For the first week of my spring vacation, I was lucky enough to get to visit my friend Monica in Prague! It had been so long since we had caught up as we had gone to high school together and both have been busy since. I landed in Prague on Thursday March 26th and hit the ground running. Monica picked me up at the airport with one of her friends. Not ten minutes after saying hello she informed me we were off to an opera! I was stoked. So we checked into my hotel, changed clothes quickly and were off to see “The Magic Flute”. It was in the most beautiful big theater. They had a full pit orchestra and it was amazing. Naturally it was in czech but get this… they have a big projection screen above the top of the stage that translates everything! It was a great start to my first day.
The next day consisted of walking around town and getting oriented as to where everything was. Easter is a big thing in Prague so they have a week long Easter Fair. It was so neat. There was food everywhere, crafts, blacksmiths and so much more. Half way through the morning, Monica handed me a little brown paperback notebook with the title, “Prague Survival Guide 2008″. She had put together all sorts of phrases I needed to know, metro stops, tram lines I needed to take to get places… it literally was my bible for the week I was there. Especially when I was alone. The most important phrase in there was “mlooveteh englesky?” which tanslates to… you can guess… do you speak english? I found that most people were very happy to speak english only if you made an effort to speak a little czech. It was fun! Monica’s boyfriend Jack came over and the three of us gallivanted around town for the next four days doing all sorts of fun things. We went to the most beautiful big cathedral for Easter Sunday, we went to another opera and of course hit the easter fair almost every day.
On my last full day there, Jack and I took a little trip outside the city to one of the concentration camps used during WWII named Terezine. It was one of the most moving things I have ever done in my life. When we were walking through the cell blocks you could almost feel the ghosts of the over 30,000 people that died there. The feeling was even worse when we walked onto the execution grounds. This was the kind of thing that I have read about in text books for years and never truly understood the impact of things. As soon as we saw the area that was once a mass grave that had now been turned into 10,000 proper burials with headstones, I knew it was going to be a very emotional experience. It was very interesting to watch how Jack and I responded to all of it. He and I talked the whole hour and a half bus ride there and as soon as we got to the concentration camp, I don’t think we said ten words to each other until we left. That night we got back to Monica’s apartment and cooked dinner and just relaxed until we met up with a bunch of Monica’s other friends and we all headed out for a night on the town. It was a great last day. The next morning I got up early to catch a flight to Rome where I spent the next four days. Keep your eye out for a post about my trip to Rome!
Prague, Czech Republic
A beautiful city, undeniable. At first I was a bit skeptical because everyone wants to go there and I am not a person to do what everyone does but then I was convinced by my friends and I ended up in Prague….and I have to say I absolutely loved it. The small streets, the game of lights, the people… I loved the S. Vito Cathedral and Kafka’s museum. I haven’t been out of Prague, but I intend to get back and know a little more! I also was nicely surprised by the place we slept in. I’ll leave you here a very good site of Prague hotels, they are cheap and very pleasant. For your next time, or if any of your friends want to come. In the evening we also went to explore the bars, they are all so cozy and have such a nice environment and decoration and make you want to stay long. The beer is great the best in the world and so cheap! I have been to Terezine as well, I was very surprised to see that it’s very similar to what you read in books or see in the films. It had a great impact on me, I was thinking about it for many days.