Prague

Lindsey, Miranda and I left for Prague Sunday afternoon. Once we landed at the Prague airport, we bought tickets for the bus that took us to the metro, where we were supposed to catch a tram to our hostel. We made it almost all the way until we missed our tram. We decided to go up to the street and just walk. Once we got out of the metro, we were standing in the middle of a huge square. We couldn't find any street signs and had no idea where we were, so we stopped to ask for directions. We were pointed in a direction, walked a ways, stopped and asked for directions again, and again we were pointed in another direction. After walking with almost no idea of where we were, we somehow actually found our hostel. We checked in and then went to explore Wenceslas Square. It was really fun to see the city at night and especially this square. From Wenceslas Square we headed in the direction of Old Town. We stopped at a restaurant on the way and it turned out to be one the best meals we have had since being in Europe, and we could actually afford it! Such a change from Paris. After dinner we went to see the Astronomical clock and Tyn Church, then walked across Chalres Bridge. By this time it was getting late, so we went back to our hostel and called it a day. On Monday, we got up early to go see the Castle. We walked through Old Town again and got some great pictures. We were so thankful to have great weather, it was beautiful both days we were there.

Astronomical Clock

We walked through the Old Town area and made our way across Charles Bridge. The bridge itself was so cool and also we had a great view of the castle and the city as we walked across. 

The three of us on Charles Bridge

Once we crossed the bridge, we caught the tram that took us to the bottom of the castle. Well, that's what we were supposed to do at least. We missed our stop, and once we realized we missed our stop we jumped off the tram and decided to take the metro back to where we needed to be. It was getting close to noon, and we really wanted to be at the castle by noon for the changing of the guard. We took the metro one stop back and got off thinking we were at the right place. We ran up the biggest escalator I have ever seen, then realized we got off at the wrong stop, ran back down the escalator and took the metro one more stop, and then ran all the way up the hill to to castle. Once we got to the castle, we ran to the very back courtyard to catch the changing of the guard. We made it just in time and were so happy we did because it was really cool. After we watched the ceremony, we bought tickets to tour the Old Royal Palace, the St. Vitus's Cathedral, St. George Basilica and one other place I can't remember the name of. The St. Vitus Cathedral was incredible, the inside had the biggest stain glass windows that filled the cathedral with colored lighting because it was such a sunny day. 

St. Vitus Cathedral

I was so surprised how by how much was up on the hill around the castle. There were several palaces on the top of the hill which made the castle feel so big. There were four different courtyards and they were all surrounded by big, colorful buildings. All of the buildings in Prague were bright and colorful, which made it so different from any city I have seen, especially Paris.

Courtyard outside the Castle

There was a great view from the top of the hill. We stopped for lunch at a little cafe inside one of the big palace buildings, the walked back down the hill (we figured walking might be a safer bet than trying to catch the right tram). 

View from the top of the Castle

On Tuesday, we walked down the river and crossed a bride further down. We had a great view back of the Charles Bridge and Castle. When we crossed to the other side of the river, we wandered down a street and found a path climbing up a hill. We decided to see what was at the top, so we made our way up the path. After a while of walking, we realized we were almost to the top of the hill that we had seen the day before from the Charles Bridge. It was a really nice walk with great views of the city. We found a garden at the top of the hill, and also a big tower that was designed after the Eiffel Tower (not nearly as cool though). We explored the top of the hill then made our way back down and crossed back over the Charles Bridge. After so much walking, of course Miranda and I found some pastries. We couldn't pronounce the names of any of them, but that didn't stop us!

View of the Castle and Charles Bridge

After seeing as much as we could, we headed to the airport to catch our 8:40 flight. We were so glad to be back home in Paris after a very long day. I didn't quite know what to expect from Prague, but it was by far so much more than I had imagined. One of the coolest cities I have ever visited, definitely go if you ever have the chance!