My weekend in Prague with Jessica could not have been more perfect. We arrived by train on Friday around 2:30 and checked into our hostel. The hostel was not as nice as our previous stays, but it was inexpensive. We had one last stop on our to-do-list was to pick up the opera tickets. Finding the ticket portal became an adventure, but at least people in Czech speak some English. We got the tickets and were on our way to see the sights of Prague.
We started at the beautiful Charles Bridge built by Charles IV in the 1300s. Although it cost 60 crowns (2.5 euro) to tour one of the towers, Jessica and I decided the view would be worth it. A couple showed us a card you can buy that allows you to see about 10 different sights in Prague. It pays to be a student because we bought the cards for half price and were on our way to see as much of Prague as you can in 3 days.
We climbed 3 towers and saw 3 incredible views of the beautiful city. We ate dinner in an underground pizza restaurant and had fresh gelato for dessert. On Saturday we climbed the tower in The Old Town Square, which is the largest square in Europe. From the top of the tower, we spotted a restaurant on top of a building and decided that is where we would eat after the Opera. We came down from the tower just in time to watch the astronomical clock chime and the man to play the trumpet from the top. This happens twice a day, once at 11 and once at 5. We had the privilege of seeing it twice from outside and once from inside during the tour of the Old Town Hall.
While wandering the streets of Old Town Prague, we found a huge open market with lots of handmade items like wooden puppets, artwork, jewelry, and more. I got a few presents for friends and family at home for great prices. At 12 we made sure to be back at the hostel to put on our opera outfits that we found at a secondhand store in Regensburg a few days earlier. I found a black dress with 3/4 quarter sleeves with pearls around the edges. We curled our hair and ate pb&j sandwiches before walking to the Estates Theatre.
We saw Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte for a cheap ticket price of 200 crowns (about 8 euro). I printed off a synopsis of each act but the show provided English subtitles projected onto the upper part of the curtain which were very helpful. I love going to any type of show so this was a great experience for our Prague trip. We ended the evening on the restaurant on the rooftop followed by a traditional Prague dessert: I call it the cinnamon cylinder. Jessica and I split the sweet dessert as we walked around and took in the city at night. Two of our other friends, Zane and Jorge, were in Prague on the same weekend. Earlier in the day they had seen the filming of Mission Impossible 4 by one of the bridges, so they took us there. When we got there, they were filming and evidently it was a 'battle scene' because there was some shooting that sounded like fireworks. We stayed for a couple of takes, then Jessica and I went back to our hostel.
On our last morning in Prague, we toured the Old Town Hall and got as close as we could to the mini Eiffel Tower. However, time ran out and we did not have time to climb the huge hill to view the tower. At least I'll see the real Eiffel Tower in about 2 short weeks over Fall Break. I cannot believe I have been in Europe for over 2 months!
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