My first weekend in Europe is coming to a close this beautiful fall evening, I cannot help but still be in amazement that I am in fact here in Prague. Friday brought with it a lot of tiredness, but I did spend some time touring the city centre at night then coming back to the hostel for a LONG sleep (almost 12 hours I think.) It was what I needed to reset my sleep schedule. Little did I know I would need that sleep store so soon…
Saturday was my first big walk around and exploration day. While I didn’t take too many photos, I did spend some time just looking around and soaking in the energy lingering in the atmosphere. I love the open air feeling the city has with numerous shops and restaurants open directly to the street, not to mention the stands for cheap food, desserts, drinks, and little oddball things that every tourist ends up looking at and usually buying because those items will represent a tangible take away for their visit to the city. Oh, and the shops with shiny things! I couldn’t count the number of tourist/souvenir shops with silly t-shirts, shot glasses, magnets (yes Paul, I will get you one), mugs, etc. But if I am to believe these places, the Czech Republic is known for handmade blown glass and crystal/glass ornamental stuff. I don’t know what else to call it. It that’s stuff that’s really pretty in a lot of light, but I’m pretty sure loses some luster once it leaves the store.
After returning to the hostel, I went to their free BBQ (hey free food!) and ended up meeting a couple other Americans staying here too. One was a Vietnamese guy from Houston and a girl from California/Israel, currently living in the latter. They “encouraged” me to go on a hostel-sponsored/hosted pub crawl through 4 bars in Prague. The group is formed out of people from 4 hostels in Prague. I’ll admit, I had a pretty good time and met some fun people from all over, including Toronto, Brazil, Singapore, and beyond. Each bar had its own “thing” going for it. The most memorable was the second one that was some multi-level bar that was all underground. I have no idea how many levels it had, since we walked up and down a lot of stairs, with seating all over the place. The roof in the entire place was all brick or exposed stone. I wish I had photos to explain it, but trust me, it was very cool. The only thing not cool about Prague? Smoking is still allowed in a lot of public places.
The night got interesting when we ended up at this dance club. 5 levels of music, which was all different, and our group basically split up. It was then we all realized we’d have to find our own way back to the tram and our respective hostels. The guy from Texas and I walked some girls back to their hostel from the club, then attempted – and failed – to find our tram. This process probably took us over an hour! Long story short, we took the wrong tram, got even farther away from where we needed to me, then got a taxi to get us back home, which was around 5:30AM. Like I said, I dipped into that sleep store faster than expected.
Today was a more chill day, yet still with its own share of walking. But I lingered in some places for longer periods of time and found a nice walkway/park to stop and read in for a bit. I also took more pictures today. Below is a sampling of photos from the last couple days.
I saw this sign in a construction zone of the Helsinki airport. I’ve always loved signage from other countries. They tend to send their message in a way that isn’t in your face and I as an American find amusing.
I love the history these roads have and that Prague hasn’t simply decided to go the cheap route and put concrete or asphalt everywhere. I respect that they hold onto their history and do what they can to preseve it. Many sidewalks in Old Town are also made of small stones with intricate details and patterns made from them.
One of many winding paths that go in between buildings that can only be traversed by foot. I have found myself on many of these not knowing what will greet me when I get to the next street.
Speaking of not knowing what I’ll see around the corner… There was an entire exhibit of art made from Red Bull cans, not surprisingly named “The Art of Can.” It’s only showing for a few days and I got to see it. Being the drinker of Red Bull that I am, I found the exhibit interesting. There’s other pictures, but this one caught my attention early and thought it deserved a showing for my friends back home.
Oh, did I mentioned I happened upon Prague during their fashion weekend? They setup a runway for the show on a main shopping street near the Old Town Square. Look at all the new fashions coming out of Europe!
This shot is of the growing crowds in Old Town Square. This was around 7PM. A couple hours and the crowds actually grew in numbers.
Tyn Church, right off the Old Town Square.
I caught this relatively quiet moment tonight in another one of my non-directed walking about the town. I could really get used to this type of scenery around me every day.
This week, I intend to visit Prague Castle and everything surrounding it. I should also decide on some restaurants to try out. Because really, all I’ve had is street fair food. Hey, I don’t have a discerning taste palate, I’m not picky, and I don’t really like to spend much on food if I don’t think I have to. Until next time…