Days 36-37
If Venice is half fairy-tale and half-tourist trap, Prague somehow manages to be both fully fairy-tale and fully tourist-trap.
Prague is one of those cities that is a fairy-tale during the day with its beautiful and colorful 17th and 18th century architecture, and simply magical at night when all its Gothic spires are lit up against the night sky.
Prague is my first travel experience this semester outside of Italy, and it did not disappoint. However, so far it is also the most Americanized city I have been too. In some ways this is great: I don't speak a word of Czech, but just about everyone speaks passable English. But it also has some down sides: many American brands are present and detract from really experiencing Prague. For instance: For 100 Czech crowns (about 4 euro, or 5 USD), you can either get 1 grande coffee from Starbucks, OR 1 liter of beer and a full entree at a pub.
Though cold, I did not want to go back to the hostel once we started going. Every turn revealed colorful apartments, stunning brickwork, and interesting tidbits of history. Our weekend was cold but bright and sunny and as long as we kept moving the cold didn't offend. Some highlights of our walking tour included (but were not limited to) Old Town Square (including Tyn Church and the Astronomical Clock), the Jewish Quarter, Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, and Letna Park,
While I had a lot of fun trying things the Czech way, I came to appreciate just how much more fitting it is that I'm spending my semester in Italy: while beer is cheap and great for drinking games, I will never appreciate beer the way I do wine.
As much as I had an amazing experience in Prague, nothing beat landing in Fiumicino and being able to, if not understand, at least pronounce the language written on the signs. I may only be able to communicate on a basic level, and usually only understand every other word people speak, but Italian is already a comforting language.
Ciao
J
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