Beautiful Praha (Prague)
After the crazy beer gardens and fan fests in Munich we were ready for something different in Prague. We left Munich at 11:30pm on a sleeper train on June 17th. It was an overnight train that would bring us to Prague at about 9am. One thing we didn't realize was that the Czech Republic isn't included on the list of countries valid with the Eurail pass. Fortunately, after the conductor woke us up at 4am to explain this to us he let us buy a ticket from the border to Prague on the train.
When we arrived in Prague we realized that our beds wouldn't be ready until 2pm at the Skoloska Youth Hostel (which has an excellent location, by the way). We had several hours to kill and we hadn't planned anything for that time. Realizing that we were behind on our laundry, we decided to make the morning one of cleaning and catching up on chores from the craziness of travelling between multiple cities during the last week. During our errands we discovered the main plaza of Prague is next to the National Museum, and is also the starting points of the many tours that are available for the city. We found a guide who showed us some information for a 4 hour walking tour the next day. We decided that we would take the day easy and do some touring the next day. We also found a few bars that might be playing the Dallas Mavericks game at around 2:30am and we decided we would try to come back late that night if possible.
After figuring out our clothing situation and getting some maps and other practical information, we grabbed some food and checked back into our hostel. One thing that is really great about Prague is that it is dirt cheap compared to most western european cities (The Czech Republic is actually central/eastern Europe, and not western). Our hostel was a cheap 11 euros per night per person, less than half the cost of the next cheapest place we have stayed at.
After dinner, we went out to get a few drinks. Once again, we were pleasantly surprised by the price of beer: in most cases only 1 euro for a half liter (that's more than a pint!) of quality czech or german beer. Prague is definitely the place for a group of students!
We tried to return to the bars that promised us the Maverick's game on the channel Sky 2, but found that all of them lied to us earlier to get us in to drink...so we decided to skip out and head home to get some much needed sleep.
The next day we got up and went on the 4 hour walking tour of Prague. Prague is really a city at the crossroads of European history...once conquered by the French, once a democratic republic, once occupied by Hitler and the Nazi's, once occupied by communist Russia...and now back to a republic (with a ever -becoming communist party still in existence). In fact, communism was so recently prevalent (as recent as 1989), that many people are still coping with the transition to a democractic government. Older people who never had to worry about healthcare and other public services under communism have found it tough to change to a life where they must work for these things on their own.
Throughout all the years; however, it is amazing to see how things have molded. The city is very old, with architecture dating from all the periods of history that precede it. The famous Charles Bridge is a beautiful sight to see as it connects the two halves of Prague between 2 valleys and the main river. Towering above the entire city is the Prague castle and cathedral. More recently, the Petrin tower (an almost replica of the Eiffel tower) sits high atop the hills and is the tallest structure in Prague. We were able to go by several museums and cemeteries built for the Jews. Prague has a Jewish Ghetto that was once the district for thousands of Jews..who later were persecuted and killed through the Holocaust. The famous astronomical clock in Prague has a 'show' every hour...similar to a cookoo clock where little puppets come out of trap doors on the clock. One of the more interesting things is that this clock was the first clock in Europe to have both hour and minute dials, as well as the astronomical dials, all in one clock.
Our second night in Prague we met some friends of Joel from Georgetown University. We hung out with them and hit up some bars to experience more of the nightlife there. Nothing like making use of the cheap drinks!
Prague is a great city. Unlike many European cities, it isn't as cramped as it may seem..the plazas are large and spread out, and the streets are vibrant with people all the time. It isn't a depressing city like some eastern european cities...it is full of tourists as well as locals who shop at all the designer malls. And this is definitely a city of history and intrigue: Prague is considered Europe's most haunted city.
That's all for now...we leave for Berlin and the world cup games on the 20th.
Cheers,
Eurotravellers.
When we arrived in Prague we realized that our beds wouldn't be ready until 2pm at the Skoloska Youth Hostel (which has an excellent location, by the way). We had several hours to kill and we hadn't planned anything for that time. Realizing that we were behind on our laundry, we decided to make the morning one of cleaning and catching up on chores from the craziness of travelling between multiple cities during the last week. During our errands we discovered the main plaza of Prague is next to the National Museum, and is also the starting points of the many tours that are available for the city. We found a guide who showed us some information for a 4 hour walking tour the next day. We decided that we would take the day easy and do some touring the next day. We also found a few bars that might be playing the Dallas Mavericks game at around 2:30am and we decided we would try to come back late that night if possible.
After figuring out our clothing situation and getting some maps and other practical information, we grabbed some food and checked back into our hostel. One thing that is really great about Prague is that it is dirt cheap compared to most western european cities (The Czech Republic is actually central/eastern Europe, and not western). Our hostel was a cheap 11 euros per night per person, less than half the cost of the next cheapest place we have stayed at.
After dinner, we went out to get a few drinks. Once again, we were pleasantly surprised by the price of beer: in most cases only 1 euro for a half liter (that's more than a pint!) of quality czech or german beer. Prague is definitely the place for a group of students!
We tried to return to the bars that promised us the Maverick's game on the channel Sky 2, but found that all of them lied to us earlier to get us in to drink...so we decided to skip out and head home to get some much needed sleep.
The next day we got up and went on the 4 hour walking tour of Prague. Prague is really a city at the crossroads of European history...once conquered by the French, once a democratic republic, once occupied by Hitler and the Nazi's, once occupied by communist Russia...and now back to a republic (with a ever -becoming communist party still in existence). In fact, communism was so recently prevalent (as recent as 1989), that many people are still coping with the transition to a democractic government. Older people who never had to worry about healthcare and other public services under communism have found it tough to change to a life where they must work for these things on their own.
Throughout all the years; however, it is amazing to see how things have molded. The city is very old, with architecture dating from all the periods of history that precede it. The famous Charles Bridge is a beautiful sight to see as it connects the two halves of Prague between 2 valleys and the main river. Towering above the entire city is the Prague castle and cathedral. More recently, the Petrin tower (an almost replica of the Eiffel tower) sits high atop the hills and is the tallest structure in Prague. We were able to go by several museums and cemeteries built for the Jews. Prague has a Jewish Ghetto that was once the district for thousands of Jews..who later were persecuted and killed through the Holocaust. The famous astronomical clock in Prague has a 'show' every hour...similar to a cookoo clock where little puppets come out of trap doors on the clock. One of the more interesting things is that this clock was the first clock in Europe to have both hour and minute dials, as well as the astronomical dials, all in one clock.
Our second night in Prague we met some friends of Joel from Georgetown University. We hung out with them and hit up some bars to experience more of the nightlife there. Nothing like making use of the cheap drinks!
Prague is a great city. Unlike many European cities, it isn't as cramped as it may seem..the plazas are large and spread out, and the streets are vibrant with people all the time. It isn't a depressing city like some eastern european cities...it is full of tourists as well as locals who shop at all the designer malls. And this is definitely a city of history and intrigue: Prague is considered Europe's most haunted city.
That's all for now...we leave for Berlin and the world cup games on the 20th.
Cheers,
Eurotravellers.
posted by Jay Tatachar at
5:04 AM
