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| the attic |
but I feel like...
staying up day and night, visit more places in Czech but also spending more time in the city with a mix of really old, less old, a bit old, new, a bit
new, newer and modern and really modern buildings and nice statues and other monuments, with something to see every where you turn and with a story behind every stone. Perhaps there's also a legend you don't know of living in the attic of a synagogue, but that is another story to tell.
I feel like...
visiting all the museums and enjoying everything that's old a new. The Jewish museum in Terezin was extremely interesting but huge and an hour was not enough to see all of it. I want to go back and see the rest. Terezin itself is a 'normal' village now even though there are a bunch of crazy people walking around and it used to be a concentration camp, besides that its really normal. I loved seeing this village and this way get a real feeling of and a better view on what had happened to the Jews and other minority races in the second world war.
We were told , before the start of the tour, to remember that Terezin is not a representation of the other concentration camps because Terezin was a camp that was used as a propaganda camp in
1941 to cover up the stories about the bad conditions the prisoners in the concentration camp had to live in. The people were not purposely killed in Terezin either but died of these bad conditions. Well, I think both ways to die are just as bad. But this post is not about the concentrationcamp named Terezin. I actually wanted to save the story about Terezin for later. It was definitely worth the visit.
We visited Cesky Krumlov. It's a medieval town and it feels like you go back in time during a 3 hour buss ride, while admiring the beautiful landscape of the Czech republic. If you're a student you can book a buss using student agency and travel by a buss that offers the possibility to watch television or movies, listen to music and has electricity that you can use to charge all your important electronic devices and there is Wi-Fi, so you can feel a sense of connection with the world around you.
You can explore the medieval town (to see every thing you will need at least a day), sit at the riverside or be more active and go rafting or canoeing. There was for example an old medieval castle that you could enter for free and "the birthday cake tower" for which you had to pay a small fee. There was a big palace garden connected to the castle, many bars, restaurants and cafes across the town that were affordable and there was a lot of beer and bears. Yes bears. What else do you want from a village? I wouldn't mind living there but the houses cost about a half million now, at least that's what we were told, so I guess I will buy a house there in another life when I'm a rich, but I do feel like it.
visiting all the museums and enjoying everything that's old a new. The Jewish museum in Terezin was extremely interesting but huge and an hour was not enough to see all of it. I want to go back and see the rest. Terezin itself is a 'normal' village now even though there are a bunch of crazy people walking around and it used to be a concentration camp, besides that its really normal. I loved seeing this village and this way get a real feeling of and a better view on what had happened to the Jews and other minority races in the second world war.
We were told , before the start of the tour, to remember that Terezin is not a representation of the other concentration camps because Terezin was a camp that was used as a propaganda camp in
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| The most important square in Terezin |
We visited Cesky Krumlov. It's a medieval town and it feels like you go back in time during a 3 hour buss ride, while admiring the beautiful landscape of the Czech republic. If you're a student you can book a buss using student agency and travel by a buss that offers the possibility to watch television or movies, listen to music and has electricity that you can use to charge all your important electronic devices and there is Wi-Fi, so you can feel a sense of connection with the world around you.
You can explore the medieval town (to see every thing you will need at least a day), sit at the riverside or be more active and go rafting or canoeing. There was for example an old medieval castle that you could enter for free and "the birthday cake tower" for which you had to pay a small fee. There was a big palace garden connected to the castle, many bars, restaurants and cafes across the town that were affordable and there was a lot of beer and bears. Yes bears. What else do you want from a village? I wouldn't mind living there but the houses cost about a half million now, at least that's what we were told, so I guess I will buy a house there in another life when I'm a rich, but I do feel like it.
