On Friday I flew into Prague. While at the time I stressed and was unhappy, looking back, my setbacks were not that big. I missed my first flight in New York due to terrible traffic, but was placed on the next flight leaving only half an hour after my originally booked ticket. That meant that I could make my connection flight in London and avoid getting on two different flights and changing the time of my arrival. However, when I got to London I had to get out of my terminal and go through security again to get to my gate. Since I only had an hour to get to my next flight this process was stressful, but at least I didn’t miss my flight. When I arrived in Prague (a mere hour and a half later), I discovered that my luggage was placed on the flight leaving immediately after the flight I had taken. Since I had changed my original flight they assumed I wouldn’t make it onto the connection and placed my bag on the next flight. So, luggage-less I took a car into the city with some of the girls in my program and wandered around my apartment building for 20 minutes searching for a phone. All the shops were closed (small shops are usually closed on Saturday and Sunday) but I found a pay phone and called the student director of the program. She would meet me at the apartment in an hour. The next hour would be my favorite of the day. I sat in a small square, which I would later find out is the landmark of my neighborhood. It was warm with a light breeze, and just sitting outside and relaxing brought down my nerves and helped me enjoy my first couple of hours in Prague. My luggage came that night and I met up with my student director for my bag and then went back to my apartment and passed out.
My first full day of Prague wasn’t necessarily very full...I slept in until noon! But I was jet lagged and the sleep really did me good. After unpacking and settling in, I decided to take a shower and explore the city. I took a tram into town and ended up getting off too late. My apartment was closer to the center than I expected, but I didn’t mind walking. I wandered in what I though could be the right direction and ended up at the bottom of the center. There were booths set up selling little nick knacks and beautifully painted Easter eggs (big holiday) and as I walked up the center I passed several stores and cafes. Since it was still early in the day I decided to try walking back and discovered that the path back is almost easier than taking the tram... the tram would be just a little faster.
After arriving back at the apartment, Amanda and I headed to a grocery store (nonstop! a.k.a. 24 hours...) and also hit up a little fruit stand. The food here is particularly inexpensive and I’m starting to try a few cheeses :). And after getting online quickly we took the tram into the city center to find some food. We ate at a cute little pizza place that was relatively well priced. I ordered my first beer and enjoyed it with my pizza and tomato salad, and even had extra food to take home for tomorrow.
I really enjoyed walking in the city and just seeing all the old buildings. Prague truly feels historic with its cobble stoned roads and old architecture. On my first day of class I’ll take pictures to post because words cannot describe the magic of this city.
