Praha

prague is about 6 hours away from salzburg and i had to go. my friend gabe made a pretty strong argument before i left for europe, so i put it on my list of cities to see.

arriving in prague at night is a little difficult. i knew what tram to take and where to get off, but i couldn't find where to pick it up to begin with! (tip #1 - know where you're going or arrive early enough to get a map!) fortunately a nice lady at the tram info desk helped me out, tho probably cuz she realized it would be easiest on her to get rid of me ASAP... anyhoo, after getting off the tram i couldn't find my street. it was half a block behind me and to the right, but w/o a map i chose to go half a block ahead and to the left. eventually circled around and found my street, but it took me about 45 mins and 2 stops to ask directions... in the end the place i booked was well worth it. it's a remodeled hotel located about 15 mins from the main station (for normal people that know where they're going) and it was awesome! i could have stayed there all wknd.

the next morning i got up early, ate breakfast, and headed back to the main station to find a much-needed map. this is when i learned how info works in prague. tip #2 - go to the right info desk! the tourist info desk only gives tourist info, and if you ask for anything unrelated, i.e. "what street are we on?" they will claim ignorance and make you move on. same goes for the other info desks (train, bus, tram, metro), and they're all within 10 ft of each other. bizarre! now if you were to slip them a US$20...

ok, enough babbling. on to the pictures!

despite the rude people (they're your best friend if you're spending $$), i really enjoyed this visit. the city is beautiful. two blocks from the main railway station is the opera house.

another couple blocks down is the National Museum.

directly in front of the National Museum is the Wenceslas Square, a former horse market and home of the St. Wenceslas statue.

this is also where a university student set himself on fire in 1969 in protest of the Warsaw Pact invasion. they also say the 1989 protests held here against police brutality help lead to the end of communism in Czechoslovakia.

from there i went to Henry's Tower, used back in the day as one of 13 gates to the Old Town...

and one of many towers you can go into for a view of the city.
just a few blocks away is Powder Tower, named that way cuz they used to store gunpowder there.

next to Powder Tower is the Obecni Dum (Municipal House) where they host a lot of events, conferences, etc.






futher into Old Town is Starometske Namisti (Old Town Square). lots of cafes, tourists, and pretty things to see right in the heart of Old Town.
Starometske Namisti is also home to the Orloj (the Astronomic Clock). it dates back to the 1400s, and little statues pop out of little doors at the top of each hour.

also in the square is The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn.

a few blocks further is the river and the Charles Bridge. it was really known as the Prague Bridge for the longest time til King Charles IV renamed it after himself. arrogant pig.

from the bridge you can get awesome views of the river and Prague Castle.

on the other side of the bridge is Lesser Town, home of St. Nicholas Cathedral, one of the finest baroque buildings in europe...

and the Prague Castle. i missed the turn and had to take the long way up (i know, why does that not surprise you?!). the Prague Castle, built in the 9th century, is probably one of the more unique finds in europe. different rulers have built on to it over the years so it's a pretty big mixture of styles.

it comes complete with guards that have to stand in the heat all day while tourists like me get up close to take their photo.

courtyard inside the castle walls...

St. Vitus Cathedral. this thing is a massive example of gothic art.
the Old Royal Palace

Basilica of St. George

you can get some really good views of the city from here.

after wandering around for a few hours, i headed back down the stairs. took the short way this time.

on my way back i took the Manesuv Bridge so i could get a nice picture of the Charles Bridge.

on the other side of the Manesuv i found the Rudolfinum, home of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

prague is a decent size city, but i kept running into this group all day. ian (the one who looks like he's getting goosed) is getting married and was partying w/about 30 of his friends.

when it was finally time to leave i headed back to the main station. was going to visit b's brother in dresden, but couldn't find my platform. i went to the rail desk and they told me i was at the WRONG train station. WHY ME?! in her heavy czech accent she said to take the metro 3 stops to the Holesovice Station 10 mins away. since i only had 14 mins to spare, i ran down the stairs and jumped on...but going the WRONG way. again i ask, WHY ME?! got off at the next stop and of course was freaking out while i waited for the train going the RIGHT way cuz at that point i only had 7 mins to spare. after missing trains in montreux and my train to vienna, i'm getting REALLY GOOD at this... eventually it showed up and i proceeded to freak out cuz i knew i wasn't going to make it. upon arrival i ran off the metro, up the stairs, down the hallway, and up to the platform to find a whole bunch of people staring at me. turned out the train was 5 mins delayed, and no one on the platform expected a crazy little asian woman to come flying up the stairs...