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| Cesky Krumlov, looking down on it standing in the castle walls. |
I feel like...
learning all there is about the history and the culture, possibly even learning the language that has some words that are very similar to Italian and are easy to understand if you're familiar with Latin languages. A guy I've met from Czech says the language is a little similar to German. He's probably right but that did not make it any easier to understand for me. I find it extremely difficult, but I would like to learn it. Maybe I can? I know a few words already. 'Vystup' means exit. 'Tam' means push but it could also mean 'there' because a man was pointing and yelling 'Tam' at me, when I didn't know where I had to put the candle I lit as a symbol of respect for all the Jewish people that died in the Terezin camp. When you greet someone you say 'Dobriden' and when you say goodbye (for the last time) you can say 'Na shledanou'. And I think it's always very important to say thank you: 'děkuji'.
learning all there is about the history and the culture, possibly even learning the language that has some words that are very similar to Italian and are easy to understand if you're familiar with Latin languages. A guy I've met from Czech says the language is a little similar to German. He's probably right but that did not make it any easier to understand for me. I find it extremely difficult, but I would like to learn it. Maybe I can? I know a few words already. 'Vystup' means exit. 'Tam' means push but it could also mean 'there' because a man was pointing and yelling 'Tam' at me, when I didn't know where I had to put the candle I lit as a symbol of respect for all the Jewish people that died in the Terezin camp. When you greet someone you say 'Dobriden' and when you say goodbye (for the last time) you can say 'Na shledanou'. And I think it's always very important to say thank you: 'děkuji'.
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| A part of the Jewish cemetery in the Jewish quarter. |
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| Buy. Stamp and go. |
They have this weird way of mentioning the place you've arrived at and instantly mention the place you're going next even before the doors of the buss open to let the passengers out. So that's a little bit confusing. Unless you speak Czech, I can advice you to simple ignore the last part of the information that is mentioned or ignore everything they say and look at the visual information instead. That is the information for dummies. I didn't get lost, not even once, so it works.
I feel like...
having a
proper conversations with more locals. I've met some young people and they were extremely
friendly. They gave me some local advice and told me about the differences
between people from Slovakia and Czech but also told me that the language is
similar but that people from Slovakia use some different words and might have a
different accent. I was also told, from someone from Slovakia in the company of
people from Czech, that people in Czech smoke like chimneys compared to people
from Slovakia and that it's allowed to smoke in the clubs in Czech but that in
Slovakia this is not the case. There they have the same rule that they have in
the Netherlands: no smoking in restaurants.
Great rule. I, like many others, enjoy fresh air, while we have a bite to eat or something to drink. They told me many more things but I might elaborate on that later. This post isn't about the differences between Czech and Slovakia either.
having a
proper conversations with more locals. I've met some young people and they were extremely
friendly. They gave me some local advice and told me about the differences
between people from Slovakia and Czech but also told me that the language is
similar but that people from Slovakia use some different words and might have a
different accent. I was also told, from someone from Slovakia in the company of
people from Czech, that people in Czech smoke like chimneys compared to people
from Slovakia and that it's allowed to smoke in the clubs in Czech but that in
Slovakia this is not the case. There they have the same rule that they have in
the Netherlands: no smoking in restaurants. Great rule. I, like many others, enjoy fresh air, while we have a bite to eat or something to drink. They told me many more things but I might elaborate on that later. This post isn't about the differences between Czech and Slovakia either.
They told me the youth in Prague talk English but that they are first generation to learn English. The older
people usually don't speak English. From the moment I heard that information I
kind of made a note to myself: When in trouble and when you need information about
anything, scan your environment and approach a young person. And that's what I
did and it worked perfectly and that way I also learned some things about the
culture.
It was really funny to observe Spanish and Czech people trying to communicate with each other.
The Spanish people would talk in Spanish because they sometimes can't speak English or refuse to speak it and the Czech people who can not speak English would reply in a very bad English the Spanish would not understand: Hopeless but entertaining.
Another way I've learned the most things about the culture and the history of not only Prague but Czech in general is during the (partly free) tours. The different tourguides I had from Australia, Canada and Romania, except one girl that I did not really like and I forgot where she was from too, were really good at telling us about the history of Prague. I totally recommend you, if you happen to be visiting Prague any time soon, to look for the yellow umbrellas, those are people who give tours in English, on the old town square (If you prefer Spanish you have to look for the black and white umbrellas and there are tou)
It was really funny to observe Spanish and Czech people trying to communicate with each other.
The Spanish people would talk in Spanish because they sometimes can't speak English or refuse to speak it and the Czech people who can not speak English would reply in a very bad English the Spanish would not understand: Hopeless but entertaining.
