We both arrived at the Prague airport Friday (April Fools!) morning. She arrived around 10, and I didn't get in until after 12, so she waited for me at the airport. it was so nice to see her!! We then hopped in a cab and made our way to the hotel. The hotel was called Deminka Palace. The hotel was beautiful, a little off the beaten path so you wouldn't just stumble upon it, but perfect walking distance everywhere. We checked in, expecting just a single room with a bed (especially for the low rate we were paying), and intend were pleasantly surprised to walk into a MANSION. There was our big bedroom, huge bathroom, kitchen with dining table and then an upstairs with another bed. We toyed with the idea that perhaps they made a huge mistake and put us in the wrong room...and then pushed the idea out of our heads and enjoyed it (and it wasn't a mistake - yay).
The hotel said they had both a restaurant and a bar/lounge. Well, it turns out that there was a restaurant just next door with the same name, however unrelated (but yummy). There was a club on the other side of the entrance, YES! Club by YES PAPA. That was quite entertaining, but if you went to the bottom floor of the hotel where the "Deminka Lounge" was, it just led to a locked door (leading to YES!). Either way, it was still great.
That night we went to dinner at Buddha Bar. It was SO DELICIOUS! I love Buddha Bar (yes, that is the one I went to in Amsterdam, too), and Em and I had a great time. That was where FatKidMoment#1 occurred. We had a delicious array of sake cocktails, appetizers, sushi, and an entree. Then dessert. Then we were still hungry (come on, just 1 entree between two girls), so we asked for the menu again. Our waitress thought we were crazy, but also loved us because we liked every single thing she suggested. I even had sushi. Spicy tuna yuuumm.
The first day we went exploring. We stopped at the National Museum, which was mostly about different artifacts from the past, from bones to clay pots. However they did have one section about a wild boar that was running loose and killing people. So this guy kills the bull, and this princess is like that is who I am going to marry. So, there was a huge costume chest and a contest, the strongest boar-killing male and the prettiest princess will be introduced to each other. Naturally, I had to dress up and show that boar who's boss. OK, Em made me. But it made for great pictures, and a little girl was following all of my style choices.
The next day we took the Hop On/Hop Off bus. We mostly just road it around to get an overview and history, and then hopped off at places we wanted to go. The city is absolutely beautiful. Our trip was combined with sightseeing and also an eating/drinking tour of the city. The food everywhere we went was so good, and their beer is cheaper than any other drink (including soda). I don't even like beer, and their beer was good (Pilsner!). The Czechs are the number one beer consumers of the world.
We also learned about how many famous movies and music videos are filmed in Prague. I had no idea! The list includes: Amadeus, Mission Impossible, Bourne Identity, Casino Royale, Eurotrip, Hostel, The Illusionist, Wanted...the list goes on. Tons of music videos, from Rihanna to Kanye West to Linkin Park were also filmed in Prague! Very cool, now I want to go back and rewatch everything to see if I notice. We actually had lunch at the restaurant/club where Rihanna filmed "Don't Stop the Music." It is called Radost FX, and was vegetarian cuisine. It was soo delicious, Em had a vegetarian tofu rueben while I had a vegetarian sloppy joe.
The craziest thing, however, is that when Em posted on her facebook status she was going to Prague, she had a friend Eve comment on it. Eve lives/lived in Florida, and went to elementary and middle school with Em. Turns out, Eve is living in Prague, so we met up with her! We got to see her apartment, meet her boyfriend, and enjoy a nice dinner and a night at YES! Club (just kidding, that part only lasted like 20 minutes). It was really nice to see her, and just another crazy small-world moment.
It was a fun and also relaxing trip. The weather was beautiful and it was nice to just sit outside at a cafe and read, or walk all around and explore. The unfortunate thing Em and I both noticed first was their lack of smoking laws. Everything smelled like smoke. Cabs, bars, streets, restaurants. It made me very appreciative of all of the bans back in the US (and even in the UK), and also appreciative of everyone you wears deodorant (yes, some people were very, very smelly). Overall, Prague was AMAZING. We saw so many sights, restaurants, cafes, museums, landmarks, castles, the jewish quarter, the chocolate museum...It was so beautiful, so much fun, and I want to go back.
Now I am back in Edinburgh for my last week! I am off to the Isle of Skye this weekend with my roommates, and then packing packing packing. One week from today and it's back to America!
*Look at my FB for full Prague photos! There are tons more*
i wrote a blog this morning all about the merrel's. just waiting on a photo from emily so i can click post. :)
ReplyDeleteglad you guys had a great time! hopefully we'll see eachother again soon.