Prague

Prague is much bigger than we expected and much more beautiful! We took a 5 hour bus ride from Munich, which was quick and easy. The weather cleared up as soon as we arrived and provided for a wonderful weekend, but it got pretty cold. We navigated our way to our hostel-Hostel Tyn-located right in the heart of Old Town. http://www.hosteltyn.com/ The rates were cheap but there wasn’t anything special about this accommodation aside from the location.

One of the best things was that Prague was cheap and the US Dollar was stronger, which is a nice change from the Euro. Our first meal, which included two beers, soup and two dishes, was only $13. The food was delicious. Our favorite treat was Cream and Dream ice cream in Old Town. We attended “Cabinet” at the Black Light Theatre; very different but entertaining. http://www.imagetheatre.cz/

The Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral were fascinating and the best attraction. Having a student ID gets you 50% off too! The cathedral is massive and really pretty. The views from the castle overlooking Prague are great. Sights to see in Castle Quarter: Strahov Monastery (make sure to get some beer and beer cheese!), Schwarzenberg Palace, Old Royal Palace, Basilica and Convent of St. George and Wenceslas Chapel. Unfortunately, since we visited in winter, we were not able to see the gardens surrounding the castle. The walk back down to the Charles Bridge is touristy and overpriced. The Charles Bridge is another great sight. The best advice about seeing the castle and the cathedral are to arrive when it first opens and have the place to yourself before the crowds start rushing in.

We didn’t find New Town extremely exciting and the actual on-the-hour of the astronomical clock in Old Town was a letdown but the clock itself is cool. You can’t miss the Tyn Church towering over the square. Budweiser in Prague is not Anheuser-Busch and worth a taste. The Jewish Quarter was very interesting, but obviously sad. The Old Jewish Cemetery is unbelievable with so many graves on top of each other…around 12,000. The Pinkas Synagogue has over 70,000 handwritten names of Czech Jews who were sent to Auschwitz and other camps. The Old-New Synagogue feels like a bunker as you step down to the street level of the 1200’s. Bryan got to wear his first Yakima. Overall, we had an awesome trip and love Prague!