Another way I've learned the most things about the culture and the history of not only Prague but Czech in general is during the (partly free) tours. The different tourguides I had from Australia, Canada and Romania, except one girl that I did not really like and I forgot where she was from too, were really good at telling us about the history of Prague. I totally recommend you, if you happen to be visiting Prague any time soon, to look for the yellow umbrellas, those are people who give tours in English, on the old town square (If you prefer Spanish you have to look for the black and white umbrellas and there are tou)
I feel like...
traveling all the roads, especially the sandy ones but also the small narrow streets and the big streets that crisscross through the city. I've noticed that it's pretty easy to find your way here. Since there are a lot of churches and differences in height it's pretty easy to spot a tower you've passed and use that as an orientation point on your way back. There's also this church, the church of our lady the 4th, on the old town plaza that you can use as an orientation point to know if you're heading north, south, east or west.
traveling all the roads, especially the sandy ones but also the small narrow streets and the big streets that crisscross through the city. I've noticed that it's pretty easy to find your way here. Since there are a lot of churches and differences in height it's pretty easy to spot a tower you've passed and use that as an orientation point on your way back. There's also this church, the church of our lady the 4th, on the old town plaza that you can use as an orientation point to know if you're heading north, south, east or west.
I recommend you to
use the public transport as little as possible in Prague because it's
absolutely not necessary if you're in good physical health and not extremely
lazy. You see much more when walking and it makes you much more flexible if you
suddenly happen to feel like a change of plans (WAUW, this looks like an beautiful church,
let me enter really quick and check it out). The tram won't suddenly make a
stop for you and in the metro you will miss out on the entire view. Besides, the
metros can get pretty crowded here. In the 5 days that I traveled I found
myself standing almost every time, no matter if it was day or night. I did not mind since sitting is also
unhealthy but it's something I've noticed.
I've also noticed that you can walk from
one district of Prague to the other and it's possible to see the most important buildings
like the big cathedrals, the television tower and the Petrin tower from almost
every where you are. I recommend you to explore. Don't worry about getting lost. If you get lost, you can
also try to find out where the Voltava river flows and follow it, as it will
guide you on your way home (Just ask the guy I met from Abu Dhabi, he was
constantly using it as a mean to find his way). If you get lost you can also look at the signs that are literally everywhere. Or you could use your internet or better yet download this app that is called 2GIS, that works OFFLINE in Prague and some other cities in the world. Every city should have it! More about 2GIS later.
I feel like...walking from one district to the other and eat Czech food and drink Kofola (which is like cola but sweeter) in the breaks I will take, but I also feel like visiting the many international restaurants that I did not yet visit and sit at all inviting looking cafes I've seen to enjoy all the sweet and savory stuff Czech has to offer. It's paradise for people who have a sweet tooth like me.
You might have seen this donut icecream cone on the internet. It's called Trdelnik. I definitely recommend it and they sell it everywhere in Prague but 'good food' is a good place to buy it. It is a bit heavy on the stomach and might be a bit much if you've just eaten. I eat a lot and I struggled with finishing it after I just had dinner but it was absolutely delicious and a typical Czech thing and so is Kofola and applestrudel. Well that's what my friend from India said. I've always called it Apfelstrudel and thought Apfelstrudel was German, but who knows. Maybe it is Czech. Recommended! Why would you skip the typical Czech food when you're in Czech?
Czech beer seems to
be really good too, at least that's what my friends say. I took one sip and had to walk around with the bad taste of beer in my mouth for a while. The taste reminded me of a beerbrand called Polar
from Venezuela. The Czech beer is supposedly more bitter than other beer, it tasted bitter indeed, and way better
than French beer nd the Dutch Heineken., according to a guy from England who says he's not British. He said, not my words, that French, Dutch Heineken and Belgian beer is bad. I was told that Czech beer is one of the best beers in the world but I think Czech people like to brag and tastes can differ. I don't like beer. I've based everything I've mentioned on information I got from different sources so don't kill the messenger.
I feel like ...eating all the sweets they sell here and that I can possible eat, every day and night, and get fat. Except I won't get fat because you're constantly on the move here. My legs aren't really used to it and feel really heavy at night. Prague is not the best place for people who are lazy and is not really suited for the disabled. A part of it, in the old town, is pretty easy to wander around and you can reach many places by public transport too but a lot of streets are steep (I saw a guy struggling to go up in his wheelchair and he was having a really hard time) and to see all the things that you can see in Prague you will have to go for a walk and that will probably be a long and tiring one but definitely worth.
