Praha

The land where Pilsners come by the pint, goulash is the meal of choice, and crowns are the currency.

When I decided to go abroad, the one place I desired to travel to more than any other place was Prague. It wasn’t looking like I was going to make it there until my roommate Anastasia decided that it would be a great way to start our spring break.

When we arrived in Prague, we were greeted by our friends Lucy and Maria who whisked us off to an opera at the National Museum. Having become a fan of opera after spending this semester studying it, I was excited to show off my knowledge. It was a compilation of what I used to call “dinnertime music.” The sound of Mozart’s Four Seasons and other famous works that our family used to listen to every night at dinner flooded our ears, and left us speechless.

After the opera, we met our other friends Emily and Katie for a traditional Czech meal accompanied of course by Pilsner. After dinner we decided to call it an early night as we wanted to make the most out of the next day.

We woke up early and went to the designated meeting place. A beacon of light—STARBUCKS. I was overwhelmed with joy as I sipped my grande non-fat iced latte, a novelty after having been in Italy the past couple of months, where a large coffee doesn’t exist, and putting skim milk in coffee has yet to be discovered.

It is remarkable how much sightseeing can drain four girls, and at around 2 pm, Emily pulled out a list of restaurants. One word: Mexican. We hurried to this amazing Mexican restaurant where we ordered several plates of nachos, and had delicious fajitas. It was heavenly.We literally manhandled Prague, visiting the Old Prague Castle, Wenceslas Square and the Astronomical Clock, as well as walking across the Charles Bridge, You name it, and we did it. The most amazing part about Prague is its rich architectural history. It is a city that has yet to be bombed, so there are buildings from almost every century that are in amazing condition.

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the streets in Prague, purchasing things such as homemade Czech lotion made out of wine and beer (weird but actually quite moisturizing), and, of course, eating.

Some girls left to go back to Italia, and the others continued their spring break traveling Eastern Europe. I, however, had the pleasure of staying one more night in Prague, and did so in style thanks to Mom and Dad. They got me a room at the Intercontinental, where I spent the night in luxury.

Then, it was off to Paris.