A Weekend Getaway to Prague, Czech Republic

In December, my friends Candice, Adam and their son Henry came to visit us with the purpose of making a weekend trip to Prague. If you remember my post about my visit to the Black Forest, Adam was studying abroad in Germany and before they returned to the U.S., they wanted to visit Prague. Since we only live 2 hours from Prague, it was the perfect opportunity to visit us and see Prague as well. Alas, Nick wasn't able to go with us because he had already made plans that day which interfered with our schedule. Plus, at that time, the Army had put travel restrictions on soldiers and he wouldn't have been able to go anyways (I promise he will be doing more traveling with me this year though!).

As soon as we arrived in Prague, we went straight to our apartment to drop off our belongings. We decided to rent an airbnb apartment while we were there even though we were only staying for a short while. We stayed in the heart of Old Town and our host was very friendly and helpful. He even walked us around the neighborhood and showed us which restaurants were the best, etc.

Since we visited in December, just before Christmas time, we decided to check out the Prague Christmas Market a few short blocks from our apartment. It was quite cold that night but we bundled up and headed out to check out the festivities. On our way to the Christmas market, we spotted a Trdelník stand and decided we needed to try one of these popular Czech treats. In case you didn't know, a Trdelník is a Czech pastry that is made of rolled dough, rolled in sugar and nuts and then grilled over an open flame. The result is pure deliciousness! After our little treat we headed to the market. The market was located in the Old Town square and was extremely crowded. I expected it though, since Christmas markets all over Europe seem to attract large crowds.  Despite the crowds, the market was beautiful, especially the massive Christmas tree with the beautiful twinkling lights.

The next day we woke up early and roamed the quiet, empty streets of Prague. It was definitely beneficial to see the city at 8:00am on a Sunday. The streets were free of crowds and I felt like we could really take in the beauty of the city. While we were exploring, we decided to see if we could find a restaurant that was open for breakfast. In case you aren't familiar with Europe, most places don't do breakfast the way us Americans do. Pancakes, eggs, and french toast are rare to find in restaurants in Europe (at least in the cities I've visited!). I was a bit unsure if we were going to be able to find a place that served the type of breakfast we were used to but to my amazement, we did! Cafe Louvre had a great breakfast selection and we enjoyed being able to get a "taste of home" in Prague.

One of the attractions all of us were keen on seeing in Prague was the Lennon Wall. The Lennon Wall 

is a large wall in Prague that is covered in John Lennon inspired graffiti. It began in the 80's when the Czech Republic was still under communist rule and it became a place where people would come to draw art or write inspirational quotes by John Lennon . Apparently authorities would paint over the wall during the communist regime, yet the wall would be filled with more graffiti and quotes by the next day. They just couldn't stop people from returning. Over the years the wall has become a symbol of love and peace.

Our last stop that day before driving back to Germany was Prague Castle. Prague Castle overlooks the city on top of a tall hill which can be seen from many parts of the city but besides that, we didn't know much about it. It turns out it is more than just a "castle".  It's comprised of various buildings within the premises and actually houses the President of the Czech Republic. In addition to that, the basilica of St. Vitus and St. George reside on the property, both of which date back to the 10th century! Oh, and it's also the largest ancient castle in the world!

We had such a great time in Prague. It's such a beautiful city that's rich in history and it also has loads to see and do. I can't wait to return someday and see what more Prague has to offer!