Elena's European Adventure: CZECH ME OUT!

Hi Everyone!

Well I'm finally back in LA. And it is SO good to be home!!

Before I flew back I was in Prague for a couple of days. I am so glad that I pushed my flight back a couple of days so that I could go there. It was amazing.

I kind of expected it to be freezing in Prague and see the city covered in snow. But, it didn't even snow once! I was kind of disappointed about because I really wanted to see the city covered in white. But it was probably better that there was no snow considering all the walking we did. There isn't that much to do in Prague. I was there for three days and that was definately enough. But, I never go tired of just walking around because everything is so beautiful. And it was nice to have a leisurely trip after all the jam packed weekends I've had.

I arrived in Prague Sunday with my friend Claire, who also goes to BC. While we were waiting for our other friend Erin to arrive we walked down through the Old Town Square. The Old Town Square is probably one of my favorite places I have ever been to. Since it is december there was a giant Christmas markets set up in the middle of the square. Everything was decorated with lights and trees and there was choirs and music and amazing food and crafts for sale. We went back here everyday multiple times a day because we loved it so much.

Once Erin arrived we took her back to the Old Town Square and then met up with some of her friends for dinner. For desert we went back to the square and I got stareceske, which is basically just a czech version of a churro. On Monday, we went back to the square for breakfast and got Starbucks. haha. We just couldn't resist. Then we headed up to the castle. Prague is a very walkable city. They do have public transportation but the city is just so beautiful that we chose to walk everywhere. The castle is located on top of a hill and has some of the most amazing views I have ever seen. I still can't beleive how beautiful it was. We walked around the castle for awhile, saw the church there, the dungeons, and then we walked back down.

Prague is a river city, like London. And there is a famous bridge over the river that is absolutely gorgeous. Its called the Charles Bridge. It also offered really beautiful views of the city along the river. We headed back to the Old Town Sqaure (can you tell we were obsessed with that place haha) for lunch and had some kabobs. They were delicious. And then we headed back to the hostel for a nap. For dinner, ERin, Claire, and I headed back to the square and ate dinner outside next to a heat lamp of course and got to take in the sights of the square all lit up at night. We probably spent three or four hours there that night just talking about our lives and such. It was such good company and amazing conversation.

On Tuesday we started off the day with Starbucks again. haha. And then we walked over to the Jewish Quarter. There are only 1600 Jews left in Prague. First we visted the Old New Synagogue and then we headed over to the Jerasulem Synagogue. The Jerusalem Synagoge is done in the Spanish Moor style of architecture and is amazing. Unfortunately, it is closed during the winter because they can not afford to heat the inside so we could not go inside. Then we had sausage for lunch at the old town square and then we just walked around the New Town and the Old Town for the rest of the afternoon. At night we went back to the Charles Bridge to see the views of the city at night and then we had another nice meal together outside.

I truly saw some of the most beautiful things in Prague. And I hope to go back to Prague and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. I can't believe my trip is over. These past three months flew by so fast! I couldn't even imagine having that much fun and making the friends that I did. I am so grateful for this experience and now that I am finally home I can't wait to tell you all about it in person!!!!! See you soon.

Here are some pictures from Prague.

the Old Town Square at night. The red tents are the christmas market venders. You can see the Christmas Tree and the Church in the background. Definately, one of my favorite places!