"There's no where you can be that isn't where you're meant to be"- John Lennon
I knew that time wold seduce us into believing that our European adventure would seemingly last forever; but believing in forever is naïve when it comes to time. It honestly feels as if it were only days ago that our seven city adventure kicked off in Dublin, tearing up as I watched the Backstreet Boys live out my childhood dreams (still in awe that I actually saw them after 8 patient years of waiting). Yet here we are, a mere two days away from returning to our beloved Ireland- a very bitter/sweet feeling this is.
On Monday evening, after a long tour of Italy (chalk full of carbs, wine, and nights slipping into mornings), we gladly welcomed the slower pace of Prague, Czech Republic. As we wondered the streets, hoping on and off the wrong metro a few times, it wasn't hard to quickly stumble into a helpless love for the streets and sights of Prague.
Our hostel was in a great location, just off of Wenceslass Square- essentially it was a prime spot, just a small walk away from everything we needed. We arrived in Prague just in time to experience the Easter Market vendors, conveniently located directly out the front door of our hostel. These vendors offered all kinda of traditional Czech foods, from sausages to Kolačhe, to the God Send that is otherwise known as Trdelník- cinnamon sugar covered rings of dough coated with a layer of Nutella. Yes, it's ok, I drooled as well when I saw them. The Czech food is incredible, and having it all available within feet from our hostel was both a blessing and a curse- but totally worth every delicate bite.
Wednesday called for touristy adventures that took us across the famed Charles Bridge. With stunning scripture sculptures lining the length of this pedestrian bridge, it's easy to see why people rave about Prague. The sculptures are illuminated by the background of the Prague Castle, and the entire city glowing behind them. This visual is something you can't ignore even if you tried, it's beauty is completely breathtaking.
Once we eventually meandered our way across the bridge we wound up in a park full of strange sculptures of infants with inverted faces. David Cerny, a famous Czech sculpturerer, has a mind made for the controversial arts. Babies with inverted faces, bronze men urinating, and a nude pregnant woman can be seen all over the city. Although rather uncomfortable to look at sometimes, I found myself mesmerized by the mechanics and thought processes behind these strange designs. Good for you David, you keep stirring up trouble!
But my favorite part of this city brought me all the way back to my childhood. Every morning, if I wasn't being awoken by my dad bellowing the Marine Corps Hymn, I could hear the quiet melodies of the Beatles sifting down through the kitchen vents. For as long as I can remember, the Beatles have been a band I have admired and proudly sang along with. Well, in Prague they have this little wall, known simply as the John Lennon Wall. Errected by the Prague youths after Lennons murder, in times of communistic control- the youths wanted peace, and in John Lennon they found it. After years of this beautiful wall continually being whitewashed by the government in effort to sustain the rebellion, they finally gave up. Today, this magnificent, colorful wall, carries the names, quotes, and memories of fellow travelers and Beatles fans alike. It was incredible to be able to make my mark on this piece of history, and I carefully chose my Beatles quote most applicable to my recent adventures, "There are places I'll remember, all my life" (although, admittedly I was too excited and spelled 'remember' wrong two different times- ugh). John Lennon, you would be pretty impressed with the likes of that wall today- the whole world coming together to make their marks of peace in one common place.
After exploring around the Prague Castle, and the other side of the river, we met up with our friend Rosie (whom we met during our Budapest shenanigans) and took a paddle boat out on the Vltava River- only to get caught in the middle of the river when the sky opened up to a massive thunderstorm. As the rain poured down, I couldn't help but smile- because although we were caught in a thunderstorm, we were still sitting in a paddle boat in Prague, and when you think of it that way, that's pretty cool.
After returning to our hostel, we dried off our pants with blow dryers (the life of a traveler, I tell ya) and put on our new "Praha Drinking Team" shirts, and we headed to the Prague Bar Crawl. The crawl was a blast, taking us to four very different bars all throughout the city, handing us free drinks, and beer and everything you'd want in life. The crawl ended at a 5-story club, each level a different genera of music. Obviously we let the night slip away on the Oldies floor, brining it all the way back from the 60s (I was definitely meant to be at Woodstock). After sweating through every garment of clothing, we called it a night, only to stop and get the most mouth-watering döner kebab wrap the world has ever experienced. I'm a little upset though, because it took me 4 months to try one of these glorious things. Ah, but the memories I will cherish from that kebab wrap in Prague.
Our Thursday was less eventful, but we were able to walk around the city whilst basking in the warm sun, eating more street food and snapping pictures of this Disney-like place, with castles and towers and beautiful astronomical clocks all around us in the historic, Old Town Square.
In only a few short days, I can say that Prague has been my favorite city that I have visited. It's busy, but not over crowded. It's fun, but not loud, and it's constantly beautiful from it's art to it's culture (oh and especially the food). It's hard to leave something so memorable, but the homeland is calling. En route to Munich, Germany, ready to tackle the last leg of this adventure and take on Spring Fest, one liter of beer at a time!
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