Prague, 2018
- Apr 11, 2019
- 6 min read
Out of the three cities, Prague was my favourite (not only because I had Gelato practically every single day I was there). Here goes:
Prep Your Tech
We live in a day and age where separating from technology is almost impossible. If you're trying out a tech-free life, then cools - but if getting lost in a city (literally, not just figuratively) is not your ideal way to know a country better, then might I suggest to prepare your power banks, especially if you don't speak the language and can't just ask around. Most of the time your handy gadget would be both your camera and map (do people even ask for directions anymore?) at the same time and this drains out your battery pretty quickly, also, make sure you have enough data (but please also don't knock into a pole). If you use a camera, remember to charge them whenever you can and bring spare batteries!
Photo-Taking 101
I get it, you're in a different culture and everything is exciting. There is a constant need to "take it for the gram bling bling" but always remember to firstly, respect the privacy of others - be mindful not to photobomb people (I do it sometimes because it's funny ngl, "omg look a random Asian photobombed me ha ha ha"), also don't block out an entire bridge for 20 minutes just to get a "fake candid" photo of yourself. You might just have to be creative to think of how you want the crowd to be a part of your photo (because there are tourists everywhere, wanting a nice piece of photo as well; but Pinterest offers many alternative angles that works just as well) - or how you can avoid them (e.g. shouting "excuse meeee, you're in my frame snap snap" lol jokes, there are honestly a lot more aesthetically pleasing corners that aren't mainstream and you just got to frame it well to capture a good photo). Secondly, and more importantly, don't only feed your camera. Take a few moments to breathe in the foreign air, appreciate what or who are around you and enjoy yourself. Sometimes, you don't need photos as proof it happened (but then again I watch "The Vow" and am reminded that if ever I lose my memory, these photos would be of great help). But really though, don't miss out on the delicate details of old architecture - they're truly phenomenal. The only awkward thing is requesting for someone to help you take photos, and requesting again because the first photo wasn't nice enough...
Convert & Bring Cash
A cashless society is a lot more convenient, I know (now that I ponder on this topic, would the number of beggars decrease because people no longer have cash? Or would they accept donations with their smartphones? Interesting idea for a research study). It depends on your bank but there are times when international transactions are more expensive because of the conversation rates or if they charge extra for conversation. It is often also cheaper to withdraw and convert cash before you leave home because some ATM machines charge extra for foreign banks (honestly not the expert in this area so it's best to look it up!). But there are also times where the transportation ticket machines didn't accept cards as well (either because it was broken or because we didn't know how to use them...). We also spent a lot of money at the Christmas markets where they preferred cash - so if you'd be snacking off of street vendors then having some cash would be helpful!
Highlights
I felt like we were the most adventurous in Prague, I got to try some duck pâté (I also bought some rabbit pâté home but didn't realize they're meant to be consumed within 7-10 days and the whole jar essentially went mouldy). Now that I think about it I suppose trying the pâté was the only exciting thing we tried (LOL)... Anyway.
The town was pretty easy to manoeuvre around because all the touristy thing was around the same area, here are some of my favs:
1. The Prague Castle
They had guards on duty and we got to see them change shifts and we had to go through a security check (just every day things I guess).
There was a magnificent church in the castle, the St. Vitus Cathedral. We do this thing where we stand really close to tour groups and try to eavesdrop and get more info (or we can just Google to find out more but it's pretty fun to eavesdrop). According to Wikipedia, it is an example of gothic architecture (which was throughout the city) and it's the largest and most important church in the county. The entire walk to the castle was also very pretty - with pastel pink, blue and yellow walls; there is an Art Gallery nearby, random good-looking fountain and the view overlooking the hill.
2. Prague Astronomical Clock & Charles Bridge
The Old Town Sqaure generally had a few exciting spots and this clock was one of it, if you have the chance, wait for the hourly show (I mean, it's not the most breathtaking clock-ticking, it's just slight-scary-looking painting of the saints rotating but the structure behind the clock was still interesting). If you're into clocks, astronomy or gothic sculptures, this clock is definitely your thing (or ding! get it?).
At one point, the Charles Bridge was the only way you could cross the Vltava river. It is beautifully constructed, with lively Jazz music (by old, near-retirement-age musicians but they sure looked like they're having fun; if you're also going to stay through the entire set, the least you could do if give them a few coins), caricature artists, arguing couples (funnily enough we came across multiple couples arguing, I guess traveling together reveals different parts of people), many people taking selfies and amazing (and amazingly dirty) sculptures. It was also featured in the new Spiderman movie (heheheh).
3. Petrin Tower & Lennon Wall
The tower is essentially a mini version of the Eiffel Tower in Prague haha, used as an observation and transmission tower. You could also pay to climb the stairs all the way up, but the hike up to the base of the tower itself was already hard work in itself (alternatively you can take the cable car - which is included in the daily travel pass if you're getting one). It was a nice walk slightly away from the crowded square and gives you a pretty good view of the town below - quite breathtaking (literally because you just completed a pretty steep hike up).
Similarly, the Lennon wall is also slightly further from the popular spots but also gives you interesting views along the way (and is at the other end of the bridge).
4. Crème de la Crème
This is now my favourite ice cream/gelato shop in the entire world (not like I've visited much of the world but yea). I tried the Lavender flavoured gelato and fell in love (it's so good I cry). You can eat it forever and never get sick of it, it offered a subtle sweetness that keeps making you want more (urg, I miss it). We went back there again to try other flavours and just took a break from all the walking (there were a lot of walking, and the toilets here were clean hehe). I'm highlighting this because it was SO good. Here's the address (you're welcome): Husova 231/12, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia
The Prague ham was also to die for (I'm not sure if it was a Christmas-special but I'm sure you can find it somewhere. It was smoked for hours and sliced into delicious, tender pieces, served with crisps - we skipped the restaurants altogether and just brought this big chunk of meat home with us as we binge-watched Harry Potter. It was delicious. There were also a lot of cute book stores with cute postcards.
Out of the three cities we visited during this trip, Prague was my favourite - it was easy to travel around and all the touristy places were quite close to each other. It was relatively cheaper (compared to Vienna) and had interesting gothic architecture and amazing views and the. best. ice. cream. ever. If you had a budget and could only visit one of these places, I'd definitely recommend Prague!
Until next time, xxxxxxxx (and many more x's).
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