Prague: Exploring Bohemia

After a short 4-hour bus ride through Germany and the Czech Republic, Eric and I arrived in our final city of the trip: Prague. I was a little extra excited for Prague, since I am 25% Bohemian. Prague had a very historical feeling to it, and I loved the gorgeous architecture throughout the city. Eric and I both had a great time. Here is our visit in pictures and captions!

After checking into our hostel, Eric and I ventured to Old Town, the historical district of Prague. We enjoyed a delicious Czech meal at a local restaurant, and took some great pictures of Old Square lit up at night. This is the astronomical clock, one of the most famous sites in Prague.

The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn - apparently, this church inspired Walt Disney when he
created the castle in Sleeping Beauty!

We returned to Old Square the next morning, where we took advantage of another Free Walking Tour. It started at the astronomical clock, which rings at every hour in front of big crowds.

Prague was home to very colorful buildings!

Enjoying a Starbucks before the start of the walking tour

One of our first tour stops was the Estates Theatre, where Mozart conducted.

The National Museum of the Bohemian Kingdom - unfortunately, this museum is closed until 2015, but the building is still stunning to look at!

Monument to Franz Kafka, one of the most influential authors of the 20th century

Spanish Synagogue in Prague's Jewish Quarter

The Old New Synagogue in Prague's Jewish Quarter

Pinkas Synagogue in Prague's Jewish Quarter

After the end of our walking tour, Eric and I walked across the Ostrava River (runs directly through Prague) to get a great view of the Charles Bridge, the most famous bridge in Prague.

We then visited the Lennon Wall, where just after the Boston Marathon Bombings, BC students studying in Prague grabbed some spray-paint a wrote a line from the BC fight song, "For Here All Are One," on the wall. It was a great site, and a great show of unity and solidarity even from so far away.  

We then worked our way through Lesser Quarter, one of Prague's most historic districts, and went back to the Charles Bridge to the other side of Prague.

View of Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral from the Charles Bridge

The next day, Eric and I made the trek up to Prague Castle, which is more like a series of palaces and cathedrals than an actual castle. Because you have to pay a pretty expensive admission fee to enter all of the sites (and you can't just go into one and skip everything else), Eric and I basically just walked through the area and took advantage of the great views of Prague. 

St. Vitus Cathedral

Side view of St. Vitus Cathedral

Enjoying the great views of the city!
Side note: right before this picture was taken, I apparently upset a small Russian child (probably 7-8 years old), because he and his family were waiting to take a picture in the same spot, and he wanted his family to go first. His solution to having to wait was to punch me (pretty hard, I must admit) in the arm. The best part was, his parents said absolutely nothing! Gotta love good parenting in action.

Even on a dreary day, Prague is absolutely gorgeous!

Loving my "homeland" - well, sort of! 

The next day, Eric and I returned to Old Town Square and ate lunch with Eric's friend from high school, Tyler, before we set off for the airport. The Old Square was definitely my favorite spot in the entire city. 

After a great couple of days in Prague, Eric and I took a bus to the Prague Airport, where we boarded our EasyJet flight back to London. Though the weather was mostly cloudy and dreary during our time in Prague, this did not take away from the beautiful city. The food was also delicious, and cheap, which is always a plus! Overall, I had a really great time visiting Prague, and definitely want to return someday. 

Now, I have a quick 3 full days in London before setting off on my final trip of my semester abroad - Marrakech, Morocco and Barcelona, Spain. Though I plan on taking some time to rest up for my next trip, I will also have some fun enjoying the finally beautiful and warm weather in London, complete with a trip to Cambridge with other BC students on Saturday! Stay tuned!