Czech Republic: Prague
Prague is by far one of the coolest cities in Europe. We haven't had much of a chance to party there (read: went to Prague with our families) so this entry is going to be tame.
First impression of the city: it's damn old... and beautiful. Prague's baroque architecture has been preserved unbelievably well and modern buildings barely touch the outskirts of the city. If you ever wondered what it might feel like to live back in the day, just walk around... you'll figure it out.
Second impression of Prague: everything is really cheap. Food, drinks, souvenirs, crystal. Buy, buy, buy. Gigantic chandeliers and wine glass sets are popular choices, but you're going to have to stick to window shopping unless you're keen on lugging more shit around.
The one thing you should not mind lugging around is Absinthe. It's dirt cheap in Prague. We paid 50 pounds (>$85) for a bottle in London and when we got to Prague we were pissed at the ridiculously low prices we saw in the train station. If you've never heard of Absinthe, that's probably because it's illegal in America. It's a dark green, liquorish-tasting alcohol made from wormwood. It was Hemingway's favorite and supposedly if you get drunk off it, the proof is so high you'll hallucinate. We can't verify the hallucinating part because the shit is so nasty we can't drink much. We're going to try again when we hit Prague this year.
Prague Things to Do
Josevof (The Jewish Quarter) Only about six synagogues remain here. If you don't appreciate them for their amazing design and painstaking mosaics, you should at least appreciate the careful restoration done after World War II. Another thing to check out is the Jewish cemetery. There are a hell of a lot of people buried here... on top of one another.
Storametske namesti (The Old Market Square) This is located in the middle of town on the side of the bridge that doesn't have the castle on it. The market square is bustling with people and has souvenir shops that are open ridiculously late. Remember this location, it'll be useful in finding your way around. There is a large church in the middle of the square and a tourist information office to the left. Go to this office for maps and guides.
Prazsky Hrad (Prague Castle) You're also going to want to check out the Prazsky Hrad. It's on the other side of Charles Bridge and it's a fairly decent walk…uphill, so you might want to check out the bus schedule. Once you make it to the castle, you have to get tickets to go in, but it's pretty cool, so do it. This castle once belonged to King Wenceslas. Remember the Christmas carol? Who knew this was a real guy? His castle is pretty impressive. You might want to invest in the audio tour if you're interested in learning a little history. If not, you'll be just fine walking around looking at everything. There are great photo ops too.
Church of the Nativity Located just north of the castle is the Church of the Nativity. Here they house a bunch of relics (bones) of different saints, and even the recreated version of the stable Jesus was born in, containing one original brick. Ask for a guided tour. You'll learn so much more, and it's small enough that they are very obliging. Make sure to tip them.
House of Bones One place we didn't get to go but have seen pictures of is the House of Bones. After the plague a guy collected the bones of the deceased and built a house out of them. A little macabre, but nonetheless, kind of cool. Check it out and tell us about it.
Shows Get tickets to one of the performances in the evening. Prague caters to tourists so you'll have a wide variety to choose from. Most shows are in English or without language. We saw a funky remake of a Cinderella with neon lights and costumes that glowed. There are also musical performances in many of the churches. The one we saw was so beautiful we fell asleep and were disappointed that we missed the end.
