I was with another American participant in my program, Tony, and his host family. His host family seems just as nice as mine, so it's good to see he is having a positive living experience as well. His host parents wanted to make a quick trip to Prague, as it is one of their favorite cities. Years back, on one of their previous trips, they got engaged there! So Prague was the destination, and off the seven of us went.
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| Back in the good ol' Czech Republic! |
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| Last time, I found the Czech countryside to be very bleak and depressing. Our route this time, though, was much better |
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| First stop: Prague's giant castle. Just in time to see the changing of the guard! |
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| Tony's host brothers felt compelled to march along |
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| Our hotel was on the outskirts of Prague, where there are still many Communist-era blocky apartment buildings. These days, they are brightly painted to disguise the fact that they are Communist-era blocky apartment buildings |
Tony and I were on our own most of the time we were there. Since Tony isn't much of a planner and I am the complete opposite, I had the opportunity to set our itinerary. The challenge: find more things to do I hadn't already done last trip. That turned out to be pretty easy! Props to Prague for having plenty to offer.
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| The Jindrisska Tower was our first stop. Built in the late Gothic era (1472-1476, to be exact), today it houses a number of restaurants and bars. The 2-euro admission fee scared us away, though |
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| Another look at the Powder Gate and Municipal House, both of which I've covered here |
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| A Christmas market! As if I hadn't visited enough already. This one was in the middle of Prague's Old Town Square, whose history goes back to the 12th century |
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| Musical accompaniment complemented our shopping experience |
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| Old Town Hall in the background (built in 1364 then rebuilt in 1470) |
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| St. Nicolas Church in the background (from the 18th century) |
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| Church of Mother of God in front of Týn, built in the 14th century |
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| Streets of the old town. Prague, unlike Berlin, has a great old town area that is easy and entertaining to wander around in by foot |
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| Island of Kampa |
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| Charles Bridge, from 1357 |
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| We decided to climb up the Old Town Hall's tower to get a bird's-eye view of the old town. It was a great decision! Totally worth the long climb up these stairs |
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| Prague's castle in the background |
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| The Christmas market, spread out below us |
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| The National Museum |
That did it for our first day! Still more to come.