Kat in Scotland: Prague, Czech Republic

First sighting of Prague Castle!

Sincere apologies all around for not blogging since the 4^th of July, but I promise that the wait was well worth it. Last week I took a well-deserved break from my dissertation and embarked on my last EuroTrip of the year. For this post, I will focus on my time in Prague. This was my first venture into Eastern Europe, so I felt like it was a fairly momentous occasion. Buffum has been studying in Prague for a summer exchange program, so I jumped at the chance to visit her. Prague has been on my list of places to visit for a long time now, so I was particularly happy to finally experience this absolutely beautiful city.

Very first Mom Picture of the trip.

Crazy money amounts....

I caught an earlier flight out on Monday, so I still had plenty of the day remaining when I finally arrived. My first strange moment came at the airport when I went to withdraw money from the ATM. The smallest amount I could withdraw was 500 krowns, which was just weird! It was a bit of a shock seeing this amount on screen, despite the exchange rate that was strongly in my favor. Since I am currently operating on the pound, I had the privilege of an exchange rate of 28 krowns to 1 pound, so I was perfectly happy.

At the Lennon Wall.

Buffum picked me up from the train station, and, after dropping off my things at her place, we embarked on a long walking tour of the city. We started by heading to Bohemia Bagel, where we grabbed some much needed lunch. The coffee was free refills, so we decided to walk off our caffeine jitters with a visit to the Lennon Wall. This stretch of wall started a lovely tradition on the night that John Lennon died. As the story goes, a fan went out and drew a portrait of Lennon on the wall. During the 80's, it became a place where people would post messages of peace and grievances against the Communist regime. Now, it stands as a symbol for love and peace and anyone can add to it as they please.

Adding my own name to the wall.

Stretch of the Lennon Wall.

Admiring the wall...this wasn't staged AT ALL.

View off Charles Bridge.

Prague Castle from
Charles Bridge.

From there we continued our walking tour with a venture across the Charles Bridge. The Charles Bridge is a pedestrian bridge, which makes for some great people watching. There are little vendors selling art and jewellery along the sides, so be sure to take your time crossing. Halfway across the bridge are a couple of cute traditions, so keep your eye out for those. First are the praying hands, which you rub for good luck. After, keep your eyes peeled for the locks of love where lovers write their names on a locket which they then attach to the bridge. Plus, the view off the bridge is pretty great from both sides. It’s right in the heart of the city, so there’s plenty to admire.

Touching the praying hands.

Locks of Love - an adorable tradition

Stopping to enjoy some musicians.

After meandering for a bit and stopping for my first Pilsner, we headed to Old Town Square. The main attraction in Old Town Square is the famous Astronomical Clock, which goes off on the hour, every hour. There is a big crowd that gathers, so be ready to get a bit jostled. The clock was installed in 1410, so it has a Medieval flair that is really beautiful. There is a video that I took below, where you can watch death strike a tiny bell. My favorite part? The adorable trumpets that go off at the end.

Mom Picture with the Astronomical Clock.

Astronomical Clock - at the very least, it's beautiful.

At this point, our day was pretty much done. As we had been walking around for a long time, we were ready for some dinner and more Czech beer. After filling up on delicious pizza, we were both fairly tired and ready to unwind. We had a big day ahead of us, so we were perfectly happy to lounge about and ready for bed.

Enjoying my first Czech beer of the trip.

First of many beautiful
views during our climb.

Fake Eiffel Tower.

The next day, after Buffum got back from class, we embarked on a long journey up Petrin Hill. From the top is a lovely view of the city, so it's well worth the climb. It was pretty much an all-day activity, especially since we stopped at a cafe and grabbed a beer halfway there. If you're not feeling like a hike, then there is a tram that will take you almost to the top. Once you do make it, be sure to find the imitation Eiffel Tower. According to Buffum, they wanted to build their own version of the Eiffel Tower that was taller than the original. When it came down to planning it, however, they took a bit of a shortcut - they chose to build a small model, but on top of a hill, thus making it taller! (kinda) On top of the hill is also a beautiful rose garden, observatory, and mirror maze. We made sure to visit all of these spots, but only after we had our picnic.

Mom Picture with the view.

Again...totally natural. Not at all posed.

Enjoying the unfortunate mirrors in the maze.

I dub this picture in the rose garden, "Grandma Picture."

Buffum and me, posing with
the sunset.

After leaving, both of us had sore thighs from the climb. We decided to relax a bit at Buffum's before embarking on our night adventure. This turned out to be a great choice, since we had our minds set on a beer garden - on top of another hill. This climb was not nearly as long, and we had the benefit of the beautiful sunset to keep us company. Once we sat down with our beers, however, I quickly realized that the view made the sore legs well worth it. We were fortunate enough to have a picnic table near the edge, so our conversation had a fantastic backdrop.

Beautiful sunset.

Equally beautiful city all lit up at night.

Front of
St.Vitus Cathedral.

Looking down the nave of St. Vitus.

While Buffum was in the class the next morning, I made a visit to the castle with her friend, Kendal. Prague Castle is still in use today, and it has been since the 14th century. Apparently, it is also the biggest castle in the world - which is all the more impressive given its age. The main attraction in Prague Castle is the massive cathedral, which is was dominates its view from afar. You can go in to see the impressive stained glass in St. Vitus Cathedral, crown jewels in the old royal residence, and bones of St.Ludmilla in St. George's Basilica. All in all, we spent a good few hours visiting the castle and we were lucky to finish up right as the rain was starting up.

Mom Picture, but of course.

Old Town Square

On our way back, Kendal and I did a bit of souvenir shopping. I was happy to find my new Prague mug to add to my collection and a pretty garnet ring to bring home. At 6:00 I met Buffum at the Astronomical Clock after exploring Old Town Square, where we headed out to dinner. After stopping back at home and engaging in some Pretty Little Liars time, we headed out for some drinks at Buffum's favorite bar - where I may or may not have snatched some beer steins as souvenirs. One thing that really stuck with me about the bar is that you could smoke inside. I feel so spoiled to live in a place where this is banned, so it was a really big shock to be around it again...especially since we were underground in a windowless room.

Dancing House

The next morning was filled with packing and a quick visit to the Dancing House, which was designed by Frank Gehry, the same gent that designed the Guggenheim. By 2:30 we were heading to the airport, where we were to catch a flight to Amsterdam....so stay posted! I'll be sure to blog about that soon!

All in all, Prague was a beautiful city. It has a really chill feel to it, so it makes for a very relaxing trip. You could spend your entire time just exploring the beers Prague has to offer and admiring the beautiful views. Plus, there are little things about the city that makes it adorable. Like how 90's music always seems to be in the background and the fashion is just a tad bit behind.