Czech, Please!

I can't tell you how many times I uttered the above words in Prague this weekend (with an alternative spelling, obviously)...meal after meal of goulash, pheasant, bacon dumplings, you name it! Thanksgiving is an annual trademarked New family celebration so it was a bit upsetting to have to spend the holiday thousands of miles away from my family for the first time in my life.  So, rather than fruitlessly attempt to recreate the magnificent Maryland potluck event, I opted to explore another awesome city with my Rome friends, this time adding my high school friend Alex to the mix. It was quite obvious that we would have to take advantage of how inexpensive a city Prague is and eat like royalty (see below pictures, of course)!

We checked into our hotel Thursday night and were pleasantly surprised by the themed ambiance. Our room included a lofted second story with three extra beds, jungle themed wallpaper and decor, and our own personal swing (yes, a swing...we're proud to relive our childhoods abroad).  We set out for a traditional Czech Thanksgiving which, for me, included strawberry-lime cider (sweet, tangy deliciousness with a little buzz) and beef goulash with bacon dumplings, a hearty and smoky dish, which was a nice change-up from our traditional Roman go-tos.  In a moment of utter abroad perfection, we went around the table saying what we were thankful for and, setting aside all of the silly inside jokes, all of the responses seemed to center around our appreciation for our experience in Italy.  We have really thrived in our travels together and, despite the small obstacles that stack up at times, we are all thoroughly respectful of and grateful for our time in Europe.  After our teenage sap-fest, we headed to Nebe, a small cocktail bar, for some colorful drinks and quality background music (Madonna, Jay Z, the works) before turning in for the night.

Friday was our unabashedly touristy day.  After a traditional Czech lunch including potato soup in a bread bowl (Panera cravings have since ensued) and sausages cooked in black beer (whatever that is...), we met in front of the Starbuck's in Old Town square for a free tour of Prague.  Yes, a free tour.  Kristen somehow scoped out a website that offers quality tours of nearly 70 percent of the city with no upfront charge attached whatsoever.  The company believes that you should give them how much you think the tour is actually worth and not pay any excessive fees, a nice philosophy and perfect for us cheap-o students!  We were able to cover the history of Old Town, the astronomical clock, the Church of the Black Madonna (creepy story attached to that one, you'll have to ask for the full deets), the Powder Tower, the central bank, and the Jewish ghetto.  Our tour guide Tijo was a hilarious younger guy from the Netherlands who moved to Prague because he "fell in love with the beer, the city and a girl."  Gotta love the guy and he dished out some truly compelling facts about the city.  Apparently, Michael Jackson performed a massive concert in central Prague where he erected a huge temporary statue of himself where Stalin's statue once stood.  Also, the Hugo Boss store is apparently ironically located in the Jewish ghetto because the designer actually created the Nazi uniforms.  Never liked the guy's clothes before and I certainly won't be shopping at his store in the future!  We polished off our day with a bit of souvenir-searching and headed to Phenix for a fabulous meal which included perch and pumpkin cake for myself with mulled wine as a beverage.  This little concoction is a hybrid of cinnamon spice tea and delectable red wine served piping hot--perfect! The disco we wanted to check out was also conveniently located right next door from the restaurant and it was awesome to say the least.  The club was five stories tall with a different musical genre playing on each floor.  Even the Oldies hits were enjoyable...who doesn't love Grease Lightning?  All in all a fantastic intro to Czech life!

Saturday, we decided to pave our own way through the city.  The main event was our trek across the famous Charles Bridge to Prague Castle on the other side of the water.  I've included a couple of shots of the gorgeous castle and the picturesque little town that surrounds it, but my dinky camera doesn't do the place justice.  We all absolutely loved the city, essentially a real version of Disneyland. Mostly, we just roamed through the castle grounds, checking out St. Nicholas' church and the monastery nearby.  Kristen and Alex tried out some traditional Czech pastries, while Megan snacked on the perfect apple crepe.  After even more browsing in the glass shops for classically Prague-ish trinkets, we prepared for our next exciting meal.  I ordered fish ravioli, skeptical in anticipation of its quality as we were all fresh from gorging on Rome's pastas.  However, the dish, soaked in shrimp cream foam, was the perfect combo of chewy and silkily creamy, as was Sara's truffle gnocchi which I stole a few bites of.  Luckily, everyone in our crew loves to share so bites of chicken, duck and foie gras were freely doled out around the table. After wrapping up our dinner (a gourmet meal came in at under 15 euro as converted from Czech crowns!), we did some bar-hopping around town, hitting up M1 at one point, a small hip-hop bar/club that celebs including Kanye West and Coolio have frequented.  Again, a quality line-up of activities for our second full day.

Sunday, we wrapped up our Turkey weekend adventure with a chic brunch at Paul bakery (the French chain) and some more souvenir shopping before a later flight home.  Prague was freezing, but exhilarating, so picturesque and rich with history.  I am glad we ended our cross-country travels on such a high note!

Traditional beef goulash for Thanksgiving dinner

Drinks at Nebe

Old Town Square

Tour guide, Tijo

The famous astrological clock

WJ reunion in Prague

Always repping Kappa Gam!

Gift shop at the Choco-Story museum

Mulled wine, my new favorite chilly weather drink.

Pumpkin spice cake...how festive!

The epic five-story disco...the largest club in Central Europe!

Perfect view of Prague Castle

Looking over to the castle from the Charles Bridge!

St. Nicholas' Church

Prague's version of Gianicolo

The church at Prague Castle

Stained glass interior

When I arrived in Rome, I made my way a few streets over from Termini for a quick dinner with Laura, a sorority friend from Emory, a relaxing way to wrap up the weekend and a sweet reminder of the fun to be had in the upcoming semester in ATL.  Though I am having an absolute blast here, I am starting to recognize the imminence of my departure.  Nonetheless, I am glad we've had the opportunity to seize each day abroad and this weekend was no exception. 

Ci vediamo dopo,

Alexi