Guys, maybe I shouldn't go to Greece now. Have you been reading the news? They're about to go bankrupt, and the banks will be closed all week, with deposits being limited to 60 Euros per day. Yikes! I could still make it work on a tight budget, but on the other hand, things may be about to get super cheap! Nah, who am I kidding? I'm totally going to go. That country has been on my list too long.
Anyways, Prague is on the blog today! What was supposed to be about 2, turned into 5 fun-filled days here, because I was mesmerized from start to finish at how much there was to see. Even after 3 unique tours, I still felt as if I had only scratched the surface, and because everything was so cheap, I decided to extend my stay.
There comes a point in every backpackers time abroad when you think to yourself, "I just want to leave my sh*t all over the place, and NOT listen to others snore in a dormitory"! Which is exactly why I booked myself a small and simple hotel room. I splurged, and by that, paid 70 Euros for 4 nights in a quiet part of town about 15 minutes by tram outside the city, away from the noise and tourist traps. And it was worth every cent. Sometimes, you just have to have you own space.
Because Prague is so overwhelmingly large, and there was so much to see, I did 2 walking tours with the well-reviewed Sandeman's Walking Tours. They were wonderful, and considering one of them was free, it was worth the time and tip!
I did a 3 hour city walking tour, which covered a bit of the long history of Prague, and the guide gave us several suggestions of things to do in the city. The Czech's have a long history with their beers, so long, in fact, that at one point, it was safer to drink than the water supply in the city. Armed with that knowledge, I decided to indulge in a beer tour, which ended up being one of the highlights of my time there. We covered 3 historic pubs and tasted different beers while learning about the influence of Czech beer, and afterwards, were taken up to the city walls overlooking the skyline at sunset, where a rave was being thrown. Kegs were rolled out, a DJ was playing, and about 100 locals were swarming all over the place, drinking and dancing. We took some pictures, drank a beer, and soaked in the view.
We were introduced to this statue seen above, a pregnant woman completely exposing herself. The craziest part is, there is a hole you can climb into between her legs, which we all took turns being "reborn", and laughing hysterically all the while from our beer buzz.
One of the things I DID NOT like about Prague was the chaotic tourist traps. Tourists, stag do parties, and everything in between were crammed throughout Old Town, and it almost reminded me of New York's jam-packed summer days. That being said, I avoided the popular pub crawls and instead opted for a highly rated cocktail bar coined "Anonymous Bar", in which you have to take a shot upon entering called "Passcode" which unlocks their top secret menu of delightful cocktails! It was nice to be in a popular place surrounded by locals as opposed to tourists, for once.
The following day, I met up with 2 ladies from my previous tour and did the Castle Tour, which took us up to the viewing point overlooking the city. As I learnt, Czech has a wonderful and wacky history of its royals. One of them used to have a midget who would crawl out from under the dinner table every evening to give prophecies, and then return before the meal began, while another owned a pet moose he kept inside the castle, until it was given too much to drink, and broke its neck tripping down the grand staircase. Poor thing...
Were were lucky in the fact we witnessed a ceremony in the courtyard during our time there, though the guide wasn't sure what the occasion was for. I also met a man who had been protesting for his house back, who famously comes to the castle every day for the past 6 years. We learnt that the former Communist government stripped his family of their home, and destroyed the legal documents. Which meant, as of today, he is still unable to obtain it.
Upon the tour ending, the 3 of us wandered down from the castle to a beautiful city garden where we spotted albino peacocks and the parliament building. We wandered around, winding our way through beautiful neighborhoods along the river, until we found the John Lennon wall, which is constantly being painted over by locals and tourists alike. Wandering through the city on our own agenda felt so lovely, especially since this side of the city has fewer tourists and quiet pockets of gardens, beautiful buildings, and a very unusual fountain (shown below).
Walking across the Charles Bridge at dusk was one of my favorite things to do. The bridge itself is over 600 years old and still standing. I listened to violins, watched artists sell their work, all the while taking in both sides of the city, with Prague Castle on one, and Old Town on the other. Street festivals, food stalls, and outdoor concerts were a plenty, so I meandered across to catch an outdoor concert and drink Czech cider, which was pretty good!
When I felt I'd gotten my fill of the city, I hopped on an overnight bus to Vienna, where the adventure continues!
Happy travels,
Katie