Plus it's good for your health, don't forget about that! And remember: the climb might be exhausting but the view is absolutely mesmerizing when you reach the top (and you'll save money that way too!: win, win, win, win, win…)
In case you take the metro somewhere. Be mentally prepared for this: They have these
super high escalators that are a bit scary at first. You will get used to it, slowly but surely. I recommend you to walk up and down on the escalator instead of standing still, if
you can. If you stand still on these escalators you will waste approximately
2,5 minutes of your life. I've made it a sport to walk up and down all the time. If you walk up the
escalator every time during your vacation you will stay fit, even though you
stuff yourself with all the good food.
I feel like...
cycling up and down these Czech roads. Prague would actually be a really good place to practice for the tour the France or other competitions, if you're that ambitious. Cycling here looks like fun. I've heard that there are also biking tours for tourists. It's a bigger challenge than in a country such as the Netherlands because Prague is not flat like the majority of the cities in the Netherlands and the cities in some other countries and there are no cycling lanes. The streets are also pretty chaotic. Cars, trams and busses rush through some parts of the city (You usually get 12 seconds of green light when you want to cross the street as a pedestrian) , but no matter the things I've mentioned it still seems fun to cycle in Prague anyway.
cycling up and down these Czech roads. Prague would actually be a really good place to practice for the tour the France or other competitions, if you're that ambitious. Cycling here looks like fun. I've heard that there are also biking tours for tourists. It's a bigger challenge than in a country such as the Netherlands because Prague is not flat like the majority of the cities in the Netherlands and the cities in some other countries and there are no cycling lanes. The streets are also pretty chaotic. Cars, trams and busses rush through some parts of the city (You usually get 12 seconds of green light when you want to cross the street as a pedestrian) , but no matter the things I've mentioned it still seems fun to cycle in Prague anyway.
I feel like crossing..
all the bridges and staring at the Voltava as it streams by and forms a constant threat to the city. The city flooded many times in history with the biggest flood in 2012. Through all those years, the Charles bridge (Karluv most), supposedly they mixed egg yolks through the mixture when they build it, is still standing though. But I wouldn't be afraid for a possible flood because they've heightened a big part of the city and Prague is still standing and the people are still here. It must be that great that it is worth the stay.
all the bridges and staring at the Voltava as it streams by and forms a constant threat to the city. The city flooded many times in history with the biggest flood in 2012. Through all those years, the Charles bridge (Karluv most), supposedly they mixed egg yolks through the mixture when they build it, is still standing though. But I wouldn't be afraid for a possible flood because they've heightened a big part of the city and Prague is still standing and the people are still here. It must be that great that it is worth the stay.
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| View you get on the city when standing in the castle district. |
I feel like...
reaching
the highest tops around the city to admire all the beauty in every possible
way. I've got to take a look from many different sides by visiting many places
surrounding the center of Prague and it's definitely worth it. I did not go up
to the Petrin tower but that is highly recommended. You can also go up the
television tower.
The television tower is a tower that was meant to used to be used during the time of communism to block the television signals from other parts of the world. The communists did not manage to finish the tower on time before the fall of communism in 1988. Communism fell but since they had already built a whole system up there (with the aim to block television signals) they decided to keep the tower and are now using the tower to broadcast television signals (Isn't that ironic?). Small babies are climbing this tower, because an artist felt like adding some temporary art to the tower. It's said that the Czech think it's the best place from which to view the city because when you're standing in the television tower you won't be able to see the ugly tower itself.
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| The monster of a tower. |
The television tower is a tower that was meant to used to be used during the time of communism to block the television signals from other parts of the world. The communists did not manage to finish the tower on time before the fall of communism in 1988. Communism fell but since they had already built a whole system up there (with the aim to block television signals) they decided to keep the tower and are now using the tower to broadcast television signals (Isn't that ironic?). Small babies are climbing this tower, because an artist felt like adding some temporary art to the tower. It's said that the Czech think it's the best place from which to view the city because when you're standing in the television tower you won't be able to see the ugly tower itself.
