Prague: I think I'm in love

...with the city that is. I am going to try to refrain from using curse words as explicatives, but to be frank Prague is the most amazing ______in' city I have ever visited. Granted it's my first "abroad abroad" experience, but I have certainly set the bar high for myself. Let me start off by describing the airplane we flew on to Prague. When travelling as an abroad student, one doesn't have the resources to get an expensive nice flight. What the abroad student does is shell out the minimum amount of money possible so as to save money for more important things (like pubs). Our airline was called "Wizzair" (not kidding) and the plane look like a Greyhound bus that had wings glued on to it and was painted entirely pink. While in the air the plane refused to conceal it's poor build quality as turbulence proved to be a test of nerves for a majority of us. As we flew east, the view changed starkly from luscious green mountains to those that were ice-capped. It made me miss snow (that would change drastically upon landing).

When we got to our hostile we realized that everything they say is true: Hostels suck. The room had holes in it and the sheets, although appearing to be clean, certainly were not. We spent as little time in there as possible and made our way to a restaurant we got from a travel book called U Matejicku. On our walk there we discovered quite quickly that Prague has a bit of a mosquito problem. Mosquitos in the states are little tiny bugs that buzz around you annoying you relentlessly with their fervent pestering. Mosquitos in Prague are essentially the same thing, but instead of insects they are people who try to take you to go get "hot peppers" (which are not actual hot peppers...they are prostitutes). Of course we didn't make eye contact or speak to them, but just like mosquitos they just didn't seem to get the message. After walking through the Prague new square with swarms of these guys we finally went down a small side street, thus escaping the infuriating bugs. U Matejicku is a restaurant in an old beer cellar underground, like many of Prague's fine dining establishments. This is because Prague is world renowned for its beer, which we would soon find out. The beer is cheaper than water in the Czech Republic, so naturally it was the smart choice to get one or two with every meal. The meal itself did not disappoint either as we found out that Czech cuisine consists majorly of meat. Lots of meat.

After polishing off a stack of ribs we made it over to a place called Beer Factory (clever, right?) to spend our first night in Rome and to cap off the start of my 21st birthday, a birthday that (if you continue to read on) proved to be one of the most amazing days of my life. The next morning we woke up fairly early in order to catch a free tour of Prague.

We met outside the Astronomical Clock of Prague at 11am to meet Brian, our lovely albeit a bit of a tool tour guide, to commence our tour. We started in the Old Square, which served as the hub for Czech life through a majority of its history. I would love to go in-depth about the historical significance of every building I saw, but that would be burdensome (both for you to read and me to type), so I shall stick to the short(ish) version. The square was encompassed by beautiful cathedral and buildings with architecture dating back to the early 13th century. Needless to say it was a sight to behold. We then walked to the Jewish Quarter, an area that used to be populated far more than it is now. There were synagogues that are museums now, and a lot of the buildings in the area had a Star of David adorning them in some fashion. It too was breathtaking in its own way.

We then made our way past your garden variety historical landmarks, including the opera house where Mozart performed his famous "Don Giovanni" performance. We concluded in the New Square where we learned of the Czech Republic's 20th century history, which was filled with years of brutal rule from neighboring nations and revolt. Prague was a tumultuous city to live in until the fall of the Soviet Union 20 years ago. After adopting capitalism due to Czech practicality, Prague is now the most modern city in Eastern Europe (Starbucks everywhere). We went back to the old square and had a delicious lunch at a restaurant named...I don't really know. It was too hard to pronounce. One of the guys in my group then got in touch with a patient of his Dad's who now lives in Prague who said he would show us some sights. We never could've imagined the amazing afternoon we had in store. It turns out Matt, the acquaintances' name, took us all around Prague pointing out other points of interest with astounding accuracy. As it turns out, Matt used to lead tours of Prague as well, so it was extra delightful having our own 2nd and private free tour. He took us to a tavern he favors for a round of beers on him. We didn't really put up much of a fight there. As it got dark we crossed over St. Charles Bridge and were struck by the view of the river and the lights from the city shimmering off of it one of side and an illuminated Prague castle on the other. Matt then took us for a snack at his favorite stop: A Mediterranean restaurant. I had falafel on my birthday. This was the point where I knew no birthday could ever top this one; however, we weren't done yet. As the final stop on his personal list of "you have to see's," Matt led us to the Lennon Wall, a wall of graffiti done over the past three decades starting with an image of John Lennon's head in the center. The emotional response here was the strongest, as you could feel the hearts and souls of those citizens who decorated the wall so lively and spirited. If you go to Prague, make the Lennon Wall a must.

We parted ways with Matt, planning to meet him again on Saturday after our tour of the Prague Castle. We met up with a few of the girls who came with at a restaurant for dinner called U Fleku. The food itself was alright, but the ambiance was stellar. Two men, one playing the accordion and the other a tuba, serenaded our table of twelve for a good portion of the night. We also were greeted by a beautiful women who we found out was shooting a travel show for MTV Lebanon, and wanted to sit with us for a little and cheers with us on camera. We had no idea who she was, but we were all immediately starstruck. She said her and her production team were coming to Rome soon, so we gave them our number...maybe they'll call (probably not).

We spent the last hours of my birthday at two bars. The first, Usudu, looked like a small little bar at the beginning, but after following a series of staircases leading to further chambers and taverns we discovered this wonderfully bohemian pub. We left after a retrospectively brief amount of time to go to a location called the Kross Club which was a bar filled with, in layman's terms, crazy Czechs listening to mind numbing electronic music and doing something that more closely resembled bobbing up and down than actual dancing. Still, it was a cultural experience unlike that of Rome or the US...or anywhere else for that matter.

We started off our next morning a little closer to home. We went to an acclaimed breakfast place called Bohemia Bagel. Although the eggs weren't quite as good as the likes of Northshore breakfast staples, the hash browns and bacon made my mouth water. We then to the subway to the old Prague Castle (on advice from Matt) and it was indeed gorgeous. It was on a hill that overlooked the river and rest of Prague and was certainly a sight to behold. We went straight from there to the current Prague Castle, and although it was closing shortly after we got there, we got to go around to different cathedrals and complexes within the castle and see many of Prague's architectural wonders.

From the castle we saw Prague's Eiffel Tower, a lookout station atop of Petrin Hill (the big hill that everything cool in Prague is on) and decided to go up there and catch a view of the entirety of Prague. Like St. Peter's Basilica, the stairs to the top of the hill and further up the tower were treacherous, but well worth it once we looked out at the whole city 360 degrees around. As we descended the hill, we stopped at a restaurant that sat on the side of the hill, due to another suggestion from Matt. Again we were not disappointed with his assistance, as we all agreed it was by far the best meal we had the whole weekend. We missed the tram down, so we walked down the whole side, which turned out to be a fun little adventure in itself.

Later that night we attended a "dark show"-- a performance in a black light theatre where the performers where phosphorescent costumes and black lights illuminate their bodies. It was the pinnacle of bohemian, as I could never imagine this type of experience in America. It was one of the more interesting spectacles I think I will ever see. The trip concluded at a club called Karlovy Lazne with the claim to be the biggest club in Eastern Europe. With five different dance floors playing everything from radio hits to oldies to 90's faves, it lived up to its reputation.

I can honestly say that the two worst things about Prague are as follows:

1. They didn't stamp my passport
2. I bit my cheek

That's about it for negatives. I had an amazing time in Prague and if I ever get the opportunity to go back I think I just may...but there's a lot more of Europe to see, so I'll save that trip for another time. If you've made it this far into the post, my sincere appreciation for grinding through my declining writing skill. Its hard to hammer this stuff out. PEACE.