Ano! Moje další destinace je Praha - which means my next destination is Prague.
Exams over, some money left in the bank account - what else to do? There wasn't much to think about. The only confusion was about which budget-friendly place I had to settle with. My friends had been to Prague during the Christmas holidays and I had my eyes set on it right from the moment. So a day before my trip I checked for the hostel and seat availability in Flixbus and when everything matched according to my plan and budget, I said Tschüss to Magdeburg and left for Prague.
If you have read my blog posts before, you should know it is more about the stories and photographs of the places I visit rather than the means of my transport and the place of my stay.
My trip to Prague was 3 and a half days and 4 nights. Reaching Prague Central Bus Terminal Praha Florenc ÚAN, I had to walk about 15 minutes to the hostel I had booked which was in the Prague 3 region. I had booked a bed in a mixed dormitory. The rooms and the hostel as a whole are very clean. Separate rooms for ladies and gents bathroom/toilets which are spacious enough. And you will have a pantry to cook or microwave anything. You will get ample amount of coffee round the clock. There is a vending machine from which you can buy beer or soft drinks.
I plan well before my trip. The main reason is that I should not feel bad if I was not able to visit some place which, at a later point, back from my trip I realize I was so close to it but still I couldn't make it. So I do heavy research for the places to visit, food to eat, hidden gems, plan them according to my schedule to fit them all in. Likewise, I had created an itinerary for my trip and I made sure I visited about 90% of the places.
Soon after I kept my things in my allotted space in the room, I took my camera and my backpack and I got out of the hostel for having lunch. I am not ashamed to say that I being an Indian went to an Indian restaurant, Spice India, straight away. From there I set the Google navigation straight to Old Town Square. Old Town Square (or Staroměstské náměstí) is really historic & beautiful and the most significant square of Prague.
The main attractions of the Old Town square include the Church of Our Lady before Týn, St. Nicholas Church and the Prague Orloj (or the Prague Astronomical Clock). The hourly show of "The Walk of the Apostles" is really worth a watch.
Church of Our Lady before Týn from Nám. Franze Kafky
Before you pay anywhere, you need to exchange your currency!
Now, before you enter any place you will need to pay the entrance fee in Czech Koruna. When I visited Prague, it was 25.60CZK for 1 Euro. There are N number of exchange offices in and around the tourist attractions. Make sure you read the board of that day's selling rate before you jump in and convert all your money. Some places offer a very low value which goes as low as 18CZK for 1 Euro. Other places offer you approximately 25CZK but they charge hefty commission on them. I'll guide you to the best place I found: eXchange which is just like 200m from the Old Town Square. They gave me 25.20CZK for 1 Euro.
About 700m from the Old Town Square you get to see the historic Charles Bridge. The bridge has got three towers. One can enter the Old Town Bridge Tower which costs 100CZK. It is really breathtaking. I would suggest one to take tickets at least 15 minutes before sunset.
On the way to the other side of the bridge, which is called Malá Strana (or the Lesser Town), there is a way to get down on the left side to Kampa Island. An island on Vltava River, Kampa is separated from Malá Strana by a narrow artificial stream called Devil's Stream (Čertovka). This place is less crowded and offers a good time to spend with a view to the Vltava River, Charles Bridge and the other side of Prague.
When you walk past the bridge over the Devil's Stream, you see the legendary Lennon Wall. You may still find people scribbling on the wall or spray painting as the owners of the wall, Sovereign Military Order of Malta, has allowed the graffiti to continue on the wall.
A new country gives you new vibes. And my walk to discover new vibes continued... Stay tuned for the next post as we have got more to explore!