Wanderlust: Prague & Cesky Krumlov
"After hearing Prague praised as “The Paris of Eastern Europe,” we decided we had to visit. It was raining in the city when we arrived, which was a refreshing change from the intense heat of Israel. First thing, we checked into The Hotel Prague Inn and looked out our window onto Wenceslas Square to find an international folk dancing competition. We interpreted it as a welcome ceremony and a sign of great things to come.
We spent the rest of the day taking a long walk through New Town (which is actually quite old, since it was built in the 1300s) and wandering in the direction of Prague Castle. We stopped to change money and were astounded by how beautiful the Czech Crowns are. They’re like little pieces of art that everyone carries around with them.
We stopped for extra foamy cappuccinos two times at two different places during our 40 minute walk to the castle. At the top of the hill, we found a magnificent view of the city that reminded us of every fairytale we’ve ever read combined into one. On our way back down to the real world, we decided to stop for a pint of Velvet beer that was recommended to us in L.A. It was delicious and had a higher percentage of alcohol than we expected. We laughed our way back to our hotel, only managing to take two or three wrong turns along the way.
A three-hour bus ride from Prague brought us to a village reminiscent of a fairytale—Česky Krumlov. The village is maze of cobblestone alleyways squeezed around a 13th century castle and cathedral, with the Vltava River flowing through the center.
Before venturing into the town we parked ourselves on a bench on a hill overlooking the city so Claire could sketch the view.
After an hour we walked down, took a chance on a medieval restaurant, and marveled over the stained glass windows in the cathedral. We topped the day off with a tour of the castle, which was extravagantly furnished at the height of the Gothic and Rococo periods. In the evening it began to rain and our poor shoe choice was evident, as the cobblestone streets became a “Slip 'n Slide.”
We laughed, sang in the rain, and eventually forfeited our umbrella all together. We literally soaked up all the city had to offer."—Katie and Claire
