Prague holds a very special place in our hearts, as it’s where Jeff and I met during a semester abroad our junior year of college. It’s where we first developed our love of Europe, travel, and adventure together. Who knew that 12 years later we would be back, living and traveling in Europe again, this time with 2 little buddies in tow? So we knew during our time in Ireland we would have to make a return trip to Prague to revisit our past and show the boys where we met.
We had a wonderful 3 days visiting Prague! It was so fun to just walk around and see many of the old “haunts” — favorite restaurants and bars, the building where we had classes, and all of the tourist sites. We strolled around the Old Town with its famous astronomical clock, had drinks on the rooftop of the U Prince hotel overlooking Old Town Sqaure and Prague’s red rooftops, passed through the famous Jewish quarter with its synagogues and cemetery, and walked through the Prague castle complex, which is thought to be the largest ancient castle in the world.
Prague is one of the most gorgeous cities! With its Gothic-style soaring spires and buttresses, as well as its Renaissance, Baroque, and Art Nouveau style buildings, Prague is an architecture and history buff’s paradise (we’ll ignore the Communist architecture for now :)). Since it was largely undamaged during World War II, the city is incredibly well preserved. Walking through cobblestone streets, past medieval churches, and glancing across the river toward the beautiful castle on the hill, you can’t be blamed for feeling like you’re in a fairy tale.
Since we had spent so much time in Prague previously, we didn’t feel urgency to make sure we did and saw “everything” (museums, tourist sites, etc). It was just nice to meander around at a relaxed pace — to reminisce as we went, and to stop along the way for old favorite treats like Pilsner beer from a traditional Czech beer hall, Viennese style coffee from cafe Louvre, and ice cream from our favorite gelato place. We stayed in an area that was new to us, so that was also fun, as it gave us a few new places to explore. Several great parks in the neighborhood were big hits with the boys, as were chasing huge bubbles around Old Town Square, and going on a Vlatava River boat ride, where Isaac even got a turn to captain the ship 🙂 I think they picked up on our more mellow pace and really enjoyed Prague — Isaac declared it one of his favorite trips 🙂
A few people asked me if Prague seemed to have changed in the past 12 years. I definitely did notice a few differences. During our semester there, the Czech Republic entered the EU (with much celebration and fireworks throughout Prague on the night it happened), which was an exciting milestone to be there for. While they still do not use the Euro, there’s definitely more of a “Western Europe” feel than in 2004, when the last vestiges of communism still lingered. I noticed a lot more high-end/luxury brands and stores this time around. On one street, we walked past Burberry, Prada, Gucci, Chanel, etc…which I don’t remember being there 12 years ago. There were also a number of Starbucks locations throughout Prague (there were none 12 years ago), which to me is always a sign of globalization. Perhaps even more than the modern shops, I noticed a bit of a different attitude in the people. Under the harshness and fear of communism, the Czech people typically adapted a hard public exterior, with smiles and laughs being rare in public. In 2004, we definitely still felt the more somber public personas of people, whereas now it seemed that guards were more let down and friendliness and smiles more abundant in public. This is completely just speculation and my opinion, but was interesting to notice!
Do I recommend Prague as a fantastic destination for a visit? Absolutely! It’s one of my favorite cities — the ideal place for wandering, architecture, culture, history, beer…and perhaps a bit of falling in love 😉
dublingers 