Picturesque Prague

I loved Paris, and no city will ever be as magical to me as Paris was. But, as tough of an act Paris might be to follow, our next stop on our Europe trip was the perfect place to visit after falling in love with the City of Lights.

Whenever any friends or acquaintances who had traveled to Prague found out that it was a destination on our trip, they always said the same thing: "I didn't spend enough time there!" Both Nate and I heard multiple times that Prague is a stunning place, but we still weren't really sure what to expect. It only took a few short minutes of wandering the city to understand what all the hype was about. Prague is beautiful, and we definitely didn't spend enough time there! 

We started our adventures in Prague by exploring the famous Wenceslas Square. Don't judge Prague by Wenceslas Square! Aside from some rich history and excellent shopping, Wenceslas Square isn't really the highlight of the city. At the top of the square stands the Czech National Museum. We didn't go inside, but we did hear some interesting facts about the building while we were enjoying the view. I won't spoil any of the surprises for you, so I highly recommend doing some research on the history of the Czech Republic before you go.

Just off of Wenceslas Square resides Old Town Square, my favorite part of the city. Nearly all of our time in Prague was spent basking in the quaint and sensational buildings all throughout the city, and Old Town Square particularly. I don't know the names of any of the buildings or churches that we marveled at but it wasn't difficult to see why everyone we talked to adored Prague. 

Colorful pastel buildings, churches that look like castles and a sprawling castle all make Prague seem like a magical kingdom from a fairytale. The next photo was taken on the inside of a church in Old Town Square. The chandeliers, the paintings on the walls, and the gold details made us feel like we were back in Paris. 

Across the square stands the Old Town Hall with an interesting display on one of its walls. Famously known as the Prague Astronomical Clock, this clock is more than just a time-teller. It has three components: a dial representing the position of the sun and the moon, a second dial displaying the time, and a third dial representing the current month. It was fascinating to watch the clock move. Dozens of sight-seers stood and stared at the clock for quite some time, taking pictures and trying to understand exactly what the clock was depicting. The Astronomical Clock is not to be missed! 

Once we had spent a sufficient amount of time exploring Old Town Square, we decided that a Segway tour would be a fun way to see more of the city. I readily admit that this idea did not excite me at first, but it ended up being an excellent way to cover more ground quickly and get to know the history of Prague, all while learning how to steer our very own Segways. I highly recommend taking a tour of the city (Segway or sans Segway) while you're there because the history and monuments you see are both entertaining and educational. To get an idea of what you'll see, check out "Peeing Statues" by David Cerny. 

One of the stops on our Segway tour was at the famous Lennon Wall, which became a symbol of peace and love inspired by John Lennon in the 1980's. That's a shamefully watered-down version of this wall's rich history, but I highly recommend visiting the Lennon Wall and leaving your mark on it, especially if you're a fan of The Beatles and Mr. Lennon. 

Our next day in Prague started with a train ride from Prague to a small town called Kutna Hora, the location of the famous Sedlec Ossuary (a.k.a. the Bone Church). I won't bore you with the details of how and why there are so many bones put together into incredible designs, but it happened and you can enjoy the view for just a few Czech koruna.

Rick Steves may disagree, but the trip to Kutna Hora wasn't worth the missed time in Prague, in my opinion. I have to be honest. The whole Bone Church thing wasn't my cup of tea, but if you're a fan of history and and cryptic sights, this is the place for you!

Once we were back in beautiful Prague, we decided to pay the Prague Castle a visit. St. Vitus Cathedral offered incredible views from every angle on the outside. We didn't end up going inside (I think it cost some money or required donations to get in) but we were content enough to enjoy its exteriors. 

While exploring the rest of the castle grounds, we came across an incredible outlook of the entire city below. I can't remember exactly how we got to this lookout, but chances are you'll find an english speaker there that you can ask, or just follow the masses of people down an inconspicuous stairway and you'll quickly find yourself gazing over an incredible cityscape. 

Our second (and last) day in Prague flew by so quickly! We spent the rest of the evening walking across Charles Bridge and looking through the shoppes around Old Town Square again. We loved Old Town and spent quite a bit of time wandering the cobblestone roads and taking pictures of its charming buildings. As everyone had said before, we didn't have nearly enough time to enjoy Prague, and we will certainly be going back soon!

Special thanks to myself for bringing: Well, this time I should say "Shame on me for not bringing" because I was in serious need of a belt by the time we got to Prague! I had warn my jeans almost every day and between wearing them everywhere and hanging them to dry, they stretched out! I ended up having to buy a belt in Prague because my pants kept falling down. Keep that in mind if you're going out of town and your jeans tend to stretch!

Biggest regret: I definitely regret not spending more time wandering Prague! I don't want to say that I regret Kutna Hora because I didn't want to come home from this trip with any regrets, but I do wish that we would have skipped out on that extra stop and stayed in Prague. 

To see next time: I'm not sure what else there is to see in the Czech Republic, but we left Prague having seen only a smidgeon of the city. We'll most likely go back to enjoy everything that we already saw and then do more exploring outside of New and Old Town.

Have you ever been to or heard of Prague before now? What have you heard about it? Is Prague somewhere you'd like to travel to someday?