Prague / Travel Recap

I spent two nights in Prague before going back to Vienna. By that time, I was so tired of being a tourist, that I had a hard time motivating myself to “cram everything in.” Sometimes, it’s easier to stand in the gift shop and read the guidebook than actually go see everything (JUST KIDDING). Seriously though, I was so excited to be heading home, that I got on an earlier train just to be back in Vienna (which is lucky, because I ran into my fellow SIT Balkaner, Becca, at the hostel that night). The slide from eager hosteller to grody degenerate transient backpacker is QUICK.

Prague – the city of a thousand spires – was so beautiful. The Czech language is very similar to Croatian, so I had a pretty easy time getting around. Their subway system sort of reminded me of DC’s Metro. The first day, I spent the morning in Old Town Square, just people watching. That was definitely the tourist hub of the city. The astronomical clock tower is there (not overrated in the slightest, please watch it chime on the hour). There are so many different styles of architecture in this one city, it is really a feast for the eyes.

In the afternoon, I took another 3 ½ hour walking tour with the “FreeEurope” company (I also did their tour in Berlin). We explored the old city, the new city, the Jewish quarter and many other places. We ended up on the other side of the river, so I walked back to the square via the Charles Bridge (also very cool).

Thursday morning, I checked out of the hostel and stored my bags, then made my way up to Prague Castle. I wasn’t sure of how to exactly get there, except for a subway stop at the bottom of the hill. It’s sort of hard to miss, so I just took a number of trams up the hill until one dropped me off at the gate.

The castle was not anything like I expected – it is like another city within walls. You could spend all day there. I bought a pass to see everything and proceeded through some of the old living quarters, the cathedral and saw the current-day Czech executive government offices, and of course, a fantastic view of the city of Prague on the other side of the river. There was this one place, called Golden Alley, where there are little cottages built directly into the fortress’ wall. There is a little placard on the house were Kafka lived.

After that, I just needed to sit down for a while, so I picked up my bags from the hostel and caught the next train to Vienna.

Friday, it was SO rainy & cold, but I went to Schoenbrunn Palace anyways. I think it was my most favorite palace. I took the full tour (with an English audio guide!!) and went all over the grounds. The first time I was in Vienna, I saw them filming for a movie in another part of the city – on this particular day, the crew was setting up at Schoenbrunn (I need to check to see which movie it is!). I also watched an apple struedel baking demonstration in the palace kitchens!

I went back to the airport that night, where I camped out. Luckily, they let me check my bags that early and no one gave me a hard time about sleeping in a corner of the concourse. AND Vienna Int’l has free WiFi, so once I got my laptop & other stuff out of the long-term storage, I caught up on various things that I hadn’t kept track off while abroad.

Enjoyed a relatively pleasant flight on May 30th – imbibed on a glass of wine (last legal drink for the time being) with dinner and slept over the Atlantic. With an hour left of the flight, I was wired and so eager to see America. The customs form didn’t fit all the countries I’d been to, so I sort of gave up. The CBP officers all laughed at me and said “welcome home.” I knocked over a few drivers, Asian tourist and some old grannies when I saw my mom walk into the terminal.

First meal? Peanut M&Ms, a McDonald’s cheeseburger and a fountain Coke at JFK airport.