February 28, 2018

On Monday and Tuesday, I went to Prague with Justin. We left around 9:00 in the morning to get to the bus station. We took Flixbus and it was only a four hour ride. I got the window seat and felt a bit cramped the whole ride. It wasn’t too bad. There was a mom and son that went to the bathroom like twenty times and would not be quiet the whole ride so I found that annoying. We stopped at a rest stop for 15 minutes so I was able to stretch my legs.

            We arrived in Prague and it took us about 15 minutes to find our Airbnb. We did not know which bell to ring but a lady came outside and asked if we were the Airbnb people. She was the daughter’s mother that was renting us the home and she took us up to the apartment. The apartment is gorgeous, big, and clean. We got settled in and then headed out to explore. We first exchanged money. The Czech Republic does not use the Euro. I only exchanged 30 Euro. All the streets are cobblestone and most attractions are within walking distance. The city is very pretty. We did not have an idea of where we were going. We just wanted to explore. It is more fun this way. You can walk down a street and stumble upon a magnificent castle or church.

            We went to the Charles Bridge which is one of the most famous attractions in Prague which provides a nice view of the city. While walking over the bridge, my phone shut off. I turned it back on and the battery had went from 60% to 10%. Also, I had to enter a pin code to re-unlock my SIM card. This pin was back at my apartment. So I had no access to internet and my phone was basically dead. I tried not to worry about this. We just used Justin’s internet. We hiked up to the Prague Castle on the hill which gives you spectacular views of the city. We even walked through the Presidential Palace and witnessed their changing of the guards.

            Prague is famous for their Trdlos which are rolled sugar dough where ice cream or chocolate goes inside. These shops are everywhere, kind of like the Waffle shops in Belgium. I got a Trdlo with white chocolate inside. It was very messy but delicious. After exploring, we went back to the Aribnb and then went to dinner. We went to an Italian restaurant that was about a five minute walk from our apartment. I ordered a margarita pizza which was huge and delicious. This restaurant was a bit fancy but not that expensive. Trying to convery Czech crowns to Euros to dollars was a bit annoying. After dinner, we just went back to the Airbnb and went to bed.

            The next morning, we woke up and went out to explore more. Justin wanted to see the Astronomical clock that did something special at each hour. We arrived at the clock to find it totally covered up and under construction. This was a disappointment. Justin also wanted to go to the Jewish quarter. We saw a synagogue and wanted to see the graveyard. However, the graveyard was locked and the lines to get into the museum were ridiculous. So the next stop was the Lennon Wall. This Wall incorporates paintings and sayings about anything John Lennon. The wall is quite colorful and is a great place to get your picture in front of. This was the only success of the day so far.

            Our bus was supposed to leave Prague at 4:10 and I received an email that our bus was delayed by an hour and 35 minutes. We walked around a bit more, I got another Trdlo with ice cream, and then went to the mall. I know I was crazy for getting a Trdlo with ice cream but they were so good and I wanted to try a different kind. It was worth it. We went to the mall to try and find Justin a scarf. I was surprised how many stores did not sell scarves. I went into stores I was familiar with such as North Face and the prices were absolutely ridiculous. We eventully found Justin a scarf and he bought gloves as well. We went upstairs to the food court and I got Pizza Hut for lunch. Pizza Hut here tastes nothing like Pizza Hut in America. It was still delicious though. After walking around the mall a bit more, we just went back to the Aribnb so that we could check out and head to the bus station. We had seen and done everything we wanted.

                                                                                                                              We checked out and waited inside the train station for about an hour and a half. We then went to the other side of the station to wait in line for the bus. It was sooo cold so I stood inside this stairwell. The bus was supposed to come at 5:45. It did not come until 6:30. I was upset and annoyed because they had already delayed our bus. I am pretty sure this was not even the right bus. We got on the 6:10 bus. The 4:10 bus never came. Oh well, at least I got back ok. I got an aisle seat this time because the bus was practically full when we got on. I was comfortable the whole time so no complaints. I went to listen to music, put my headphones in, pressed play and the music was so quiet. It took me a while to figure out that I had not turned the Bluetooth on for my headphones and my phone was blasting music. I was embarrassed and quickly turned on my Bluetooth. This day has been an adventure. I was happy to be back in Vienna. I took the U Bahn and then a street tram to get back to my apartment.