Exploring Prague!

Prague!

So, as you might recall, I'm studying abroad in London at the moment. As a part of the Stern Business School's Business and Political Economy program, one of the perks is a fully funded trip, each semester. Last semester, we went to Brussels, Belgium, where we visited the European Parliament for the European Union, as well as the European Commission! This semester, we were given the opportunity to travel to Prague, in the Czech Republic.

To say that Prague was beautiful would be a gross understatement: the city itself perfectly embodied what the ideal European city would look like. With intricate architecture, clear blue skies, and cobblestone roads, Prague was absolutely breathtaking.

We got in late on Thursday night, and after some late dinner, headed straight to bed. The next day, we set out early in the morning to visit Skoda Auto, one of the largest automobile manufacturers in Eastern Europe. Yadda yadda yadda, the company was bought by Volkswagon, and was supposed to demonstrate how privatization of companies can improve the economic prosperity of a country. NERD ALERT: I was fascinated! Educationally, it was really interesting--we learned about transition economies, particularly applicable to the Czech Republic because of its transition from a communist country with a planned economy into a capitalist and democratic country. We visited the Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education  (CERGE), and listened to a variety of lectures through the weekend. Okay, boring stuff is over! Here's a photo exploration into Prague!

Side note: I would never own a Skoda, they managed to produce zero desirable cars.

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Throughout the rest of the trip, I explored Prague a bit more, tried some interesting Czech foods, and took pictures of random things that I enjoyed.

Venison Goulash & Potato Dumplings: Tasty, but extremely overrated. Also, I suspect that the potato dumplings were just sponge cake...

Astrological clock! This thing rings every hour, on the hour, it is supposed to have some astrological significance, the point of which escapes me...

As I noted before, Prague has some of the most incredible architecture! 

Hey, a picture of me! This proves that I visited ;)

This is a cathedral inside of a castle. No big deal, they're all over Europe ;)

Franz Kafka lived in this home! You may have read any of his works, The Trial, The Castle, and The Metamorphosis. 

Overlooking the city, I treated myself to a cup made out of cinnamon bread! The hot chocolate was also phenomenal. 

Check out this view! The bridge, the river, and the city was amazing :)

On our last night, our school took us to a 'traditional' Czech restaurant. The menu? French fries, potatoes, vegetables fritters, bratwusts, steak, and chicken. Seemed pretty American to me! 

After our dinner, I went out and explored the city a little bit. One of the hotels was actually a boat, and I went on top of it and sat for a while on the river. :)

To be honest, this picture is particularly for Cecilly Francisco. I remember your affinity for mozzarella sticks...they have mozzarella patties in Prague!

The morning we left, I took some time to walk along the bank, stepping into little stores and bakeries that caught my fancy and/or intrigued me!

Things I like about Prague

• City design
• Architecture
• Lower costs
• Hours of operation (open late!)

Things I don't like about Prague

• With thin soles, cobblestones hurt
• Smoking indoors--I probably got lung cancer in the 4 days that I was there
• Lack of healthy dining options! Everything was either deep-fried, or made of potatoes.
• Rampant prostitution--no, random lady on the street, I am not interested in a 'blowjoob'.

At the end of the day, Prague was a lot of fun! It was really interesting to visit another country of course, and I'm always up for exploring a new culture!