a dream in prague

describe Prague in one word: dreamy
I don’t know if I ever want to come back because my weekend in Prague was perfect and magical that it would be hard to compare.

Friday (20.07.2018)

Dresden Hauptbanhnof

At 12:50 am on Friday, I took an overnight FlixBus to Prague with a 2-hour bus transfer in Dresden. The bus ride wasn’t great, but it was a cheap mode of transportation and I had the chance to walk around Dresden (super picturesque and beautiful) during my transfer. Nothing was open. The town was empty, a tiny bit eerie, but incredibly peaceful!

After endless delays, I finally made it to Prague. When I arrived, I was seriously blown away by the beauty of this city. For the day, I was on my own as I planned to meet up with my friends, Dan and Lana, the following day. I would discover that solo traveling isn’t as daunting as it seems. It is something I am trying to become more comfortable with and I have definitely noticed the perks: you’re more inclined to meet new people and you’re more approachable for others to reach out to you!

I arrived at my hostel, and I befriended Nadine from Ottawa, Canada, who’s on this insane backpacking trip all over Europe for a couple of months. We totally hit it off and made plans to grab beers and to watch the sunset through a lookout spot.

To start any trip, I often prefer to start with a free walking tour to get a feel for the city. And, I wouldn’t recommend any other way because I gained a greater appreciation for the beauty of the town by understanding the rich history and culture of Prague. During the tour, I met a girl, who’s an incoming third-year student at UW (CRAZY SMALL WORLD), and other people from London and Krakow. We exchanged contact information (all about that international networking) because maybe, our paths will cross one day!

Nadine had been in Prague for a couple of days so she gave me a personal tour of the city. As we walked through Prague, I was able to experience the chaos of Prague’s Old Town Square, the serenity of the Lennon Wall, the rush and bustling of tourists on Charles Bridge, and more.

a local farmer’s market

Vltava River

Charles Bridge

We made the trek up (or more like completed Stairmaster for 30 minutes) to the monasteries while enjoying some good and cheap beer, that gave a stunning view of the city. Along the way, we shared crazy travel stories, and it was pretty amazing how we could relate on so many levels. While we’re both on different life directions, we share a genuine love for traveling and being spontaneous/adventurous. It felt so good to meet a girl who understood everything that was on my mind. We discovered a bar right by the river that had a sick DJ making dope remixes. As the night proceeded, we hopped around town, explored different bars, attempted to sneak onto a boat party (that was a bust), and snacked on some good ol’ Trdelník.

Trdelník — a sweet pastry of rolled dough wrapped around a stick, grilled, covered with sugar, and sometimes filled with ice cream! Common found in central Europe.

Saturday (21.07.2018)

Nadine and I decided to avoid the crowds by getting up early. We crossed the Charles Bridge to make our way to Kampa Island, and our first stop: a mini mart to buy some beer for 20 Czech crowns (less than 1 USD). How else would you go about being in the Czech Republic? We asked locals where we could find breakfast and found this dope bagel shop. On Kampa Island, we managed to find a bench with a lovely view and jammed to Mura Masa and trance music. As we parted way, we agreed to spend time together when Nadine make her way to Seattle in October!

Finally, I met up with Lana and Dan, and to be honest, we didn’t have much of an agenda. They had both arrived super early in the morning with overnight trains, but we decided to take on the day. As we made our way to check out Prague Castle, we met up with Maddie (a fellow RISE intern) and planned for a night out!  To be completely honest, there was zero agenda. And as broke college students, we skipped out on a couple tourist attractions and focused on the free sightseeing sites. But, we ended up beer tasting at a local brewery, visited lookout spots of the city, and spent time by the river. Honestly, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I was simply happy just enjoying each other’s company. Not going to lie, the river was pretty dreamy on that Saturday afternoon.

The night rolled in, and we found the dreamiest bistro for dinner. The aesthetic was so perfect and the waiter was so kind. I got to try the goulash (a Czech national dish), and we all had our variations of gin and tonics – truly getting the night started with a WILD chain of people we would encounter.

Goulash at Monk Bistro with Lana and Dan

We started the night off at AnonymouS Bar, where we met Jess from Tulsa and Sam from SLO through Maddie. The bar itself had an incredibly mysterious atmosphere and it was a hidden gem that you wouldn’t be able to find unless you were intentionally looking for it. Imagine velvet chairs, dimmed lighting, over the top cocktails, and secret menus that require UV light.

For some reason, absinthe in Prague is a huge thing, most likely catered toward tourists. We had no agenda besides following along where Jess took us and we found ourselves at an Absinthe Bar. First for everything, amirite?

We would then meet Jon and Cam from Brisbane, Australia. A few weeks back, Jess had met them at a bar in Berlin, and they just so happened to be in Prague and she’d invited them along. A crazy chain of people, but Jon and Cam would become some of my favorite people I’ve befriended on my journey thus far!

I was pretty determined to watch the sunrise, whether that meant waking up early Sunday morning or staying out until then. We made our way to an 80’s/90’s themed club that felt like I was dancing with my parents. You know how much I love to dance, but I could only go for so long with the music that was playing. It was 1 AM, a few of us went home, while Dan, Lana, and I grouped up with the Aussies to hold on the bet that we would catch the sunrise. And when in Prague, you gotta check out Klub Karlovy Lazne, the so-called largest club in Central Europe that consist of 5 floors, each varying in different genres of music. Long story short, it was just a super spontaneous night. We had zero agenda, met up with strangers that became good friends, left the club at 5:30 am, caught the view of the sunrise at Charles Bridge, walked through Old Town Square jamming to “In My Feelings” while drunk English guys danced along, ate burritos at 7 am, made our way back to the hostel, and checked out within two hours. all for the experience!!

Sunday (07.22.2018)

I’m awful at taking care of myself, but with zero hours of sleep, I was determined to get through the day until my coach ride home. It was a pretty slow day as we visited a few touristy spots here and there. But, I think one of my all-time favorite memories will be sitting by the river with Dan. While we listened to indie jams, I caught up on journal entries and he sketched the landscape. pretty dreamy.

And that, my friends, was my dreamy weekend in Prague. To be completely honest, I totally missed out on a ton of tourist sites, but my time in Prague was full of spontaneous memories and quality time with old and new friends. Don’t think I would’ve wanted to experience this lovely city any other way! Cheers!