Prague

I know, it's really cliche. It's really cool to visit Prague right now, and it's really cool to think Prague is really cool. Well, Prague is really cool. I really enjoyed our two days there.

First of all, getting to Prague was not our finest travel experience. When you're in California planning a trip, you most likely think, "Oh, Prague, Budapest--those are those two eastern European cities people go to now. They are probably just over the hill from one another." Wrong. . . . False. The train from Budapest to Prague is seven long hours. Also, even though RailEurope.com lets you book a rail pass reservation from Budapest to Prague, part of the journey is not covered by your rail pass. So when you enter Slovakia, the Slovakian conductor will dutifully inform you that your rail pass is worthless here, and you'd better pay up if you want to stay on the train and cross his country. Awesome! Thanks so much for the head's up, RailEurope.com.

Now once we actually entered the Czech Republic, it was pretty neat. One of my mentors at Orrick, Spencer Jackson, spent the better part of a 3-hour dinner telling me an awesome story from the mid-1980s about when he and his friends, all newly minted Berkeley graduates on a Eurotrip, decided it would be cool to drive a BMW into Soviet Czechoslovakia. Let's just say it involved Soviet soldiers, threats, suspicion they were CIA operatives, desperate poverty, $0.05 beer, and fleeing back across the Iron Curtain quickly in lieu of being detained over a minor car accident. Well, things have definitely changed in the Czech Republic today. It was cool to see the CR after hearing Spencer's story and seeing modern Hungary, because everything about the country today seemed to embody stepping forward with pride and confidence. Everything seems nice, well-maintained, and forward-looking. (But there were one or two cool reminders of the Soviet era, such as the Soviet military graveyard our train passed in the CR which held junked Migs and Cold War-era tanks.)

Upon arriving in Prague, we met up with Jen Raab, a Berkeley Law alum who finished a year before us, and her German boyfriend, who she met on her now ridiculously long post-bar trip. We sat down for some traditional Czech food, and I ordered the "Village Mayor's Feast," which consisted of duck, ham, roasted pork, sausage, heavy bread dumplings, and everyone's favorite regional delight--pickled cabbage. Lunch was great, and after saying goodbye to Jen, Nathan and I went on to our hostel, St. Christopher's Mosaic House, which has to be one of the nicest hostels in Europe. I've stayed at many hotels that don't hold a candle to the place.

In the evening, we walked around a bit to see Prague at night, which is simply stunning, and we ate dinner on the main square.

The next day, I ate breakfast at the hostel, and then I rushed over the river and up to the castle to see the Czech changing of the guard at noon. This was a really cool changing of the guard ceremony, and if you like that sort of thing, be sure to check it out when you're in Prague. The ceremony took place in a light rain, which added to it a bit for me. The royal grounds are open to the public, and they are fun to explore. The hilltop also contains a large cathedral, gardens, and various craftsmen such as glass etchers. In addition, there are beautiful views of the city below.

On our way down the hill, it was definitely time for some lunch (5 pm!!), so I stopped into a restaurant and ordered one of their featured menus (common in Europe)--vegetable soup and a Czech sausage. Nathan did not order because he had already eaten something, and our hostess berated him for this because "this is not what we do in the Czech Republic." So if you sit with a friend at a meal in the CR, you'd best order something.

Between the Jewish Quarter and the main square, I bought a trdelník, which is a Czech pastry that is wrapped around a wheel and then baked by spinning the wheel next to a heat source (like gyro meat). When it's ready, they take the wheel and slide the pastry off the end. This was one of the best pastries I've had in Europe--definitely seek one out if you visit Prague.

On our second night, we decided to stay in and eat at our hostel. We hung out with a really fun Aussie couple and sampled some of the world-famous Czech beer. And since our waiter forgot about us and our order entirely and our food took two hours to come (I didn't really notice because we were having fun with the Aussies), we were only charged about half of what our total should have been. Score!

In sum, Prague is a great city to visit. I know it's so trendy, but in this case I think its popularity is well-founded. I would have loved to visit with Jen, as it is a very beautiful city, and I really liked the eastern European flair to the architecture. It was very fun to shoot and explore. Also, the food is quite good and the local brews are amazing (and very cheap--generally about €1-2). Check out my album to see some of Prague's beauty, and if you're in the 18-30 demographic, stay at Mosaic House, even if you're not a fan of the "hostel" label. It's essentially a nice hotel catering to a young demographic. I'd love to return to this charming city with Jen down the road, and it would also be fun to visit some other Czech towns, such as Český Krumlov.

- R