I’ve been back from vacation for almost 2 weeks now and slowly getting back to work. I start my regular schedule again on Monday so this weekend I’m going to try to enjoy what’s left of my summer! The weather here in Madrid is still pretty hot in the afternoons so it’s been kind of nice.
Prague was our last stop before Mai and I parted ways to go home. We were super tired but luckily the center of Prague is very, very small. We stayed at the Intercontinental, which is located in the Jewish quarter and just a few minute walk from the main square. The hotel is very nice and has a nice spa – perfect way to end the holiday! I was able to use the pool and spa facilities and I was so happy that they had a super hot Finnish sauna!
On our first day, we decided to just go out and walk around. The city is so pretty and there are so many things to see. Unfortunately the tower of the old city hall was being renovated so we got to see the astronomical clock but the tower itself was covered with ugly blue tarps. We stopped in a random restaurant called U Staré Paní for lunch that ended up being pretty good. The only thing I didn’t like about Prague was that there were so many people everywhere, especially on Charles Bridge.
After lunch we continued walking through the city. One of the nice things about Prague is that all the buildings are so nice and colorful. It’s quite enjoyable to just walk around and take everything in. We also made a pit stop to try chimney cakes. We had seen them in Budapest as well but finally decided to try it in Prague because it was filled with ice cream. We made our way over to see the hanging Sigmund Freud then across Charles Bridge to explore Mala Strana and Prague Castle.
That evening we decided to go to a bar that was recommended by Mai’s friend called Hemingway Bar. The bar is really nice and cozy and they have a lot of cocktails to choose from! You can call to make a reservation and I recommend sitting at the bar, if you can. You get to watch the bartenders make the drinks and even though I don’t normally drink, it’s fun to watch. I even tried a cocktail that was pretty and pink! We had so much fun the first night that we decided to go back the next day as well since we left a bit earlier the first night so we could walk around and see the city by night.
The next morning we woke up early again to go take pictures around the city before all the people descend upon the city. A lot of people were actually on Charles Bridge waiting for the sunrise but the weather was not too good that day unfortunately. We ended up exploring Prague Castle for a bit, had coffee and went back to the hotel to relax before we went to lunch. One of the bartenders had recommended a restaurant called Eska that was really good.
On our last day, Mai ended up making a spa appointment and it turned out that my friends Ethan and Karis were in Prague as well! I ended up meeting Karis for coffee and we spent a lot of time just catching up and hearing about each other’s adventures! Ethan and Karis are photographers and have been living like nomads for the last 10 months. Follow their adventures on Instagram because they are so amazing! After coffee we checked out of the hotel and headed off to lunch with one of our new friends. The amazing thing about meeting locals is that you get to eat at the best restaurants! We went to this cute restaurant called Kantyna where they had fresh steaks for you to choose from and they prepare it for you. After this we walked Mai to the train station to see her off to Berlin so she could catch her flight the next day. We walked back to the hotel after so I could pick up my bags and head to the airport but we stopped for ice cream along the way. On my vacation last year to Italy I ate gelato (at least) once a day so I was happy to get some ice cream finally!
And that’s it for my summer! Flew back to Madrid and spent a few days resting because vacationing is hard work. I’m not sure where I’ll be off to next but for now it’s just work, work and more work!