Prague, Czech Republic

I die for all things Prague. Einstein taught at Charles University, Mozart composed some of his best Opera's in Prague, and Hitler loved Prague so much that he asked the Nazis to leave it untouched. It's for this reason that visiting Prague feels more like stepping back in time than other "eastern" cities that have had to rebuild since WWII.

Here's what we had planned for our long weekend:

FRIDAY

- Commit sins by getting Einstein Kaffee before hopping on the train from Berlin HBF to Prague (Arrive: 11:36am in Prague)

- Eat lunch in record time at Restaurace Maitrea (Týnská ulička 1064/6, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia) and sprint through Prague's winding streets to make it to our 2pm Old Town Walking Tour.

- Reset at Café Café (Rytířská 10/10, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia) where the cakes are nothing special but there are jorts for as far as the eye can see.

- Hike over the Charles Bridge to the Lennon Wall and get distracted by the Artisème (Velkopřevorské nám. 4, 118 00 Malá Strana, Czechia) garden.

- Actually hike hills and climb endless stairs to get to Zahradní restaurace (Letenské sady, 170 00 Praha 7-Letná, Czechia) for pilsner, bratwurst, and views of the city at sunset.

- Cross over the Vltava River for dinner at Bokovka (Dlouhá 729/37, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia) and hope there are available seats so you're not exiled to the second floor terrace like we were.

**Anonymous Bar - didn't end up making it here, but comes highly recommended by Audrey's "very cool, very Euro" boss.

SATURDAY

- Cafe Jen (Kodaňská 37, 101 00 Praha 10-Vršovice, Czechia)- If you're not above eating cake for breakfast get the coconut banana bread french toast (and if you are...GTFO).

- Proudly walk into Hard Rock Cafe (Dům U Rotta, Malé Nám. 3, 110 00 Josefov, Czechia) and encourage Audrey to get a t-shirt ( because 2020 is cancelled and we are time travelling back to 2007) so that she can remember your trip forever. - If you only eat one thing in Prague it should be the beef tartar at Naše maso (Dlouhá 727/39, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia). It's THAT good and necessary fuel for the Prague Castle and Charles Bridge Walking Tour.

• Shout out to our guide Amanda who literally peaced out of Toronto as a high school graduate, decided to reconnect with her roots in the Czech Republic knowing no Czech and has been thriving in Prague for 10+ years. I am many things, but impulsive/willing to live without a significant cash cushion is not one of them.

- We planned to get coffee at the famed cubist cafe Dům U Černé Matky Boží (Ovocný trh 19, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia), but our tour guide told us it's a tourist trap and we went to La Boheme Cafe (Sázavská 2031/32, 120 00 Vinohrady, Czechia) for lattes and carrot cake instead.

- Topped the night off with a Bar Crawl...self explanatory fun and shenanigans ensued.

**Our tour was longer than anticipated so we weren't able to go to T-anker (recommended for its views by our airbnb host) or Baráčnická rychta for authentic Czech cuisine. Honestly not that upset about it though because at this point we were still riding our beef tartar induced high (...meat sweats?).

SUNDAY

- Recount the details of your Saturday night in excruciating detail over the Mediterranean bowl at Sweet & Pepper Days (Anglická 390/19, 120 00 Praha 2-Vinohrady, Czechia). This cafe has iced lattes to go (unheard of) & paper straws so it gets extra brownie points in my book.

- Sit in the most unladylike position on the benches scattered around Havlicek Gardens & Vyšehrad and pray that the sun re-energizes you before you have to take a 4-hour train back home. Both of these gardens are gorgeous and would be better enjoyed if you're not hungover.

- Who knew open faced sandwiches could bring me such joy? The woman behind the counter at Sisters Bistro v Dlouhé (39, Dlouhá 727, Staré Město, 110 00 Praha, Czechia), that's who. General rule of thumb: skip anything on the biscuit-y looking bread and go for whatever is topping the french bread.

- Doze in and out on your 4pm train back to Berlin while listening to Charli XCX on repeat. IYKYK.

EXTRAS

- We stayed in the Prague 2 neighborhood. Our Airbnb was a convenient 15 min walk from the train station and smack dab in the middle of the big tourist spots and the quieter sights tucked away in residential neighborhoods.

- Prague in early July is HOT and the days are long - just the way I like my Euro vacations.

Audrey and I probably missed out on eating authentic Czech food (apart from bratwurst & pils - but does that really count?) on this trip but goulash, potatoes, and fermented cheese were the last things on our mind as we trudged through the Prague sun. Next time!

- The Prague transport system is not my favorite. It's not super direct and the conductors will not wait until everyone is on and seated before moving along. I learned this the hard way when I momentarily glanced down to get my mask and the next minute (more like 10 seconds) the train is pulling away...with Audrey on it. Lots of panic laughing ensued until we were reunited 10 minutes later.

- The Old Jewish Cemetery is haunting. About 100,000 bodies are buried below the medieval headstones on a small plot of land. Legend has it that Golem is also buried close by.