It has been a crazy
week of transition. Adjusting to a new place, currency, and language – the sum
of it all has left me little time to write a blog post. But now we are settled
in France, and you will be caught up on everything shortly.
In the meantime: Back
to Prague!
Our second full day in Prague, Jacob and I decided to cross
the Vltava River that splits Prague in half. The
city is well known for the many beautiful bridges that span the river – the
most famous of which is Charles’ Bridge.
The bridge is old, beautiful, and provides wonderful views
of the city, but the real fun, as we
had been informed, was playing “Spot the Pickpocket”.
Unfortunate though it is, Prague is home to many gangs of
pickpockets who prey on unsuspecting tourists. (If you plan on visiting Prague
don’t be deterred: simply using common sense should save you from any trouble.)
In the meantime, you get to go pickpocket hunting. They are surprisingly easy
to spot. Shady looking men, who are clearly not tourists, shuffle around
crowded areas, gazing intently at groups of people gawking up at buildings or
studying maps. Come on pickpockets – could you be any less subtle?
Anyways, avoiding the pickpockets, Jacob and I made our way
over to the other side of the river to make a trek up Petrin Hill. Petrin Hill
is a large public park that boasts an incredible view of the city from the top,
along with an observatory, monastery, and (oddly enough) a miniature Eiffel Tower.
The view was spectacular.
As was the beer brewed by the monks at the monastery on
Petrin Hill. Probably
some of the best we had in Prague – and that’s saying a lot.
Aside from its bridges, Prague is also well known for beer.
I can’t claim to be particularly devoted to beer, but my goodness. Prague was
poised to change my mind. The beer was plentiful, cheap, and delicious. We drank a lot of beer in
Prague (well – a lot of beer for us… which
isn’t saying much).
Jacob and I headed to a nearby alehouse for lunch, and after
perusing the menu, settled on a plate of Brawn. We did not know what it was,
but we had been assured that it was meat, and it was included in the local
specialties.
We received this.
As it turns
out, Brawn is another word for Head Cheese: various bits of pork meat scraped from head, and bound
together with gelatin. Flavorful, but not the most appealing texture. Luckily, we had these to help wash it
down.
After lunch we went to check out the castle, and spent more
time wandering through the streets.
That evening we went to State Opera House to watch a
performance of the ballet Giselle. We had picked up two tickets for an
incredibly cheap $15 USD. The
ballet was incredible, the music was flawless, and the theater was breath
taking. Apparently in Prague, a cheap ticket doesn’t mean you will be showing
up for amateur hour.
The next day we left Prague for what turned out to be one of
the most memorable connecting flights of our time so far. Stay tuned!
