"Oh, Prague is magical!"

I’m back where I’ve always been – writing at a café. But this time it’s different because I’m in Prague!

Officially my third day (of my six-day trip) and, as if it wasn’t already love at first sight, I am obsessed with this place.

I landed on Sunday and made my way to the city by 2pm, where I wandered around for a while. Stu was making her own way back to Prague from a weekend trip to Berlin, so, with six hours to kill, me and my pack just… started going.

I had no idea what I was going to see. The night before, I loaded up my iPod with some photos of maps from the internet, a list of sights from Stu, a few Czech phrases, and some new music of course. And that was it – my only “survival kit” for the day! It amazed me how much I accomplished with such little preparation.

Off the plane, I exchanged my Euros for Czech Krownes (which is a confusing, albeit inexpensive, currency); purchased a three-day transit pass; and hopped on the 119 bus into town. Only 25 minutes from the airport! From the bus I took the metro to a stop that I chose randomly because it had the word “star” in it. It ended up being the stop (but I didn’t know it yet). Out of the metro, I followed the stream of people, down the street, around a corner and – woah! – I was met with a crowd all taking pictures of ornate old buildings and a river. It was a gorgeous sight against a beautiful fall afternoon in Prague. Deciding that this seemed like a good place to start (and still having no idea what I was looking at), I snapped some shots and walked on.

I crossed the bridge, still in shock at the beauty of my location. I couldn’t believe that I had woken up in Aix-en-Provence that very morning (where it had been snowing – ah!) and was now in Prague, a city that looks completely different. Perhaps not culture shock; more like culture-wowed.

On the other side, I wandered around some more, walking alongside the river, before going back over the bridge and into more new territory.

Following the crowds again, I passed crammed souvenir shops, countless exchange counters, and restaurant chalkboards declaring “Traditional Czech Food” – all signs in English and Czech. The tiny street opened up onto a huge, open area with more impressive buildings and towers, flanked by cafés and tours groups.

As I kept walking, I left the busier areas and hoped I wasn’t getting lost. But the streets brought me back around to the crowds at the Palladium (a huge shopping center), which was on Stu’s list of places I could visit. Resisting the urge to shop, I walked on, passing more stores on the street (like Zara and Mango), until I got to a different bridge. The sun was starting its descent, so I decided to do only a little bit more walking before settling in a café.

I took a quick stroll along the river, through a little park on a random island, and then across the small bridge. I walked in the direction that indicated “Starbucks!” on Stu’s list/map; I had been by here earlier in the day, but it was much quieter now.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to try and use my non-existent Czech skills at Starbucks – the whole menu was in English :) I got a Venti Soy Latte (they only automatically put in two shots here, though), found a corner, set my pack down for the first time in hours, and enjoyed my first Starbucks in three months.

I chilled here for a few hours until Stu was back. At one point, I had my laptop out and a girl nearby exclaimed, “Are you from Colorado?! I recognize that Illegal Pete’s sticker!” Turns out, she went to CU Boulder (although is originally from Brooklyn – small world) and is now at grad school in London, just visiting Prague for the weekend. Yup, us Americans can always find each other, working on our laptops, in Starbucks ;)

Once I met up with Stu and went to her apartment, I was introduced to her housemates (who are really cool and really nice, and they go to CU – woo Colorado!). Then, we went out for Thai food at this nice place called Noi, but so inexpensive; came home; and vegged out since we had all been travelling all day.

moon near starbucks

And that’s just Day One in this magical city. Just wait ‘til I learned what all the stuff I’d seen was called… and got to see even more stuff!

xxo, S