Czech-in to Prague

After a great experience with a free walking tour in Budapest we thought we would try our luck doing the same in Prague. I quite enjoy seeing the city this way anyway, getting to know a bit of actually what's going on or what I'm looking at. Rather than having a blank sense of appreciation for the mere structures in front of me.

To be honest, we didn't enjoy the tour as much as Budapest, but there's still much to enjoy about it. A Jewish Cemetery, the castles, Rudolfinum, interesting little secret windows and of course the famous Prague Astronomical Clock. That phenomenon, whilst being completely overrated, is still something you should see. I don't think there's a day in the year that it isn't shoulder to shoulder though. There's a cool back story to go with it though, so definitely worth joining someone who knows the history of it.

We met a nice American guy Dimitri on the free walking tour who we then spent the rest of the day with. Unlike us, Dimitri likes to eat traditional food in the country he is in, so we joined him. We found a relatively cheap pub in town that was easy to walk in and grab a seat and enjoyed a goulash-looking dish. It was incredibly tasty, so the traditional food is worth it after all - filling too!

Now with some energy, we walked our way to Prague Castle and decided to join Dimitri in buying a ticket to see the different sights you can view amongst the Castle. It had its moments, but having seen a pretty amazing Castle in Austria and knowing some of the castles we were going to see in the remainder of our Europe trip, I would've skipped this one. If you're just in Prague though with no intention of seeing any other castles anywhere else, then by all means it is worth it.

We much preferred walking around the old town and admiring the streets, and small markets around. This was more our vibe.

We finished the night with a dinner with Dimitri - another cheap traditional restaurant. We had some Schnitzels this time and a burger and they were solid. Nothing special but not disappointed.

A day we didn't expect to spend the way we did, but the type of day that you feel truly grateful for travelling and getting to meet new people.

We were greeted by a beautiful market just outside our Airbnb to open our Saturday morning. The temptations of cakes, cheese's, fresh bread, fresh coffee, home made ice cream were all on offer - alongside fruit and vegetables of course.

We bought ourselves two different slices of cake that looked irresistible - a healthy way to start our day. We sat and enjoyed a busker that joined the market, and watched the local families running around after their kids.

We wanted to explore some of Prague's expression of fashion that our family had told us about. But, backpacking style. We walked through some of the streetwear stores that have the styles we love but had to pinch ourselves at the prices they were on offer for.

So we looked up some thrift shopping areas to have a bit more luck and found some gems. Would highly recommend VNITROBLOCK if you are looking for some good pieces on a budget.

After a day of traditional food, we jumped quickly back into our trend of untraditional cuisines. This time, Poke Bowls! Once again, it did not let us down. We are happy to say that it is the best Poke Bowl we have ever had outside of Japan.

The Poke Bowl left a good feeling with us and amplified our excitement for my friend Kristian joining us to go out and party in Prague.

We met at our apartment for a bottle of wine, and hit the town. We hit a mix of forgettable bars but stumbled across an underground bar/nightclub playing some heavy rock and metal hits. It was the real deal! If you're into that vibe of music, you will not be able to leave this place.

After maybe a few too many though, we found our way out and next to the Legion Bridge where we phoned Kristian's friend from back home, and then somehow figured out some bus routes home.

So after a big night out, and a rather shameful video call back home to my mum, we decided to grab some banana's and head back into the city to explore with Kristian. Because we had already done the walking tour, we felt as though we had seen what he was interested in, so we walking him to the lookout at the exit of Prague Castle. It is still as beautiful up there the second time.

We left Kristian to explore some things for himself and headed into town to find some free art exhibitions. There were some fantastic little hidden streets and hidden street art exhibitions in town.

After a quick lunch stop we then headed to see the Lennon Wall, another iconic spot in Prague, and some more thrift stores. Honestly getting around Prague is so beautiful. It is such an easy city to walk around, with loads of parks, look outs, or places to relax and grab a drink or bite to eat.

We finished the night heading to a local Hotpot. There is so much diversity in the cuisines you can explore in Prague. Like any big city I guess, there is so much tourism and families from all over the world trying to share their legacy with the world.

Knowing we had a train to Berlin tomorrow we headed off early to relax and say goodbye to a city full of fun memories and a best friend to meet in Amsterdam soon.