Travel Thursday: Prague, Czech Republic

So I finally got to see a bit of my dream destination: Europe! The experience was every bit as exciting as I thought it would be.

When I found out that I had to go on a weeklong business trip to Germany, my immediate thought was: side trip. Not my training, not work – side trip. I'm a lousy employee, I know. Haha. After doing some research and checking out the travel time and train fares, my teammate and I decided on Prague.

We arrived at Frankfurt, our port of entry, at around 6 o'clock in the morning of Saturday. We left our luggage at the 24-hour airport baggage storage, taking only small bags with us. We then made our way to the airport train station. Thankfully, their ticket machines had English translations. After buying our tickets, asking a few Germans where our platform was, and checking the schedule, we finally took the train to Frankfurt Main. Trains in Germany are a bit confusing. You don't only have to take note of the platform, you also have to know the exact time and destination of the train you're taking because the trains that arrive at your platform actually go to different places -- very different from the MRTs in Singapore where all trains at a specific platform go to the same destination. We did not know this at that time, we just got lucky that we got on the right train. LOL.

We got to Frankfurt Main with a lot of time to spare, so we decided to have breakfast at one of the many food stalls. Since we bought our train tickets online (www.bahn.de), we were saved from the hassle of buying our tickets to Prague.

The train ride to Nurnberg took about 3 hours, which wasn't too bad since the train was nice and comfy. Outside the station, we boarded the bus to Prague. It was a double-decker bus with a toilet, and snacks can be bought from the bus attendant. The bus ride took about 4 hours. It was okay at first, but by the third hour, I was feeling worn out. A 13-hour flight followed by a 3-hour train ride and a 4-hour bus ride is not something to be taken lightly.

When we finally got to Prague, my exhaustion was forgotten. It was so prettyyy!

There were a number of taxis waiting when we got off the bus, so we took one to the hotel. We paid 600CZK (around 24EUR) for the ride, and we had no idea if we had been ripped off or not. We stayed at Hotel Jeleni Dvur, which was near the Prague Castle. I couldn't say I loved the ambiance -- the lobby was sort of dark and a little too Dracula-esque for my taste. But it was clean and the location was pretty convenient, so I couldn't really complain.

The first place we wanted to visit was the Prague Castle. From the hotel reviews, we learned that we were only within walking distance so we decided to go by foot. We took free maps from the hotel reception, read our maps the wrong way and got lost. Hahaha. Instead of going to the Prague Castle, we found ourselves at the Strahov Monastery.

Getting lost was a blessing. On the way down from Strahov Monastery to the Prague Castle, we got to see the Pertin Tower and the view of Prague.

The Prague Castle was dazzling -- cathedral, palace, basilica, chapel, gardens. It was very much like living in a fairytale, with the cobblestone streets and old impressive structures. My favorite would have to be St. Vitus' Cathedral -- it was the grandest and most beautiful.

We made our way through the shop-lined Nerudova Street, walking all the way to St. Nicholas' Church (of Little Quarter).

On the way to Charles Bridge, we found this cozy old-style Starbucks where we got our souvenir mugs. It looked like Medieval Starbucks, I loved it!

Only about 5 to 10 minutes away was Charles Bridge, crossing the Vltava River. Charles Bridge was lined with huge statues of saints, bustling with tourists, artists and musicians.

I loved walking through the streets of Prague. It had a romantic feel, and I couldn't help wishing I lived there. I could imagine roaming the streets on weekends, shopping and eating at the outdoor cafés.

Old Town Square was my favorite part of Prague. It had everything -- colorful buildings, the astronomical clock, a tower, outdoor restaurants, St. Nicholas' Church, a park, shops, even a silver man! Haha.

Around the Old Town Square, there are a number of interesting spots -- the Jewish Synagogue, Spanish Synagogue, luxury stores, the Powder Gate... the list goes on.

My weekend in Prague was short but sweet. For anyone who loves old towns and romantic places, Prague is a city not to be missed. There are a myriad of words to describe just how beautiful it is. I fell in love with Prague -- it's simply magical. :)