(Blog 7)
Praha (Prague): Before we left on our 10 day Europe adventure, we each printed out all of our flight tickets as well as our bus tickets and hostel confirmations for the entirety of Spring Break. We learned from our previous mistakes and didn't want to fuss of printing them at the airport or missing a bus because of a cranky driver. Most of the time you can print airline tickets free at the customer service desk but it depends on the airport and on occasion the bus drivers won't let you on without your boarding ticket confirmation. Better safe than stuck!
After a long day spent packing, traveling and waiting in lines at the airport we finally landed in Prague or Praha as it is locally called. This would be the first leg of our spring break journey. We grabbed a taxi and made our way to our hostel home for the next few days and settled in before stopping in a local traditional Czech restaurant. While most of the menu items we were able to read in somewhat understandable English, we all decided to have fun and take a risk getting a traditional check meal based on the Czech name. What you see above is Praha's version of Goulash, which was much different than in the states but absolutely wonderful in its own right. ( I think I may have eaten it twice while there!) Make sure if you don't stop in a local bank, that you pull out money as most places only accept cash in the local currency. Czech's currency is in Koruna. It was actually quite a challenge throughout spring break to switch from US dollars, to Koruna, to Euros, to Pounds and finally back to Euros! Make sure you check the change over rates as well. Even with that knowledge my head was still constantly trying to wrap around how much I was paying for anything. That being said Prague is a good vacation destination in my opinion because everything there is actually relatively cheap which is nice on a student budget!
After a long day spent packing, traveling and waiting in lines at the airport we finally landed in Prague or Praha as it is locally called. This would be the first leg of our spring break journey. We grabbed a taxi and made our way to our hostel home for the next few days and settled in before stopping in a local traditional Czech restaurant. While most of the menu items we were able to read in somewhat understandable English, we all decided to have fun and take a risk getting a traditional check meal based on the Czech name. What you see above is Praha's version of Goulash, which was much different than in the states but absolutely wonderful in its own right. ( I think I may have eaten it twice while there!) Make sure if you don't stop in a local bank, that you pull out money as most places only accept cash in the local currency. Czech's currency is in Koruna. It was actually quite a challenge throughout spring break to switch from US dollars, to Koruna, to Euros, to Pounds and finally back to Euros! Make sure you check the change over rates as well. Even with that knowledge my head was still constantly trying to wrap around how much I was paying for anything. That being said Prague is a good vacation destination in my opinion because everything there is actually relatively cheap which is nice on a student budget!
Mai Thais and Pad Thai: My comrades and I decided to start our long day of walking by grabbing a quick lunch and a morning cocktail at a Thai restaurant very near our hostel. I would absolutely suggest finding a hostel or hotel that is near the river or near the city center. Prague is small enough that most of thing you want to see are within walking distance. Being centrally located made it easy for us to grab a quick bite and waste no time or money on taxis. We discovered the city on and off the beaten path. It was so much fun to explore without time-frames or limitations. We weren't bogged down by a long list of tourist attractions that we had to rush to and kept our list to a few of the major landmarks. Our first stop was the Charles Bridge.
Walking: The Charles Bridge is only one or many bridges that crosses Vltava River, which divides Prague. It is also only one of sever beautiful and historical places you can see in this city without even looking too hard. By the end of our time spent there I'm sure we had crossed over several!
The beauty that unfolds with every turn of this city never ceased to amaze me. Around every corner there was another beautiful thing unfolding in front of your eyes! Prague was definitely the first city I've found that matches my core. After walking across the bridge and down a beautiful cobblestone street, we found ourselves at the John Lennon wall. It was amazing to see the artwork and history being created as we watched and snapped pictures. People were adding on to it, changing it, and moulding it. Honestly it was amazing to be a part of. As we departed from the wall and continued our walking journey, only half a block away we stopped to watch a street performer blowing massive bubbles for onlooking kids and adults alike. Again just part of the wonderful charm of this city!
Final Day in Prague: On our final day in Prague, we visited a bar made entirely of ice. The tables, floors, walls, and even the cups were made of solid ice! We had to wear special thermo suits and could only stay inside for 30 minutes but it was extremely interesting to see. I suggest you Czech it out!! After we left the Ice bar we decided to warm up with a long walk up a very steep hillside and several flights of stairs to reach the top of Prague's self proclaimed "Mini Eiffel Tower." Although there is a paved walking path, we decided to rough it and climb the side of the hill following Brittany's superb navigational skills! It was a few Koruna to actually be able to venture to the top but the view was more than worth it. From the circular tower you can overlook the city in all directions. Absolutely a must see! The night life in Prague was also a great attribute. Many bars stay open later on the weekend and in some the beer is literally cheaper than the water! If you are looking for something to do after the sun goes down, I would suggest checking into some of the local nightlife near your hostel.
