Prague was one of my best days in Europe! I absolutely loved the architecture and how beautiful the city was. The weather was amazing too and I felt pretty relaxed since we stayed 2 nights.
Our day started with taking the train to the old town square where we got kolaches for breakfast. Kolaches are a traditional Czech pastry of a soft bread filled with poppy seeds or various fruits. I ordered a classic blueberry one and a poppy seed one. I loved the poppy seed one!
The town square was beautiful! I knew Prague was known for its architecture but seeing it finally was so worth it. I could not get over the buildings in the square and spent quite some time walking in circles. In the town square is the famous astronomical clock, Gothic chapel, representative buildings, and museums. The astrological clock was quite fascinating and apparently is the oldest clock in the world still operating. The square was built in 1338 and was the seat of the old government.
The town square had a very medieval vibe and we wandered through the cute little streets following the crowds of tourists until we came to the Charles bridge. The Charles Bridge joins the two parts of Prague- the old town and what is known as Lesser Town across the Vltava River. On the other side of the river lies the Prague Castle and Vitus Cathedral.
The Charles Bridge was lined with street artists drawing caricatures and people trying to sell you boat cruises and tickets to classical concerts. They didn't sell me on their specific services but definitely gave me some inspiration for later. The views from the bridge were beautiful! You could see the red tops of the buildings and the castle sitting high on the hill contrasting the lush greenery on the other side of the bridge. It was all just so picturesque!
Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world! It was built in the 9th century but from the exterior it looks very modern and well-kept. Today, it serves as the office of the President of the Czech Republic. The interior of the castle gave away its age and for the most part there was not much in the castle and it was presented more as a museum than a room tour.
We walked through a museum of armor to see all the gear they had to wear in battle as well as the weapons used. There was also a torture chamber where they had all of the torture equipment on display which was terrifying!
In the center of the palace is the famous Vitus Cathedral. As with most gothic cathedrals I have seen so far, it was enormous with so many intricate details carved into the stone. There were also two organs, one which looked like it was used regularly and then another one higher up that looked much older and ornate. The stained glass windows were created with very vivid and bright colors.
We stopped to eat lunch at a Czech restaurant in Lesser Town. While the attempt was made to eat Czech food, I realized all of it had meat so I ended up with Italian food. Following our lunch we decided to take a cruise on the Vltava River. I think this might be my fourth river cruise but nonetheless I love an opportunity to be on the water and see the city from a new perspective.
Prague is known for a dessert called chimney cakes which is a dough baked in a cylinder and coated with sugar and filled with cream. There were tons of shops selling all sorts of variations of the classic and we settled on some rather fancy ones. The one I ordered was covered with pistachio pieces and filled inside with chocolate gelato! It was so delicious! I am definitely eating my way through Europe!
Kaitlyn and I split for the remainder of the day so we could each do what we liked. I chose to first climb the clocktower for the most incredible views of the city. The panoramic views from the clocktower were breathtaking! I love heights so being up there and seeing the entire city was the highlight of my day and made me so happy. I could have stayed up there for hours admiring just how beautiful the city was. The climb and ticket were so worth it!
My Prague and Vienna trip would be incomplete if I did not attend a classical concert. There were several concerts happening since it was a Saturday. I settled on a concert with works by Mozart, Dvorak, and Strauss featuring a string quartet, opera singer, and ballet performers. The concert was held in a stunning concert hall and all of the performers were good. The ballet dancers were from a school but very adorable. I enjoyed the concert and it made me miss music so much. I was cheesing the whole time! The magic flute excerpts brought back many memories from when I performed it a few years ago!
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