I passed the tower
on my long walk to the hostel on the first day I've arrived in Prague and
indeed, my first thought was: What is that ugly thing that seems to be planted
here but does not fit with anything else?
I feel like...
simply sitting down any where near a shopping area or in one of the many parks or anywhere else and enjoy the atmosphere in his city that like New York does not seem to sleep. The trams, metros and busses work until 00:00 hr and after 00:00 hr the tram stops functioning and starts again at 3:00 hr but the metro keeps functioning nonstop and there are night busses . It's perfect for when you want to go to out at night. It's well thought of. Of course it's also possible to pay for a taxi to get back home at night, which is the most expensive option. Or you could call an uber driver, which is less expensive. But this is not the post in which I will tell about my experience with the uber driver.
simply sitting down any where near a shopping area or in one of the many parks or anywhere else and enjoy the atmosphere in his city that like New York does not seem to sleep. The trams, metros and busses work until 00:00 hr and after 00:00 hr the tram stops functioning and starts again at 3:00 hr but the metro keeps functioning nonstop and there are night busses . It's perfect for when you want to go to out at night. It's well thought of. Of course it's also possible to pay for a taxi to get back home at night, which is the most expensive option. Or you could call an uber driver, which is less expensive. But this is not the post in which I will tell about my experience with the uber driver.
I feel like...
constantly moving around because there's not a single thing I would want to miss. I've seen so much in these past 5 days but there's still a lot I didn't see and there's still a lot I want to see. It's a beautiful city with a crazy history and amazing buildings with great stories behind them. I've mentioned some of these stories now but I will tell more about them in another post since this one is becoming too long. It's hard to stop writing when there's so much to tell
constantly moving around because there's not a single thing I would want to miss. I've seen so much in these past 5 days but there's still a lot I didn't see and there's still a lot I want to see. It's a beautiful city with a crazy history and amazing buildings with great stories behind them. I've mentioned some of these stories now but I will tell more about them in another post since this one is becoming too long. It's hard to stop writing when there's so much to tell
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| While walking in the Petrin Parc. |
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| The line, going down a stairway. |
I don't know if you can buy the tickets online but if you can, you definitely should or just walk! I've been told that the view from the Petrin Tower is beautiful.
I feel...
alive here. Prague makes me feel alive, more alive than usual because I usually do feel very alive. I'm breathing. Prague makes me feel like going places, like capturing everything and taking it all in. Maybe it's traveling in general, traveling tends to have that effect.
So this is how the city of Prague makes me feel. I feel extremely sad about leaving tomorrow, knowing
that there are so many things I still want to do, places I want to go and things I want to see but I feel extremely excited about returning here and I feel blessed that I have gotten the chance to experience this city and can now share
my story with you.
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| The city of Prague in the past. It has many more bridges now. |
You might have never been to Prague, in this case I really recommend you to go there. As you might have heard before and might have noticed: It's a really beautiful city. But in case you've never been to Prague before my stories, this is only one of the many that will follow, may function as a guide or some sort of advice.
I think this is the most important thing to keep in mind: If you don't like old buildings Prague might not be a very interesting city for you. If you're not interested in history and would not even be interested if someone told you they found Jesus' corps and asked you to come and take a look, I advice you to forget about Prague and book a ticket to for example Abu Dhabi or New York. Prague is old and some may find it old and boring ( I strongly disagree!).
I think this is the most important thing to keep in mind: If you don't like old buildings Prague might not be a very interesting city for you. If you're not interested in history and would not even be interested if someone told you they found Jesus' corps and asked you to come and take a look, I advice you to forget about Prague and book a ticket to for example Abu Dhabi or New York. Prague is old and some may find it old and boring ( I strongly disagree!).
It's also possible, Prague is a very touristic city, that you've already visited Prague and you might have experienced Prague in a different way. I have been here, on my own but never alone, for 5 days and I am heading back to the Netherlands tomorrow, my heart full of sadness but filled with wonderful memories of all the things I've heard, all the things I've seen, all the wonderful people I've met. I have no clue how you feel about Prague but this is how I feel.
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Strangers are friends you haven't met yet.
Unknown places are pieces of paradise you have not yet explored.
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