Prague, Czech Republic

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After we settled it, we made our way to Old Town. On the way, we saw a man walking down the street wearing nothing but a leather thong dominatrix outfit. We knew we had arrived in Prague at that point. As we made our way towards Old Town, I started falling in love with the city. The architecture was beautiful, and everything I thought that Europe would be.

We decided we were hungry for lunch. We found a little outdoor cafe in Old Town where there was a rotating spit of meat in plain view of the street. We ordered a couple of beers native to Prague. I ordered one of the pork knuckles that was rotating out on the street on the spit. It came with sweet pickles and horseradish. Derek ordered fries, and we split bread.It was so good. I loved the succulent meat of the pork knuckle.

After pigging out (see what I did there?) Derek and I started to explore more of Old Town. We stumbled upon Charles Bridge. This was one of the most beautiful sights that we saw in Prague. The bridge was lined with statues of people from Prague that we didn’t know. There were street artists and performers lined along the walkway, entertaining the massive crowd. Boats passed underneath our feet. We had a beautiful view of the city and Vlatava River, as well as the castle. I have to admit that before the honeymoon, I had never even considered Prague on my travel bucket list. However, it ended up being one of my favorite cities of the whole trip.

After crossing to the other side, we walked around a little bit. We thought about walking up to the Castle, but decided to make a day of it tomorrow so that we could enjoy it fully. We crossed over on the other bridge, that wasn’t as famous. There was a large docked boat at the other end of the bridge that was transformed into a restaurant. It was called Marina Grosseto Ristorante. I convinced Derek to stop for some wine. I was glad we did because we enjoyed the best white wine we have ever had while sitting on the dock, overlooking the Vlatava River.

We continued on our exploration and found the Old Jewish Community. This was one of my favorite parts of the city, as I found it charming and quaint. There were less tourists in this area, so we had some room to move around and enjoy the quiet.

We followed by taking a walk along the river, taking in the sights of all Prague had to offer. We stopped at a little bakery to get some dessert. We had loved the Apple Strudel in Austria so much that we decided to get some here as well. This one was amazing, it came with drizzled honey and whipped cream (which I avoided).

We stopped for dinner along our walk. I decided to eat all the meat. I ordered a plate of ham, pork, sausage and dumplings with cabbage. Derek ordered fries. I didn’t like the meat that much at all. It was dry and tasteless, and I was disappointed. To make up for it, we found a hole in the wall that served cocktails. I had never had Absinthe before, and I was feeling adventurous. So, I ordered one of their signature Absinthe cocktails. Derek ordered a Manhatten, and they were both good. This is where we ended our night, and went back to the hotel to sleep and prepare for day 2.

The next morning we woke up and went downstairs for the free breakfast at the hotel. I am not exaggerating when I say that it was the best breakfast I have ever had. In the states, a free breakfast at the hotel consists of bagels, cereal, and sometimes a waffle station. This was a whole different ballgame in Prague. This breakfast was a HUGE buffett. I had bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, baked beans, a baguette and roasted tomatoes with cheese. Derek has muffins, corn flakes and toast. I felt full and happy for day two in Prague.

We knew that we wanted to explore the castle, so that was the first place we went. There were many steps up to the castle, so we do not recommend it for those who can not walk for long periods of time or have difficulty with stairs. We were entertained by the street performers, and the children crying that they didn’t want to walk anymore steps. When we got to the top, the view of Prague was magnificent. It was a little hazy, so our pictures did not do it justice. The gardens in the palace were gorgeous. Everything about the castle was a grand, a must see staple in the city.

In an effort to take in the sights, we ordered beers and sat right outside of the Gothic style cathedral that was in the middle of the palace. I sat in awe, taking in the magnificent architecture of the cathedral, thinking about how there is nothing like this back in the states. It was Prague that I started to feel sad about our trip coming to a near end, and I didn’t want to leave Europe. I couldn’t believe that we were going to get on a plane the next day to start our journey home.

With an ache in my heart, we walked back down to the city to explore and see what else the city had to offer us. We grabbed lunch at this little cafe. It was a bit fancy looking, but in Prague we could eat and drink like kings for less than $20. I ordered the Goulash, which was much like a beef stew. It came with dumplings and was amazingly good. Derek ordered fries, surprise! We washed down our dinners with and Aeprol Spritz (a liquor unique to Europe) and a beer.

As we enjoyed our lunch, people dressed in traditional Prague costumes marched through the streets singing and dancing. They stopped in the city square, just near where we were eating, and did a sort of square dance. We couldn’t believe the luck of our timing to get to see this!

We left lunch and went in search of more beer to drink. Everything in the city was so cheap, so why not live it up! We stopped and got a beer. Derek had heard that Steak Tartar was the thing to try in Prague, so naturally I ordered some. It was the worst thing I ate in Europe. I had a couple bites and couldn’t eat anymore. The texture of it made me feel sick.

Derek had read about an amazing wine bar in Prague, so we had to check it out. When we got there, it was extremely dark, and we got funny looks, as though we didn’t belong there. The bartender lead us out to a courtyard, where we drank wine from a tap. I was not impressed, considering it was a wine bar.

To make up for it, we stopped at another little cafe to have a couple beers. All over Europe, I had seen people drinking Deperado, a tequila infused beer. The bar had it, so I had to try it. I loved it! It was so tasty, and I wanted to bring a case home with me!

Walking around, derek and I found this traditional dessert on every street corner. Trdelnik is a tasty dough that is wrapped around a stick and grilled. It is then rolled in walnuts and sugar. This was our favorite dessert that we had in Europe. Derek couldn’t get enough. We needed a real dinner though, so we stopped for more desperado french frieds and Gulosh (which came in a bread bowl this time). After, I let Derek convince me to indulge in yet some more Trdelnik, knowing that we might not ever get to eat it again.

After an amazing full two days in prague, we went back to the hotel to sleep. We woke up the next morning to have another amazing hotel breakfast, and started out towards our trip back to the US. I left sad, but knowing we had one more stop in Europe before we were completely home, Helsinki!

• Czech Republic takes the Koruna, not the Euro. They will accept the Euro, but at a bad exchange rate.
• Trdelnik everywhere! It is super yummy. 
• Prague was very very cheap! It was super affordable for college kids and families on a budget. 
• It was made up of truly middle class. Most of the places in Europe, the natives were either very poor or very rich. 
• Everyone was incredibly friendly
• Bohemian feel to the city