There is no green book in the photo today because I thought this quote from the John Lennon wall spoke clearly the message of this trip and all the words that are in that book support this statement.
So on with the story! We arrived in Prague without issue, hopped on the public transport and headed to our hostel. This place was going to be hostel life in it's truest form for us. We did a hostel in Amsterdam but it was still a bit modern. This was not going to be like that and we were excited. We were staying in a place called Sir Tobys. It was recommended to us by my friend Gracie who knows the owner Carrie. Long story short Gracie and Carrie were friends in San Diego then Carrie got married to a german man and they
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| I Love Sir Toby's |
opened a hostel together (super short version of the story). As soon as we stepped inside I felt at home. The guy, Max, behind the desk greeted us immediately and made us feel welcome. His sarcastic humor made me feel at home too. He asked us where we were from and Kels said New Hampshire and I said San diego of course. He then proceeded to say...my college here is from San Diego. I asked if her name was Carrie and next thing I know he is calling to the back room telling Carrie she needs to come out and say hello. It was so cool to meet her. She actually said she hasn't been working at all lately since they were moving homes and she just happened to stop in on that day. Such a lucky coincidence. If she didn't have a hostel there and if I wasn't friends with Gracie I probably would have never gone to Prague. It's so funny how everything works out and how you end up in different
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| Bunk Beds!!! |
locations. Sir toby's was the true hostel experience. We were in a mixed gender room with 8 other people (10 total with us). Clearly we were on bunk beds as you can see from the photo. Both of us got top bunks and let me tell you it was quite an experience. The first night there were 7 guys and just 3 girls. That is a lot of dude in one room....Especially after they all went on the pub crawl. I have some stories that will be told upon my return. For now just contemplate shaky metal bunk beds and drunk guys trying to get into the lower bunk.
This hostel was fantastic from the moment I stepped inside. It felt like I was in my old apartment with all the eclectic vintage furniture. Everyone that worked there was so kind and helpful. The pub downstairs was great and there was a lovely back garden that we spent evenings in just hanging out and relaxing. We made some good friends and had some good times....You should all take a trip and stay at sir Toby's. We did also see the
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| Astronomical Clock |
city of Prague which is stunning. There is so much history in this city it is tough to take it all in but we did the best we could. One of the main things I wanted to see was the Astronomical clock. On the hours the 12 apostles come out of the 2 windows and do a little dance then the rooster crows. Everyone downplays these things and says they should be more exciting and do more things but come on....this clock was made hundreds of years ago. Considering that I think the fact that they move and dance and make noise is pretty good. It was really impressive to me and such a beautiful piece of architecture and mechanics. We got to see this clock go off just before we joined our walking tour on our first day. The same group that did the tour in Munich did a tour in Prague so we decided to take it. I am pretty sure we got the most exciting and enthusiastic tour guide in the company. He was from Prague which was cool because his heritage was wrapped up in all the history he was telling us about and that gave a very different perspective then if we would have had someone of another nationality. He took us on a great tour of the city and we learned a ton and stopped at all sorts of beautiful spots along the way. I can't even start to go into all
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| Buildings in Prague |
the details but I will try and give you an overview. We walked through the old town square, the new town area where we learned a lot about the rise and fall of communism in the Czech Republic. This is something both Kels and I had of course heard about in school and also on the news while it was happening so it was really interesting to be there and see the spots where major events took place and also go through the Museum of Communism that laid the whole thing out for us like a time line. Both of us really want to go back and re look at the course of history and refresh our minds about these events now that we have been there. At the end of the tour we walked through the Jewish Quarter then down towards the water and the bridge that would lead us to the castle.
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| Prague Castle Cathedral |
The Prague castle is the largest medieval castle in europe and our main event for the day. Now let me just tell you that we have chosen one of the hottest days of the year so far to head up to this castle that is set high up on the hill in Prague. As we were leaving for the day Max said "don't walk around to much out side today" Ya we didn't listen. We headed into town and walked through a museum in the morning and then headed to the castle in the afternoon. We thought we had waited long enough and it was cooler but we were wrong. We were literally melting as we took all the steps up to the castle. All that to say it was worth it when we got to the top. The
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| View From Prague Castle |
cathedral inside the castle walls was stunning. The light was beautiful inside casting rainbows from the stain glass windows on to the columns. I have had moments where I think ok...here we go into another cathedral or castle....how can it really be that different but there is always some part of each one that strikes me in a different way then that last. There also was a stunning view of the city from the castle gardens. The gardens also provided us with a surprise cool down. We sat down on a bench to relax and just read for a bit and suddenly the sprinklers turned on and showered us.....we weren't complaining!
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| Lennon Wall |
One other spot in Prague that is really quite moving to think about what it meant and still means is the John Lennon Wall. This spot started out as a place of people to express themselves during the communism fight and has just continued on as a place for people to still express what they think or believe. It changes daily as new stuff is added. There were so many wonderful quotes and pictures on this huge wall. To many to share in one post but really a great moving place to just spend time and read and think about how many people have left their mark on this wall and how many more will still continue to do so over the years.
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| Love...throw away the key |
Just outside of the Lennon wall was the Love Lock bridge. No European city is complete with out it's love lock bridge. For those of you who don't know this is where you and the one you love can come and lock a pad lock on the bridge then throw the key into the river to signify your undying love to each other. Such a romantic gesture....however in Prague unfortunately the bridge is so small that the locks have to be cut off yearly. It is really cool to see though.
All that to say Prague is an amazing city. I am grateful that we spent a few days there instead of just passing through quickly. We made some great friends at the hostel and just enjoyed our time. Our last evening we just spent in the garden at Sir Toby's reading, planning our next bits of travel and chatting with Max. It was the best way to end our time and prepare for the next part of our adventure.
Get Ready Italy....Here we come!
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