Prague, Czech Republic

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

GEOGRAPHY FASCINATION:

I found the difference between new town and old town in Prague interesting.  New town in St. Wenceslas Square was much different than the old town square.  New town was much more modern and filled with shops of many kind: souvenir, Starbucks coffee, famous clothing stores, and more.  There were even cinemas and hotels right in the square which made it more tourist centered.  It was originally a horse market, so I also found that fascinating.  As for Old Town Square, it is the oldest and most important of the towns in Prague, and it was quite obvious why.  It is surrounded with historical buildings such as the Old Town City Hall with the famous Astronomical Clock, the St. Nicholas Church, and many houses and palaces of various architectural styles and colorful history. It has been a center of Prague Old Town since the middle ages, when it was a market place at the crossing of European merchants´ roads.  I liked both the squares for different reasons: the historical charms of Old Town and the necessary souvenir shops in New Town.

New Town Wenceslas Square

New Town

Old Town with Our Lady before Tyn Church

FAVORITE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE:

I loved visiting the John Lennon Wall.  The John Lennon wall is a place to memorialize John Lennon and all he stood for  It's supposed to be a place for peace, democracy, and self expression.  By just viewing the unique structure, I felt it definitely portrayed what it is supposed to.  It had beautiful artwork.  And I loved how it could be so personalized- you can write a note on it yourself, or enjoy viewing the Wisconsin Badger's Bucky! It was super cool.   I do wish we had a bit more time to enjoy it, though. 

FAVORITE NON- ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE:

My favorite non- academic experience was walking around on the hill at Prague Castle.  It reminded me a lot of the view from the castle in Edinburgh.  The sun was shinning and as I looked down at the beautiful city, I could have been convinced that I had entered the gates of heaven!  The view was so surreal I was convincing myself that it was unreal.  Up on the hill, along with the view, were some churches and other museums available,  I went into two churches.  Their history was unreal... I could only imagine what stories those walls could tell.  A very col thing happened while on the hill.  A homeless man was kneeling on the groundm, holding an empty cup obviously begging,  Lizzy didn't want her sandwich, so we decided to give it to this poor man,  She set it next to the man, the man looked up, smiled, said some beautiful words in Czech, did the sign of the cross, then prayed over it.  That was a moving experience and it made our hearts feel so big! 

FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT:

After the ballet we had dessert at a restaurant right across from the Prague Opera House.  It was so delicious!  I had pancakes with fruit and different kinds of ice cream.  I think everyone really enjoyed this dessert feast, so I definitely recommend stopping by next year. (: