The European Nomad: The Golden City of a Thousand Spires-Prague, Czech Republic

I stayed up late getting settled in the hostel and FaceTiming, so I planned on sleeping in...but with 10 girls in a room, all waking up at different times...it's kind of constant noise from 7 am on. 1 girl gets up at 7. Another at 7:15. Another at 8. Etc etc. So I was up by 8:15.

I took my time getting ready and heading on my way. I originally planned on going to the Terezin Concentration Camp, but after learning how much it cost and that it is an hour away...I just decided not to. There is a Jewish area here in Prague that I explored a little bit today and will explore more on Friday, and I think that will be pretty cool...but I hope I don't regret not seeing a concentration camp.

Ever since I got to Prague and decided it was here that I would finally do some shopping, I have been in shopping mode. And once I get in shopping mode, I can't get out of it until I shop. So, today I shopped. I went from store to store looking for the best deals and cutest things. I absolutely hate the currency here. The Czech koruna (crown). 100 crowns = about 5 US Dollars. So today when I spent 1000 crowns...it felt like 1000 dollars, but really it was only $50. The prices just seem outrageous because the numbers are so high!! Once I figured out the $5 secret, it was easier for me to know how much I was spending. I have a convert units app on my iPod that I have been using nonstop since I got to Europe!

Anywayyy...after some shopping I decided I should probably go see some stuff. So I did a free tour by the same company of the tour that I did in Amsterdam. We went through the Old Town, New Town, Jewish Quarters, and to Charles Bridge/a great view of Prague Castle. It was a three hour tour, and it was very informative and fun. I totally fell in love with Prague today. The never ending battles for freedom, the architecture, the atmosphere..it's a wonderful city! It's definitely my favorite big city of my trip thus far.

I'm no "Czechspert" (stole that one from my tour guide), but I think Prague has seen more than its share of history...the "national anthem" of the Czech Republic (or maybe just Prague, I don't know) is called "Where is my home?" At first, this was funny and ironic. But then the tour guide told us that it makes perfect sense...her great grandmother lived in 8 countries in her life...that same great grandmother lived in the city of Prague her whole life. Prague has been tossed around like an old rag doll. It's been through Hitler, Stalin, flood, and fire. It's history is so recent...it was just a little more than 2 decades ago that the shroud of communism was lifted.

History lesson: Prague flourished during the reign of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, the greatest Czech that has ever existed! He is responsible for the building of the New Town and he is the name behind the famous (and beautiful) Charles Bridge. Now this, is cool..listen...Charles was known to have been interested in numerology and astrology, and on July 9, 1357 at 5:31 am (written out in numers:135797531) the bridge's first foundation was laid. This is called a numerical palindrome...it is the same backwards as it is forward. Look again:

135797531

Its speculated that Charles chose that precise moment on purpose. This time is also when the earth and Saturn line up (or something like that), and further research showed that the end of the bridge on the Old Town side aligns perfectly with the tomb of St. Vitus (in the cathedral across the river) and the setting sun at summer solstice. Cool huh?!

Random fact: It is called the Golden City because it is said that they used to keep the gold on the roof of the Prague Castle, and when the sun hit it just right...it left a gold aura around the castle.

Now, back to my quick history of Prague lesson. Prague had its ups and downs for the next few centuries. Boring facts really. Basically they were just passed from king to king via princesses marrying rich guys. WWI ended with the creation of Czechoslovakia. Prague was chosen as its capital. This was a very exciting time for them. Then, in 1939, Hitler ordered the German Army to enter Prague. For the next 5 years, the country was occupied by Nazi Germany and most Jews fled the city or were deported. There was little destruction in the bombings of 1945 compared to other cities. Then, during the Cold War, Prague was a city in the military and political control of the Soviet Union. There was some sort of freedom of speech movement ("Prague Spring") that the SU didn't like...so in 1968, they invaded Czechoslovakia and took the city by tanks, suppressing any attempt at reform. Then... there was the reign of communism for 20 something years! I learned about a 20-year-old Czech student named Jan Palach who burned himself to death in protest shortly after the invasion in 1968. I am amazed at the dedication that the Czechs have on their constant battles toward freedom. The Velvet Revolution was my favorite thing I learned about today as far as the history of Prague goes. It was a peaceful student demonstration against communism in 1989 . 500,000 people crowded into Wenceslas Square and well, eventually, communism ended. No one died. Not one person. It was a completely peaceful protest that changed Prague/the Czech Republic for.ev.er. Why can't all problems be solved like that?

Okay...anyway...I hope you skipped all that. Here are some highlights from the tour:

While we were standing in Old Town Square, some guy in a van with 4 flags hanging off it was blaring what sounded like patriotic music and yelling through a microphone in Czech. The tour guide said it sounded like he planned on bringing down the government all by himself. It was interesting.

Also while we were standing in Old Town Square, I got to see a man blow a trumpet from the very top of the Town Hall Tower. A real man. A real trumpet. And when he was done he waved and walked away. He had funny clothes on. It was cool!

We saw the Astrononmical Clock which has revolving discs, celestrial symbols, sweeping hands, etc, etc. It keeps several versions of time. Bohemian time, modern time, time of sunrise, time of sunset, etc. Mostly it just looks cool. Every hour, on the hour, it puts on a little show that thousands of tourists line up to see...my tour guide said is the second biggest disappointment in Europe (with the Mona Lisa being the first). I shall see it tomorrow. :)

The architecture of Prague is amazing! There is every style imaginable. Baroque, Gothic, Medieval, Art Nouveau, etc, etc. Every building was different. All the other towns have had mostly matching architecture or maybe a mix of two styles, but Prague seriously has it all! It's amazing!

There is much more to see tomorrow. I plan on taking a tour of the castle area and exploring by the Vltava River. We'll see what happens! I can't wait!

PS I took a picture of my tour guide because she has the glasses I want real bad.

PPS I failed to mention that there are scenes in Les Miserables, Mission: Impossible, Amadeus, A Knight's Tale, and Bourne Identity that were filmed in Prague. (In Amadeus, they use the Estates Theater which is the very one that Mozart conducted in in REAL life!)