I know it’s been forever since I’ve written, but I’ve been so busy having my own adventures I haven’t had any time to write about them…

A week after Strasbourg was fall break, and I embarked on a 12 day trip around Central/Eastern Europe with two of my friends. The first city we visited was Prague, the City of a Hundred Spires. Prague is a beautiful city straight out of a storybook, with gothic churches and winding side streets and intricately detailed buildings. Our first day there happened to be my 20th birthday, and it was definitely the coolest birthday I’ve ever had.

We arrived at 8:30 in the morning tired from our early flight, however as soon as we saw the city laid out before us in burnished orange and cream we were rejuvenated. We dropped our stuff off at the hostel (Hostel Boudnik, would highly recommend) and took the tram to Savoy Café for a birthday brunch. It’s a gorgeous restaurant: traditional Czech design dating back to the 19th century.

The food was even more impressive than the interior, though. I hadn’t eaten breakfast out since back in the States (not really a thing in France) and the breakfast at Savoy was bougie and delicious. I had a croissant, latte with foam leaf art, freshly squeezed orange juice that tasted like sunshine, sparkling water, hot bread and butter, egg, potatoes, sausage (so zesty!), ham, a veggie tart, and finally mouthwatering french toast made from a fluffy slice of brioche and topped with cinnamony shaved apple. Have I ever been more delighted??? I felt like a princess.

After breakfast we zigzagged up a steep, forested hill. The farther up we went the more our breath was taken away by the views. Prague is this beautiful blend of landscape and cityscape– it’s hilly with a wide river and plenty of trees, yet filled with beautifully crafted buildings. We went all the way to the top of a mini eiffel-tower looking structure and saw sweeping 360 views of Praha.

It glowed in the sunlight, and for a few blissful hours the sky was bright blue (just for my birthday!). It may be called the city of spires, but to me Prague is the city of detail. Each building seems hand carved, washed in pretty pigment; the churches are opulent and topped with soaring towers, the roofs are made of burnt-orange tiles so that the whole city looks ablaze when viewed from afar.

Later that afternoon we meandered through the streets, admiring the elaborate doors and occasional street art. I got a trdelnik for my birthday– a mouthwatering spiral of cinnamon sugar dough that I got topped with vanilla ice cream. I definitely felt nauseated afterwards, but it was worth it– as were the views I admired whilst eating it, by a Starbucks that overlooks the Malà Strana district we had spent the last hour or so wandering through.

The next morning we marveled at the sweet, whimsical architecture of Dancing House and took pics at the psychedelic John Lennon wall across the river. We crossed the Charles Bridge, bedecked in statues and teeming with crowds and musicians. We went to the Old Square, a central point of the city surrounded by cool architecture and lots of restaurants and churches. There’s even a medieval astronomical clock that’s a popular tourist destination.

We spent a while looking at the beautiful buildings in Josefov, or the Jewish District; it was very peaceful and quiet to stroll through. We stopped at the adorable Pernicuv San for gingerbread and hot drinks– it also had the best carrot cake I’ve ever tasted. So if you’re in to carrot cake, head over to Prague!

That night we went to Black Angel, one of the top ten hotel bars in the world. We weren’t allowed to take photos, but the interior was incredibly elaborate and fancy. Once we sifted through the cocktail menu (which was a literal book) we ordered our fancy schmancy and delicious cocktails. Mine came in a goblet. It was some sort of delightful concoction of aperol, aged plum brandy, egg white, and something else, and it was all together just a high-class affair. Later that night we went to a dance bar called Harley’s that plays classic rock, and it was decidedly not high-class but definitely a blast.

We went to the Mucha Museum, which I highly recommend if you ever visit Prague. Mucha is a famous Czech artist who lived fabulously and paints with a beautiful art nouveau style that is highly detailed. His paintings are lyrical and connect with nature, and his women look like spirits. He believed his purpose was to help enrich the Czech Republic through celebratory art that encapsulates its cultural heritage. I think that’s a beautiful idea: art as a means of empowerment for an entire country.

That night we shared two more trdelniks (we never learn!) and walked along the moonlit river one last time. We spent 3 full days in Prague in total, which was the perfect amount of time for such an interesting city.

We booked a night train to Budapest that was supposed to leave at midnight, however it got delayed and we had to wait in a (hopefully urine-free) section of the freezing train station until 2:30 in the morning. Once the train came we were alarmed to discover that we didn’t have actual seats– it’s a long story (but it’s not our fault! partly to do with electric problems putting some cars out of commission…)

What commenced was a traumatic night trying to sleep in a cramped 2 foot wide hallway, getting up every time someone wanted to squeeze past, and fending off hypothermia and exhaustion! We were literally riding the rails, total hobos. It was like a bad dream, but we certainly left Prague with a bang so that’s saying something.