Spring Break 2012: Prague, Part 1

Hello loves!
As most of you have heard, I finally checked one thing off my bucket list (more like travel list, seeing as 80% of my things to do before I die are countries to visit or Machu Pichu's to climb) this Spring Break, and little Roxy wandered to PRAGUE! And Rome, but Rome wasn't a lucky bucket-lister, though I think everyone should go once in their life.
So, after sitting at a café with Maddie for four hours outlining a list of touristy and not-so-touristy things to do (57 things in all, color-coded, por favor...we take this seriously), I flew out on Easter Sunday, ready to visit the town I remember from a vivid story-book I read as a child.
And it was a fairytale.

[Interlude: I had a four hour lay-over at the Zurich airport, which I have renamed the Golden Airport (Alex, Raphael...) because it is beyond expensive.
Though my homemade eldenberry lemonade--Golden     Lemonade--was delicious; and the flight attendant gave me really good Swiss chocolate easter eggs]
                                                 And the alps are beautiful-->

When I landed in Prague, I first thanked my parents mentally for having taken me through 19485798 airports in my life so that I didn't have to read the signs to orient myself, because let me tell you, French/English/Spanish/Portuguese does NOT help you with Czech (see below, try to pronounce out loud).

I met my beautiful friend Maddie and we set off to our first hostel, a very artsy, cozy home with amazing breakfast the next day.

Side note: Eastern Europe is not necessarily sketchy, as some may think. Prague at night had a soothing charm to it, and we could make out in the distance the lighted castle, floating on top of its hill. Couldn't wait to get started!

Monday morning, we discovered how rich you feel when in the Czech Republic: you frequently pull out 1,000 bills from the cash dispenser, and everything is really cheap. How do I know that? Because for 12 Euros a night, we stayed in a PALACE. I mean, think old oak dresser, chandeliers, queen bed for us 2, adjacent room for my other two friends bigger than my room in Brazil...oh, and a bathroom with a bath tub and a huge kitchen/dining room. Sleeping would not be a problem.

We decided to leave structure and plans for when the two girls arrived, so Maddie and I took a walk around to greet Prague in daylight. The quiet streets cocooned their humbly magnificent monuments so that you had to peek under old weeping willow trees and around parks to find the dark, Gothic cathedrals and bustling tea shops/pubs. To us, the silence and dark buildings--unlike the usual Renaissance buildings, all bright and clean, that I'm used to seeing--projected a sort of solemnity that added to the charm of the city unfolding itself. We found the beautiful river, sunning itself in multitudes of colors, and walked along its edge, where people jogged, biked, and fed the swans (don't you?).

We entered the center of Prague, where the Old Town Square boasted a market of typical delicacies and ornaments, and found the famous Astronomical Clock (which tells absolutely everything but the time--zodiac signs, days of the year, etc), just as the trumpet man blared the changing of the hour from the tower high above us.

We followed my list's recommendation and turned into a side street, went down a few steps, and emerged in a hidden cellar-type restaurant that looked straight out of a Medieval storybook.

After a lunch of tender pork with winter vegetable sauce, potato dumplings, and spiced hot wine (my Austrian world--think Punsch, but with red wine), we decided to take our food babies over to where they made these tunnel-shaped pastries coated in sugar and almonds (tröln), with the same recipe Jesus himself used. Needless to say, more walking was in order.

We picked up the two girls from the airport and all went to grab some of Prague's famous beer, by the river. Then back to our palace.

Tuesday was tourist day. After a delicious breakfast in a cozy, green, soft café named Mamma's Café (a trip favorite and recommendation!), we walked to the Charles Bridge, a picture-perfect bronze arm that cradles the river. It's not that long, but we took our time crossing it: it's hard passing all those earring and art vendors with four girls, without stopping. Statues dot the bridge and tourists circled in and out of the art sellers, while the castle smiled above, beckoning us to pllleeease come visit!

The rain hurried us up the hill to the entrance of the Castle "area"--I say area, because not only does the castle reside on top of Prague, but so do St Vitus' Cathedral, Golden Lane, the President's chambers...Our pass gave us access to all these wonders!

We made our way back down the hill and wandered into Mala Strana, Prague's less-touristy, but equally picturesque "Lesser Quarter", and found the Lennon Wall. As appropriate, I left a peace message. When in Prague...Also to note: all of us tried riding a segway-->other check off the bucket list! Too bad the rental was 75 euros, we looked pretty stylish.
Because things look better from the clouds anyways, we climbed back up another green, flowery hill called Petrin Hill, and stopped to take in Prague unfolding before us. It was breathtaking, inspirational, magical.

That night, we got Thai take-out to eat in our palace (there really is no other word) and then hopped over to the Ice Bar Prague (Find one near you! and go!). REALLY cool place, pun intended.
(pics of ice bar)

The castle at night-->

To be continued...