Prague, Czech Republic

Our first stop on our European journey was Prague, Czech Republic. After our flight from Newark, via Frankfurt, we landed in Prague. A thirty minute taxi ride, we checked into our hotel in central Prague. We chose the Sheraton at Charles Square, it was conveniently located near the river and metro, wasn't super expensive and had free breakfast! Bonus, the view out our window was more windows.

We only had two days in Prague, so we packed a lot of site-seeing in by breaking the city into two halves, bisected down the center by the Vltava river. Day one, we took on the western side of the city. I recommend starting off early to enjoy a quiet, un-hurried walk across the Charles Bridge. We visited the Prague Castle, Petrin tower and Hall of Mirrors.

When in Prague, you definitely need to wear very comfortable shoes. The city is full of hills (steep, steep hills!), but the sites on the western side of the Vltava are very close to each other. Put on your sneakers and wander around the streets. Be sure to bring plenty of pocket change for an ice cream in the park.

The days that we were in Prague happened to coincide with the international hockey championship (or something like that) The boyfriend was very excited and tried to get tickets. When we discovered that tickets were over $150 each, we decided skip it. Instead, we decided to go to the main square and buy sausages from a kiosk and enjoy the evening.

Luck happened to shine down on us. After buying our massive sausages, we came upon a crowd in the square. The city had set up a large screen in the main square and it was showing the US vs. Russia semi-final hockey game! We spent the next hour watching the game, surrounded by locals and quietly cheering the US team from the back. Sadly the US team got crushed by Russia, but the sausages were amazing.

The east side of the Vltava is where you find the old town square, tiny pedestrian only streets and the best evening snack ever. You'll find a combination of old Prague and new architecture. It's almost impossible to get lost because the old town is so small.

When wandering around old town, you must stop and get yourself a chimney roll. Dough is wrapped around a metal cylinder and baked until golden brown. The rolls are then rolled in cinnamon sugar or walnuts and filled with nutella.  They are amazing. I had three.

Prague was a wonderful entry point for our eastward journey. Of all of the cities we visited, Prague had my favorite nightlife. Dinner is served late and dessert even later. Try to visit Prague on a Friday, when bands line the river and you can watch the sunset with a drink and a snack!

After two busy days in Prague, we packed up our things and boarded a train for Slovakia.