Praha
We began our journey to Prague (Praha in Czech) from Vienna early Saturday morning on a beautiful train ride through the countryside of Austria and the Czech Republic. We arrived safely at our hotel for the weekend about midday. Our hotel is just a short walk from the city center of Prague, Old Town Square, and is a building that was built in the 12th century. We have been living in history for a few days! On Saturday, we set out to simply explore the city and take in as much as we could see, and were of course exhausted by the end of it…but it was well worth it! We began by venturing out to Old Town Square, where we saw things like the famous Astronomical Clock and the Prague Meridian, both of which have fascinating histories behind them. The Astronomical Clock is the 3rd oldest clock in the world (installed in 1410) and the oldest one still working. We continued our walk through the streets of Prague to the Charles Bridge, which spans over the Vltava River. This bridge is full of street vendors, artists, and lots of statues! After crossing over the Charles Bridge, we made our way up the hill towards the Prague Castle. But just before reaching the castle, we discovered the most AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS sweet treats that are around every corner on the streets of Prague. This treat is called a trdelník (don’t ask us how to pronounce that) and it is cinnamon sugar covered dough cooked over hot coals and handed to you fresh. After discovering this dangerous treat, we spent some time exploring the castle, where the President of Prague currently lives. The castle was found in 880 by Prince Bořivoj of the Premyslid Dynasty and is the largest castle complex in the world. There was also the beautiful, ornate St.Vitus cathedral within the walls of the castle that we were able to walk into. At the edge of the confines of the castle, we reached a point that overlooked all of Prague…talk about a view!! Next, we ventured back over the river and explored some other sections of the city, walking in and out of shops, taking pictures of museums and detailed architecture, and just taking in all that the city had to offer. We wrapped up day 2 at a traditional Czech restaurant that opened in 1714. Day 2 began in the Jewish Quarters, where we were able to see several synagogues, the Jewish Town Hall, and the Jewish Cemetery. Next, we walked back across the water where we found the Wallenstein Gardens within the Wallenstein Palace, which is home to the Czech Senate. These gardens also had a huge dripstone wall with hidden faces and apparently frogs, snakes, and bears…oh my! We also saw peacocks! Next, we leisurely spent our afternoon walking through the streets and some gardens and parks and after searching street after street, we found the John Lennon Wall. This wall has been filled, since the 80s, with colorful, artistic graffiti and serves as a reflection of the younger generation of the city. Finally, we wrapped up our day with a walk along the Vltava River, exploring Slovansky Island, snapping a few shots of the Frank Geary “Dancing House” and heading back to Old Town Square for some delicious food from the street vendors including halušky, hot wine, klobásy, and of course trdelnik! We have loved every minute of our time in Prague. This is such a beautiful city, so rich in history, and full of visitors from all over the world! Now for some shut eye and off to Salzburg, were we start our nursing exchange program on Wednesday.