We arrived at our hostel at about 7. I was expecting an ugly small smelly hostel, but it looked just like my apartment here. There were two huge rooms, one with 3 beds and a little kitchen and another with 5 beds.
The bathroom smelled horrific and there was only one for 8 people, but it didn't bother us that much. We really needed another mirror to get ready because there was only one in the bathroom, so note to self is bring a portable mirror next time I stay at a hostel. I was nervous about using the hostels sheets/towels/pillow, but they were perfectly fine. The bed was really comfortable as well. I didn't feel like we were staying in a hostel. I felt clean and safe. We got ready quickly and headed over to Beer Factory which is a bar located in the center of Prague Wenceslav Square. It was so cool, each table had a keg and you poured however many glasses you wanted. The girls ate dinner and drank beer all night, until the boys showed up to celebrate Danny (Blinky's) birthday at midnight. After midnight, there were some crazy Europeans dancing with us and making fools of themselves, but it was very entertaining. We were going to go to another bar for Danny's bday, but we decided to just go home and rest up for the next day. We were able to sleep in till about eleven which means we got the most sleep yet abroad! It was fantastic!
The next day we got up and met the other girls staying in the hostel downstairs. We were told to find this bagel place called Bohemian Bagel to eat lunch. All 17 of us went on a walk through all of Prague city to find this place. It was amazing! There were so many choices of bagles/sandwiches/pastries/salads etc. I decided to get the grilled vegetables on a bagel sandwich. It was heaven! And somewhat cheap, well I am not sure, but it seemed like it in crowns haha.
After our fantatsic bagels, we went to meet up with our tour guide for a "free tour." It wasnt actually a free tour because he basically begged up for tip money, but o well it was worth it! It was a three hour tour all over Prague. We started in Old Town Square which is the oldest and most important square in Prague. It has so many historical buildings such as the Old Town City Hall, the Astronomical Clock, St. Nicholas Church, and other buildings with various architectural styles such as cubism. We then walked around New Town Square which was founded by Charles IV in 1348. It consists of many shops, hotels, restaurants, cafes, and food stands which attracts tourists, especially us. There is SUBWAY and STARBUCKS in Prague, so of course we had to get them! As bad as this sounds, I missed my Starbucks coffee and turkey sandwich. Oh I forgot to mention. Prague was freezing, especially during our 3 hour tour OUTSIDE. Our feet literally froze off that I could barely walk on them. After walking for about 1.5 hours, we were able to take a break, and of course we went back to Bohemian Bagel to warm up. Then we went to the Jewish Quarter of Prague which was probably the coolest and most interesting part of the tour for me. The Jewish Quarter contains the remains of Prague's former Jewish Ghetto. We were able to see the Old Jewish cemetery, which is the oldest surviving Jewish cemetery in the World. People had to be buried on top of each other because there was lack of space. There are about 12 layers and over 12,000 gravestones. Around 100,000 people are buried there. We also saw the oldest working synagoge in Europe, the Staronová synagóga) and the Pinkas Synagogue which serves as a memorial hall to the Jewish Czech victims of the Nazis. All of their names are inscribed on the walls in this synagogue for memory. I was amazed and shocked at what I was seeing and learning about. I never knew the side to the story about the Holocaust and Jewish Czech people until the tour. History amazes me.
We continued on our tour for another hour and froze. It was finally over and we were relieved. I cannot described to you how cold my body/feet were, it was unbearable. We basically ran back to our hostel for dinner and to warm up. From 5-7 at the hostel, each person gets a free beer, so we drank and talked until we found a place to eat dinner. We decided that in each country we visit, we are going to splurge on a big dinner and have a traditional home cooked meal. We all got a typical Czech dinner and had some pancakes/apple pie for dessert! AMAZING!!! Dinner made us so full, but we had to rush back get ready and start going out and meet the guys for Danny's bday. We met them at a local bar, which we were then kicked out of. Stupid Americans. The bars in Prague were disgusting. You could barely breathe and see because of all the smoke! Then a few of us decided to go to an underground club/bar called Cross Club. Omg was it an experience. I was exposed to very type of drug, alcohol, and cigarette. I was disgusted. But it was definitely something I will remember. I am not really sure how to explain the scene I was in, but my clothes smelled so bad that I took a shower right when I got home. Smoking is EVERYWHERE in Prague!
After going to bed at 430am, we got up at 930am to go to a cute breakfast place that was also recommended. It was my first time having eggs abroad, and they were delicious. The food in Europe is so good! We decided today to walk the streets of Prague on our own. We first stopped to see the John Lennon Wall which is graffiti and lyrics from Beatles songs all over this random wall. Wow! It was unreal. We managed to take about 100 pictures there, the art is great backgrounds to pictures! We then walked to the Castle. The Prague Castle, is the most significant Czech monument and cultural places in the Czech Republic. It is the largest castle complex in the world! At the top, you can see all of Prague! Just like the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Vatican in Rome! Since we woke up early, we were exhausted and hungry and got Subway for dinner. Typical Americans! We went back and had time to relax/hang out for a few hours. My hostel talked/got ready and went upstairs after a while to hang out with the other girls.
We decided that our last night in Prague should be our craziest, so we went to a 5 story club right on the river. It was 120 crown for cover, which is probably a lot, but it was definitely worth the money. Each floor had a theme to their music. We hit all 5 floors, but enjoyed the 90's music floor the most even though it was unbelievably hot! They played great 90's music, brought back some great Middle School Memories. Of course, when I got home from the club I immediately took a shower!
Today was just a travel day. We managed to take a subway, bus, plane, train, and tram all in one day! Sorry if this blog is so long, but I needed to update everyone on my fantastic and crazy weekend in Prague! Now I need to get some work done!
Ciao
-Marisa
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