- Dec 14, 2018

The Start of a Great Fall Break in Prague

Happy Holidays!

It is hard to believe that my second quarter abroad is almost complete. In a means of celebrating a successful first quarter, a few of my friends and I spent our fall break in Prague and Vienna earlier this semester. I loved exploring both places and cannot wait to share all of our discoveries.

After our first day of exploring Prague, we knew that two and a half days would be plenty of time to explore, see the top sites on our list and get a taste of the culture.

Arriving around noon, after smooth travels out of Charles de Gaulle airport, we decided to get to walking (my favorite way to explore a new city) and try out a restaurant that I found while doing some pre-travel research.

We went to Bistro Monk with the anticipation of ordering yummy avocado on toast with fresh cherry tomatoes, feta, and a poached egg, but in the end, after being informed of their daily special, we decided that that was the way to go! We were then presented with a divine Fall Pumpkin Risotto (this also turned out to be the perfect way to pay tribute to Halloween -- which is not largely celebrated in Prague).

After a fantastic lunch, we walked towards the Castle of Prague and St. Vitus Cathedral. Adventuring through the quaint streets and stopping every so often to pop into the little shops.

We purchased the "A" ticket inside the Castle (where they accept Euros!) that allowed us to attend several of the attractions including the Old Royal Palace, The Story of Prague Exhibition, the Basilica of St. George, the Golden Lane, Powder Tower, and the Rosenberg Palace.

The views from the Cathedral were spectacular! It was also amazing to admire and learn about all of the detail and intentionality that went into creating the cathedral itself.

Walking back towards Old Town, we decided to treat ourselves to a traditional Czech dessert -- the Trdelnik. The dough resembles something between a lighter (and unsalted) pretzel and a doughnut, that is torched and rolled in cinnamon sugar. There are extensive lists of the different variations ranging from trdelnik filled with whipped cream and strawberries to pistachio-crusted trdelnik filled with pistachio gelato but I decided to indulge in the trdelnik rolled in finely chopped nuts with a drizzling of Nutella.

Later that evening, we explored the Prague nightlife and had a delicious dinner at a darling restaurant called Pasta Fresca!. To start with something fresh, we shared a platter of Italian prosciutto and juicy cantaloupe. For our main course, again with similar palates, three of us ordered the Tortellini stuffed with homemade ricotta and parmesan with fresh sage; it was fantastic!