The Czech Republic, more recently referred to as Czechia, is a landlocked country in central Europe just east of Germany. It is also surrounded by neighboring countries Austria to the south, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The capital city of the Czech Republic is Prague, and the official language is Czech.
After meeting some friends from back home in Berlin for the weekend, I hopped on a train headed south toward Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, to meet up with some study abroad friends (Kabir & Ethan). The train ride there was quite interesting, as I couldn't find my seat number on my ticket and ended up chilling in the 1st class cabin for the majority of the ride by accident. They even checked my ticket when I first boarded and never said anything, so I was a bit surprised when they checked again a few hours later and asked me to relocate to the 2nd class cabins.
Anyway, upon arriving in Prague after 4 hours on the train, I made my way to meet Ethan and Kabir for lunch. We took quite a hike across the city from our Airbnb, passing by churches and palaces before stopping in a small courtyard for some pokebowls. After a long morning of travel, lunch sure hit the spot! We then made our way to Prague Castle, perched up on a hill that overlooked the city.
Walking around the castle grounds, there were actually quite a few places to see and explore. The most iconic place of interest was the St. Vitus Cathedral, rising up into the sky with its notable "black" Gothic-style spires. Upon closer inspection, I realized the spires aren't actually made from a black material, rather from a beige stone that just looks dirty.
Even though the original stone is more beige in color, I think the black appearance really stands to create a unique appearance from afar. The inside was quite marvelous as well, boasting high arched ceilings and plenty of stained glass windows - a common trait among these European churches.
In the back half of the complex, we walked through St. George's Basilica, a much smaller building behind the main cathedral where we sat down to take a quick rest and ended up listening to a passing tour group for a few minutes. Following that, we walked through a narrow street known as the Golden Lane, which was lined with very small (and I mean very small) houses that have since been converted into little shops. One house that I particularly liked showcased medieval armor and weaponry over the last few hundred years, really adding to that old castle vibe. Sadly I don't have any pictures on this street, though I swear I took at least one, but I did come across this cool Menorah for sale in one of the shops.
We finally left the castle through the gardens off to the side and headed toward Petrin Tower. Now, I had seen Petrin Tower earlier in the day from afar, and although it looked like a mini Eiffel Tower, we assumed it was just a radio tower. But funnily enough, it wasn't too far from Prague Castle so we decided to go check it out. Sure enough, you could buy a ticket to climb to the top, offering some sick views out over the city and especially of the St. Vitus Cathedral. There was even a little cafe down at the bottom! I managed to capture this shot of the cathedral poking out over the surrounding landscape.
With evening approaching, we made our way back to the main part of the city to walk around Old Town. In Old Town Square there was another church from the medieval period, its two towers topped with black spires, as well as the famous Astronomical Clock mounted on the side of another building. Ethan and Kabir, who'd been in Prague a couple days before I arrived, were raving about this Czech dessert, so of course we had to find a shop to try it. Called a "chimney cake", it was essentially a cone of dough that could be filled with a number of toppings - nutella, ice cream, whipped cream, etc. I ordered one with nutella, of course, and all I can say is WOW... I don't know what magic they have in Prague, but the chimney cake is one of the best desserts I've had. Such a simple but effective concept.
At this point in the year here, the sun didn't fully set here until close to 10pm. So we walked around town some more, through a wide street with lots of shopping areas (called Wenceslas Square) and down to the National Museum at the other end. We did some people watching, talking for a bit, and finally left for dinner.
Now I had seen a place on Instagram back in January where the entire concept was burgers and beer served by a miniature train on rails, which was powered by an extensive rail network throughout the restaurant. I'd forgotten all about this until Prague. While window shopping on our way back up the street from the museum, I happened to catch a glimpse of this restaurant, Vytopna, and knew we had to go there for dinner. It definitely lived up to the hype, and was honestly not too unreasonable priced for such a gimmick concept. I got to enjoy a solid burger and beer with the boys, watching the train frequently pass by in front of us, and even got a sweet window view out over the happening Wenceslas Square. 10/10 experience, definitely recommend.
With the sun finally setting after dinner, we journeyed back to the Airbnb, passing once again through the Old Town Square and then past the Powder Tower, another iconic medieval-style building in the heart of Prague's Old Town. These black rooftops are really starting to grow on me, especially when paired with a lighter brick like limestone. My time in Prague was short, and though I'll have to come visit again to see all the city has to offer, I'd say we managed to pack a lot into just one day.
