March 28th, 2024

Prague rocks!! What a gorgeous place. It’s like a regal fairytale, fanciful and delicate but calmly powerful. The beauty isn’t modest or understated but it’s also really timeless. After being in Italy for quite some time it’s a really different feel and I couldn’t like it more. Seeing the sights has been fantastic, and I feel like I’ve really just scratched the surface of Prague, what with working and my brief window. I’ll be in Belgrade for quite some time, perhaps I’ll just have to come back!

After landing on Tuesday evening I took a bus into the city center, getting off a couple stops shy of maps’ suggestion to get a bit of flavor of the city. I was delighted to meet five super fun, kind, interesting, and New Englander college students from UNH in my room at the hostel. Harry, Ameila, Kylee, Ella, and Jake were kind enough to let me fold in with their group for the few days we’re here. I’ve had to work most of the days but going out and eating with a group of super cool people has been great, especially coming off of a couple not-so-great hostel experiences the last week or so in Italy. Last night we went out for some drinks and ended up at this great Irish pub with karaeoke, which was really just a packed room full of sweaty people singing their lungs out. Right before leaving we got up on the stage ourselves and led the crowd in a few songs. So fun, very electric. 

Tuesday’s dinner was fantastic, I got pork neck (shrug), which was awesome, and a giant mug of Czech beer, followed by another bought by a drunkenly kind guy we bumped into on our way out of the restaurant. Yesterday (Wednesday), my gastronomical adventures included a giant sausage with a billion toppings, green beer, mulled wine, absinthe, and potato gnocchi with sour kraut and bacon. It’s all super interesting and different from anything I’ve tried before, with a few strings attached to Bulgarian food, but still really distinct.  I think I’ll go get another sausage for lunch now, in fact! [I promise the drinks were spread out throughout the evening, don’t worry for those of you readers who might get concerned.]

In a few hours I’ll board a bus for Vienna! The hills…! Very exciting stuff