Having traveled to over twenty countries, I can say that Prague is hands down my favorite city in the world. I have now been there more than seven times, and have even had the chance to live there for a little while.
My love for this city all started when I was back in Graduate School at UNC Chapel Hill. Between my two years there, our school had a summer seminar. Students could either go to London or Prague. As I had been to London when I was smaller, I decided to try a new city. Little did I know back then, how much my trip would change my life.
I'd like to say that my love for the city had to do with all the different people I met there, which still does hold true. We all remain friends to this day, even after a decade plus. But moreover, there is a certain magic that exists in this city.
Though historically, the people and culture were definitely touched by different historical events, the architecture has remained from years beyond when the US was “established”. The Prague Castle, which is still used today, was built in the 9th century. If you're bad with dates like me, the year was 870. So over 1,000 years ago, Pražký Hrad began construction. It is a beautiful site, and will always remain in my memories as something truly special to me.
A couple years ago, on my last trip to this wonderful city, my now husband, proposed to me in front of this castle. What an amazing story I will always be able to tell. Tak!
Anyway, because my summer seminar had to do with the program I was taking at school, I was fortunate enough to experience all different types of libraries around the Czech Republic. Yes, I know this may not be interesting to a lot of people, but for someone like me, this was the experience of a lifetime. I got to see city libraries, country libraries, chateau libraries, monastery libraries--and all of them were incredibly beautiful and interesting in their own ways.
Plus, I also got to drink a ton of beer. Which didn't hurt. In the Czech Republic beer is cheaper than water. [UPDATE] Though current laws have made this a bit more difficult, the price of beer is still comparable to water. If you don't believe me, "CZECH" out my photos below and see the difference in sizes of water vs. Pilsner.
The longest trip I took to Prague was when I went there for over a month to become a TEFL teacher. For years and years, I have always wanted to teach English to non-native speakers. What I didn't know was how hard that was going to be, especially when I take my own language for granted. I think I learned more about English grammar in 2016 than I had at any other point in my life. I met some incredibly wonderful people and had amazing teachers. Luckily, since I had been to Prague before, studying and working until 3AM everyday wasn't that horrible, and I could see the parts of the city that I wanted to see. I had a wonderful time, and still to this day, sometimes wish that maybe one day I will live there again.
The last part of this post is to unabashedly show you photos of the food that exists in this city. I am a big eater. I love food. I love meat and I love carbs. Prague was probably the best place for me because of this. My favorite meal there, don't laugh, was a ham sandwich. I know this sounds insane, but when I tell you that the ham in Prague is different than any other ham you'll taste, you just have to trust me on this.
The beer is like no other. It's delicious and fresh, and you can easily down five pints of beer without flinching. If you want a traditional Czech meal, try the gulaš. When we went the last time, we would eat something, be stuffed, swear we couldn't eat another thing, and then take two steps and buy a párek, which would often be as long as your arm.
I do hope that every person in the world gets to visit the city of Prague at least once in their life. It is quite something. And holds a very dear place in my heart.
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