Prague!!!

Leaving Greece was quite an adventure. It took six hours to get from my house to the airport. This turned out to be lucky because if it had taken five minutes longer I would have missed the flight all together which would have left me with one downbeat story. Man I am glad I made it!

I arrived in Prague and was met by the two beautiful and familiar faces of Sam and Meredith. A rush of joy came over me and I couldn't stop smiling for three whole days. It is amazing what a familiar face will do for you after being away for a few months. They took me straight to a little restaurant called the meat emporium where we had baby back ribs, hot wings, and a waiter that brought a huge delicious beer every time we gave him the thumbs up. Prague was definitely my kind of town. After dinner we went to the hostel where I was greeted by more NC State folks and feelings of familiarity. I dropped off my stuff and got ready for a night on the town.

Sam, Meredith, and Mary took me to one of their favorite bars. It was down in a basement with arched brick walls like a wine cellar. There were great drink specials and people who were actually dancing! This place was really pumping and I was more than happy to spend the whole night there. Then we heard that the other State found an 80's party so we decided to head over and check it out because there is nothing like going to your favorite theme party in one of the world's greatest cities. The highlight of the night was seeing a club full of Czechs interpretive dancing to the songs from Grease.





Sunday was spent sightseeing and wearing my camera battery out. Prague is just like the setting of a fairy tale. The city is incredibly beautifully and was accentuated by the freshly fallen snow. The buildings are all ornate with statues on their corners or a golden spire on top. There are trolleys that roll along the cobblestone streets and little pubs on every block. We went first to the central square and climbed up the clock tower. The view from the top was incredible, with the terracotta roofs covered in snow stretching far out into the distance.







From the square we wound our way through the picturesque streets crossing over the river to ride the funicular and visit the castle. On the walk Sam pointed out many public art pieces including a huge mobius strip mural by famous graffiti artist BLU. We reached the funicular and as we rode up the hill to the castle we got to watch the kids playing in the first snow of the year. At the top of the hill there is a mini Eiffel tower which was just screaming to be climbed. From the top you could see the entire city. Prague combines the beauty of the old architecture in the center with bunker like apartments left from the cold war creating a very interesting contrast.

At this point Mary and Meredith had to go to studio leaving Sam and I on our own and on the brink of participating in the best experience of the weekend. As we began our trek down the hill from the tower to the castle we noticed that the snow had been packed down into a sheet of ice and that the hill we had to descend had no railings. About five German guys Sam and myself all realized that there was no way we were going to make it to the bottom without falling and started to laugh in anticipation of the America's Funniest Home Videos highlight reel that was about to unfold. Two of the other guys just went for it, and started off full speed down the hill. After many spins and a whole bunch of pointing and laughing one of the guys landed flat on his butt. He got up with a big grin on his face because he knew he would still get to watch the show as we had yet to make the journey down. It was a great experience to just laugh and be laughed at by total strangers all in good fun. It must have taken us 15 minutes to get down the hill and luckily there were no injuries and only one more butt slide.





The castle was really amazing with stone faced guards posted at the gates. The architecture was intimidating, making you feel very small as soon as you entered. Inside the second square is an ornate cathedral covered in gargoyles with huge icicles dangling from their mouths. Inside the cathedral was truly incredible with huge stained glass windows and golden relics everywhere. This cathedral was absolutely enormous and actually holds the worlds largest rose window. It was one of the most awe inspiring structures I have ever been inside and know that cathedrals will always be on the itinerary for future trips.








We had dinner that night in a restaurant that was down in an old wine cellar. The table was made of large wooden planks and there were candles dripping wax down the brick walls. I had pork tenderloin with asparagus, mashed potatoes, and some great wine. Prague is an amazing city that both dwarfs you and draws you in. Somehow the soviet style of the TV tower and metro system fit really well with the cobblestone streets. The people are all very nice making the little cafes and pubs feel like home. In Prague I could finally see why so many people find Europe so enchanting. This trip came at a perfect time for me and I am so happy that I chose to come over here and study.