Prague is perfect in the wintertime

Palabra del día: Dekuji (pronounced “Dyack-koo-yee”)

Translation: “Thank you” in Czech.  We’ve discovered that if you can only going to learn one word in a country’s language, “thank you” goes a long way!

Comida del día: Strudel! My favorite Eastern Europe dessert.  There are many different varieties: the Austrian version was different than the Hungarian version, and the Czech version seemed to be somewhere in between the two.  I’ll try it in Germany next and then let you know which version is my favorite!

Apple strudel from a delicious organic cafe that we decided to hang out in one night. 

 Foto del día: 

Prague greeted us with a nice coating of snow and some freezing cold weather.  But it gave me an excuse to buy a much-needed new winter coat! I had a lot of fun with the fur hood, which is very much the style in Eastern Europe.  I bought the coat thinking I would take the removable hood off, but then I discovered why people wear fur: it's really, really warm!  I also had a lot of fun in the snow building this little guy who I’ve named “Charlie” after Prague’s famous Charles Bridge.

In addition to enjoying (and suffering through) Prague’s wintery weather, our five days in Prague gave us plenty of time to see the touristy sights, enjoy a jazz concert and a dance show, wander the streets, and take some day trips.  On our way from Budapest to Prague, we hopped off the train in Bratislava, which is Slovakia’s biggest city.  However, it felt quite small to me after spending so much time in big cities throughout the last month.  It was nice to see a smaller city, taste some Slovakian food, and add another country and language to our list.  My current tally is eight countries and eight languages, unless you count Vatican City as a country, in which case it would be nine countries.

The other day trip we took was to Kutná Hora, a small town about an hour from Prague.  At least, it would have been an hour train ride except that we misunderstood the itinerary and got off at the wrong station, had to backtrack, and ended up taking three trains and three hours to get there.  The train rides were beautiful though, and so was Kutna Hora and its unique tourist attractions.  First, we went to the Bone Church, where monks arranged bones from thousands of people who died from the plague.  It was definitely one of the strangest sights I have ever seen, and I felt a bit uncomfortable being surrounded by so many bones, but I’m glad I saw it because I’m not sure if anything like it exists anywhere else in the world! 

Other highlights of Kutna Hora included seeing a beautiful cathedral and eating in a cozy pub with long wooden tables, a fire place, and warm traditional food like the beef goulash with dumplings that Annie ate (although it came as a bit of surprise to her that dumplings in this part of the world are actually doughy bread or potatoes instead of Asian snacks filled with meat or veggies...) 

Ok, enough with the charming small town day trips and on to the big, exciting city of Prague!  Compared to Budapest, Prague felt a bit more touristy with many more English speakers.  It also felt more permanent: while much of modern Budapest was built in the last 20 years and still seemed to be under construction, Prague had less bulldozers and seemed to be more established.  It also seemed like Prague maintained more of a sense of tradition.  In Budapest we were at times surprised by how few traditional restaurants there were, but in Prague they were easy to find.  For example, our last night in Prague we went to a traditional beer hall where we were handed (rather than offered) two big mugs of dark beer ("only dark beer here") and serenaded by a tuba and accordion duo.  Another night, we experienced a form of dance unique to Prague called “black light,” which involves a skit interspersed with dances by performers wearing neon costumes on a pitch black stage, creating all sorts of special effects.  Although the show was targeted toward a tourist audience, it was a fun way to spend an evening experiencing some of Prague’s traditions.

In terms of historical sights, my favorites were the castle and the Jewish museum. The Jewish museum was actually a collection of buildings in the old Jewish ghetto, including four synagogues and a cemetery.  One of the synagogues has been converted into a Holocaust memorial.

The collection of buildings that make up the castle is absolutely gorgeous, especially the outsides of buildings and the views from the hill that its on: 

The cathedral within the castle walls also has some of the most beautiful stained glass I have ever seen:

To clarify, Prague didn’t feel “traditional” in any sense of the word.  Instead, it felt like a city that has maintained some of its traditions and history while becoming modernized.  In addition to the traditional restaurants, there were modern ones from all over the world (including some great vegetarian ones), and we also got a chance to check out the jazz scene with a concert at the Agharta Jazz Club (one of about four main jazz clubs in Prague).  In terms of art, we went to a neat contemporary art museum called the DOX gallery and a museum about Mucha, an art nouveaux artist from Prague.  

Mucha's version of The Four Seasons (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Four_Seasons_by_Alfons_Mucha,_circa_1895.jpg)

One thing that surprised me about Prague was the presence of smoking, pretty much everywhere.  It was allowed inside of restaurants and bars, and although most had a non-smoking room, the smell was still always present.  I have a low tolerance for cigarette smoke and I had to walk out of a few places because of the smell.  It surprised me that smoking is still allowed indoors anywhere in the world, but experiencing the prevalence of smoking in Prague made me happy to live in a country where I know I will be able to breathe safe air whenever I go out to eat!

In general, I loved Prague for its artsy feel, its mix of tradition and modernity, and its overall snowy beauty.  In every other city I’ve been too this trip, I’ve thought that I would love to return to see it in the summer, just to see how it’s different and to enjoy warm weather activities.  In Prague, this thought didn’t even cross my mind.  We experienced Prague exactly the way it should be: freezing cold, dusted with snow, and with plenty of warm pubs and cafes in which to warm your toes.