27 de enero de 2017

TWO DAYS IN PRAGUE

One of the trips that my friends and I did during our Erasmus was Prague. We stayed two nights at Hostel Altair, which is really well located so you can go to the centre of Prague walking. As it was Christmas, the city was decorated with lots of lights, so it was beautiful.



As this was what I call an “express trip”, what means a short trip: two days are few days and we wanted to see everything, we had  to walk all over Prague on foot without stopping to rest (except to have a few beers at night hahaha) but the fatigue was worth it, and when you are walking it seems to be less cold!

The first day, given that we had gotten up early enough to catch the plane and we were a little tired, we decided to do tourism on our own. We went to Wenceslas Square, where you can find some stands to buy the typical food, and then to the National Museum and the State Opera (but we didn’t see their inside). That day we also saw the National Theatre and the famous Dancing House (Nationale-Nederlanden). 

I couldn't take great pictures about the monuments we saw in the evening as it gets dark really soon...
National Theatre

Opera

Dancing house

What we really enjoyed that day was having lunch at U Parlamentu: great dishes, delicious and cheap. We ate the typical Czech dish, the Goulash.  This plate and a beer only cost 8,55€!



The next day was the big day. We did a three hour free tour in Spanish in the morning. I totally recommend you to do a free tour because the guides explain really well, and despite those days were very cold, we liked it a lot since the guides show you almost the whole city: Powder Tower,  the Municipal House, the Tyn Church which is located in the Old Town Hall and the Old Town Square (it was beautiful with a giant Christmas tree full of lights), Franz Kafka Square, the famous Astronomic Clock (go there at exactly o’clock and see what happens!), the Old New Synagogue and the Spanish Synagogue. We also saw the Kafka Statue and finally, the Rudolfinum (a concert and exhibitions hall).

In front of the Tyn Church they have built buildings, that is why it is not seen in its entirety. Even so, YOU CAN ENTER IT, and many people don't know it! (The entrance is between two of the buildings)

Powder Tower

Powder Tower


Tyn Church


Old Town Hall 


Astronomic Clock
Franz Kafka statue

In the evening we ate just a sandwich because we did not want to waste time eating: there were many things to see and in Prague night falls soon (16:30)! We crossed the Charles Bridge, which is the oldest bridge in Prague and crosses the Vltava River. In this bridge there are people selling paintings, scalpel, etc., as well as many local people walking. Before crossing the bridge, we stopped at St. Nicholas Church.










St. Nicholas Church

Once we crossed the Charles Bridge, we went to the John Lennon Wall. As I like the Beatles since I was little, I loved to see the wall. In addition there was a guy playing with the guitar songs of the Beatles, which made the place a special place. 




Before taking thousands of photos there, we made our own to the Prague CastleSt. Vitus Cathedral and the Golden Lane



St. Vitus Cathedral



If you want to have a beer in a cool place, I definitely recommend you to go to Vytopna, a pub where they bring you the drink in little trains!

By the way, Zizkov is a street plenty of pubs, Bukowski is the most famous one.



In case you want to go to a pub to listen some music, you can go to the Vzorkovna, the coolest pub I have ever been! It's an underground bar where you can sit on swings, stands, is full of graffitis, and anyone can get on the stage to play!



WHERE TO EAT

U Parlamentu, which I have mentioned before.
The Usuduold dungeons converted into a bar.
Potrefená Husa: An ideal place to go with friends and try various dishes. All of theme were delicious!
U Vejvodu: we didn't go there but a friend of mine that is studying in Prague says it is a good restaurant.

Domácí Svicková at Potrefená Husa

Finally, do not forget to try the Trdelník, the typical czech desert that you can find in all the squares in Prague! (For those of you living in Sweden, the taste is very similar to that of the kanelbullar)



Do not hesitate to visit Prague, it is a beautiful city and in my opinion a good Erasmus destination because it is cheap and it is in the center of Europe, so it is close to everything!