Prague. I cannot even begin to tell you how much history is in this city, being one of the few that has survived through so many wars, so many peoples, so many world-changing events. Still, it stands. You step out of wherever you're staying and, voila!, there's a plaque about something important in history that happened right there.
One day we were just wandering down the street and came across one of the most significant hideaways for some Allied Forces secret agents that came and wreaked havoc on the Nazi power. It was a small sign at the base of a church, no fanfare, no nothing, just there. It was one of the most powerful experiences I've had in a long time. All of the agents that hid there on that fated day died, died fighting, and for a cause that mattered to the world. A cause for good. And that always gets me.
I'm more of a holistic, experiential kind of person, maybe that's due to my restless creative nature. That makes Prague a great playground for people who just love to exist in something way outside their ordinary lives.
You can wander the streets for days on end never getting bored. From just the city architecture to all the classical buildings everywhere you turn there's something to catch your eye. So many of the churches are open for viewings (usually for a small donation), and when I say churches, imagine those old-school things you used to see in your European history textbook. Full of artwork and sculptures, heavy with history. Don't even get me started on all the museums and other places of interest because they're too many to count.
It's an amazingly easy city to get around as well. There's cheap public transportation everywhere, and it's clean. Figuring out how to pay takes a minute, but after that it's zip-zip-zip. They're way ahead of the U.S...but that's pretty much anywhere in Europe. The food, well priced and very tasty. I don't think I had a bad meal anywhere I went. For you drinkers out there, beer and water cost about the same. And, the people, friendly and welcoming.
I was lucky enough to be there for 10 days. Four of them were off doing my own photography work (which is a whole different post I need to write) but 6 were with my family who also came along. At the end, I was exhausted on so many levels. Without realizing it we had been walking an average of 10 miles a day, even my 78 year old parents. Those walks were broken up with frequent coffee and gelato breaks, but, still, 10 miles is quite a bit. And my head, stuffed with everything I'd seen and experienced.
I'm a well seasoned traveler with untold miles walked, but the city of Prague still sticks out as one of my favorites. If you're looking for a great combination of history, experience, food, and people I'd highly recommend this place. What makes Prague even cooler is that there are so many other amazing cities within easy access via train (which is super cheap compared to the US or Central Europe). I'll be throwing up a post hopefully soon about the Bone Sanctuary we visited.
Bone Sanctuary? Yeah, they have some cool stuff in old Europe.
Thanks for following along on this quick visual journey to the lovely city of Prague! Hope it inspires you to look up more or even head there!
Michael