and beer to trdelnik (unleavened dough, sugar, almonds and nuts baked on a rolling wheel). It was a fantastic way to eat cheaply but also relatively well while on the go. Old Town Square was also where the famous Astronomical Clock was. The clock in question displays the time, the different symbols of the zodiac and every hour on the hour there is a procession of the twelve apostles. We didn't end up seeing the procession until our last full day in the city but we were able to marvel at the intricacy of it.

From Old Town Square we made our way (or attempted to, it took a little while) to the Dancing House. The building is designed to look like a pair of dancers which is why its other nickname is "Fred and Ginger" after Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. After we went to the Charles Bridge, the oldest bridge in Prague but also the most mobbed during the day. It took quite a while just for us to get from one side to the other not because of distance but because there was such a mix of artists selling their wares and tourists. Eventually we did get across and found a place to sit and relax, first finding a bench and then finding a park.

After, graced with coupons to the Hard Rock Cafe, we went back into the Old Town and had dinner. I'd never been to a Hard Rock Cafe and don't particularly find it the most fascinating restaurant in the world but still enjoyed the food and seeing the various guitars and outfits of singers and bands. Kendra and Sean went on another bar crawl that night (when in Prague, I guess) but Amy, Michelle and I stayed in and while I was able to catch up on my journal I also sewed up a hole in Amy's pants.

The next morning was sadly a slightly rainy one but we still went out to explore with our sole goal of finding the John Lennon wall. The wall itself was once a normal wall but during the 80s various graffiti relating to John Lennon or the Beatles began to crop up. At this point in time the Czech Republic was still part of Czechoslovakia and under Soviet control and the wall helped to increase tensions between students and the police which lead to skirmishes on the Charles Bridge. The wall today is constantly changing, with all of the original illustrations and writings covered up with new ones. When we were able to find it I we spent a good deal of time just wandering next to it looking for little messages based on Beatles lyrics or peace in general.

For lunch we stumbled on a bagel restaurant and all gladly bought toasted bagels with cream cheese, an American treat we've all missed in France and the rest of Europe. Our brief union with "American" food continued with Starbucks where the others bought American-size coffees and I enjoyed tea.

This piece in particular was one of my favorites.

Luckily for us the Easter market continued into the evening and we were able to grab some inexpensive but very filling food there. That evening was another bar crawl which was less fun than the first (no conversations about history) but did yield us meeting some French engineering students one of whom invited me to visit him in Nancy and also proved how horrible the French are at dancing.

The next day we slept in and packed for our move to Amsterdam. Breakfasts were free at our hostel in Prague but halfway through eating our toast one of the guys at the hostel (Noah) asked if any of us wanted pancakes. We all said "yes of course" and enjoyed the crepe/American-pancake fusion that he made for us.

After checking out we caught a bus that took us directly to the airport where we waited to board our flight and also spent the rest of our Czech crowns on food and treats. All in all Prague was a beautiful city which was simultaneously old and new and having visited it I can see why it is a destination more and more people are going to.