Flights: This is where our trip became a bit more interesting. We are studying abroad in Ireland and several of us felt that it would be silly not to be in Ireland during one of its bigger holidays; St. Patrick's Day. We planned a layover of 2 nights in Dublin so we could experience it in our "home away from home." The only kink in our plan was a plane that ended up having serious malfunctions. We ended up waiting 6 hours for another plane to fly in from Italy so it could take us to Dublin. I was in the airport for a collective 10 hours by the time we ended up landing in Dublin. It was much later than planned and we ended up heading straight for the hostel.
St. Patrick's Day in Dublin: The next day was Patty's Day. Everyone was wearing exorbitant amounts of green and showing their Ireland pride! We watched a parade that lasted a few hours, enjoyed traditional Irish music, and met many people from all over the world. It was interesting to me that so many of the people we met were actually from different countries and came to join in the celebration. I felt at home being back in Ireland for a few brief days. And I even met a few friends through my limited knowledge of Gaelic! Classes with Jane Marie really have come in handy! The streets were packed during the day and well into the night! I loved seeing everyone so enthusiastic!
Flights: This is where our trip became a bit more interesting. We are studying abroad in Ireland and several of us felt that it would be silly not to be in Ireland during one of its bigger holidays; St. Patrick's Day. We planned a layover of 2 nights in Dublin so we could experience it in our "home away from home." The only kink in our plan was a plane that ended up having serious malfunctions. We ended up waiting 6 hours for another plane to fly in from Italy so it could take us to Dublin. I was in the airport for a collective 10 hours by the time we ended up landing in Dublin. It was much later than planned and we ended up heading straight for the hostel.
St. Patrick's Day in Dublin: The next day was Patty's Day. Everyone was wearing exorbitant amounts of green and showing their Ireland pride! We watched a parade that lasted a few hours, enjoyed traditional Irish music, and met many people from all over the world. It was interesting to me that so many of the people we met were actually from different countries and came to join in the celebration. I felt at home being back in Ireland for a few brief days. And I even met a few friends through my limited knowledge of Gaelic! Classes with Jane Marie really have come in handy! The streets were packed during the day and well into the night! I loved seeing everyone so enthusiastic!
London: Once our St. Patrick's Day fun was over we retreated to the hotel and repacked again for the final leg of our Spring Break journey. Our next stop was London. It was a whole different city than I have ever experienced. Unfortunately, although it was beautiful, London is the least favorite place I have visited so far. The people were friendly but the streets were confusing to navigate and everything was extremely pricy including all of the big name tourist sites. It takes about 1.5 US dollars to make a pound so even when something looked reasonably prices at around 6 pounds you were actually spending closer to 10$ which made me weary to buy much of anything.
Phantom of the Opera: Most likely my favorite part of London was the amazing theatre scene. You couldn't walk more than a couple of blocks without seeing a theatre or an add for a new production. Coming from a theatre background myself I absolutely loved how jazzed London was about the performing arts. On the first night, I took in a show called the Phantom of the Opera. It is one of my favorites! I was absolutely in awe of their wonderful stage presence as well as the impeccable timing of the technical crew to pull off some of the stunts and illusions. Truly a wonderful piece of life theatre. It is absolutely worth it if you are in London to see one of their live performances of any show you can get your hands on. I don't think they could disappoint!
Free Views: Although many of the popular tourist spots in London seemed to be tourist money traps, we stumbled upon a few good places that were free and very nice if the weather was decent. The War Museum was a four story museum showcasing items and stories from WWI all the way through current day Afghanistan. It was interesting to see the progressions and to see so much history up close. Another beautiful place to visit was Trafalgar Square. It is in front of the Museum of History and has 4 large lion statues out front. There are also 2 very large wishing fountains with statues and colored water. Very beautiful as the sun goes down. London had some of the best street performers I have ever seen and many of them gather in the square to show off their different talents. We watched in amazement at several different performers while wandering through. Another free place to visit was St. James Park. There are several paths through the park that lead you to different attractions in the city. We found our favorite spot was on one of several benches onlooking a flock of adorable ducks! After a long day of walking and exploring it was absolutely perfect to sit and watch the sun go down while ducks splashed in the water and the London Eye began to glow. An place of absolute tranquility.
Final Day in London: On our last day in London we tried to take in as many sites as we could. We rode a carousel, visited Shakespeare's globe theatre and took a ride on the London Eye. (Red wheel) We went to a small prison museum called "The Clink," where the name was originally coined to describe the sound of blacksmiths hitting metal to make shackles and the sound the shackles made when prisoners walk. I learned there that the term pulling your leg was not an endearing term. It actually was a form of mercy. When a friend was being hanged, onlooking friends would grab the legs and pull down to end the misery. A bit dark but I found the history of Clink Street very interesting. We also stopped by M&M world and then stepped off the beaten path to walk along the river banks in the sand at low tide. Although the attractions were all they were made to be and the city was a bit pricy, you have to give credit to the amazing river view and quaint side stops. For this London redeemed itself in my eyes. As with any big city, a map was extremely helpful to navigate and they are free virtually everywhere!
Ireland: Home: After a long 10 days hiking, walking, dancing and in and out of airports and hostels, it felt good to finally be back in Ireland and kick my feet up on a barstool in An Droighnon in Spiddal. Home sweet home!