Don’t expect the friendliest people on your visit to Prague (Praha), but that is just a small part of this wonderfully maze-like city along the Vltava River. Many of the streets in the heart of the city are extremely narrow and tend to wind in all different directions, making it rather fun because you never know what exciting adventure awaits you around the next corner. I happened to stumble upon some very unique buildings just trying to get back to my hostel. If this kind of exploration doesn’t excite you, then be prepared to have your map out a lot, unless you have a great memory and sense of direction (which apparently I don’t have). The one aspect that really stood out to me was the preservation of almost the entire city. Right around the Old Town (Stare Mesto) area the buildings seemed to be untouched for centuries. Prague has seen little warfare, at least any that was destructive. This is of course the home of the Velvet Revolution, in the heart of Wenceslas Square, where hundreds of thousands of protestors successfully revolted against the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia in 1989 without a single shot being fired. Various civilizations and royal families have marched into Prague throughout it’s long history, all adding a piece of there culture.

The majority of the sites to see are in or around Old Town Square. This square alone features the Tyn Cathedral, St. Nicholas’ Church, and the famous Astronomical Clock. In all honesty, the little show that occurs at the Astronomical Clock every hour is short and almost worthless (but I did take a video of it if you care to see what I’m talking about). Yet if you take into consideration when is was constructed (1410) it was quite the engineering feat for it’s time. Moving towards Lesser Town, the most likely way you will take to see Prague Castle is by crossing the Charles Bridge. There is a modern legend saying that the foundation stone of the bridge was laid in 1357 on the 9th day of the 7th month at 5:31 AM and that Charles IV chose this time so that when one writes out the opening time, one writes the sequence of odd numbers, 1-3-5-7-9-7-5-3-1. Just a fun fact you can share with your friends at a party, you’re welcome. Once you cross the bridge there is at least one cathedral you must stop by and see. The St. Nicholas Cathedral in Lesser Town is an amazing baroque style cathedral that proudly shows off it’s undulating walls of marble and massive frescoes carefully painted on the ceiling. Next stop, Prague Castle. The castle grounds are quite large and feature various royal buildings and museums, but the structure that stands above them all is St. Vitus’ Cathedral. Taking over 600 years to complete, the cathedral was not officially finished until 1929. It’s free to enter and I would highly recommend it. Yes, it’s another cathedral, but it doesn’t seem to matter how many I walk into I am still amazed at the architectural and engineering skill, not to mention the time and passion put into every building. Don’t forget to meander around the castle grounds long enough until you stumble upon one of the courtyards that offers incredible views of the entire city. You get a chance to count the endless number of towers and spires throughout the city.

Once you’ve explored Prague Castle, I would make my way towards Wenceslas Square in the New Town (Nove Mesto) area. At the end of this massive square you will find the National Museum. I never made it inside, but I was told it looks better from the outside than what it has to offer on the inside. Regardless, you are now standing in Wenceslas Square with tons of shops and a very busy pedestrian thoroughfare (great for people watching). If you have time I would highly recommend traveling outside the city center and just exploring the surrounding areas.  You will most likely come across one of the many performance halls throughout the city, and may choose to catch an orchestra or opera performance.  Prague is known for it’s rich musical heritage, a favorite performing spot for Mozart.  Another benefit is cheaper food, because they know tourists are in the main areas so they feel no shame in screwing you on food and gift prices. You also get a better sense of the city as whole when you get outside to tourist traps, not to mention you can make it to some of the open green spaces on the outskirts.   One building I absolutely had to see was Frank Gehry’s Dancing House. One big attraction to traveling for me is when I get to find all the buildings I studied in college and visit them in person, makes me happier than a fat kid in a cake shop. This happens to be one of those buildings. Originally named Fred and Ginger (after Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers – the house vaguely resembles a pair of dancers) the house stands out among the Baroque, Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings for which Prague is famous. Others have nicknamed it “Drunk House”. On the roof is a French restaurant with magnificent views of the city. The building’s other tenants include several multinational firms. I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to go up to the restaurant on top (not really in my budget), but just seeing it in person and being able to walk up under it and into the lobby was astonishing.

One last thing I managed to accomplish with a little extra time was a day trip out to Kutna Hora. There are quite a few buildings to see here, but only two really grabbed my attention. The first site I visited was The Church of All Saints with the Ossuary (Bone Church). This is a small church surrounded by a cemetery on the outskirts of town. The ossuary is estimated to contain the skeletons of between 40,000 and 70,000 people, many of whom have had their bones artistically arranged to form decorations and furnishings for the chapel. In 1870, František Rint, a woodcarver, was employed by the Schwarzenberg family to put the bone heaps into order.  The macabre result of his effort speaks for itself. Four enormous bell-shaped mounds occupy the corners of the chapel. An enormous chandelier of bones, which contains at least one of every bone in the human body, hangs from the center of the nave with garlands of skulls draping the vault. Other works include piers and monstrancesflanking the altar, a large Schwarzenberg coat-of-arms, and the signature of Rint, also executed in bone, on the wall near the entrance. Simply amazing and eerie all at the same time. The next site to see is St. Barbara’s Cathedral on the opposite side of Kutna Hora. Walking to this massive cathedral presents a beautiful approach with a statue lined wall overlooking the outskirts of town. It’s hard to miss the gigantic flying buttresses that support the towering walls of the cathedral. Once inside, you stop and look up what seems like three stories to the vaulted ceiling. Both sites were definitely worth the $10 dollar train ride out to Kutna Hora.

As I searched for my hostel late at night when I arrived in Prague, I felt almost as if I had stepped back in time. There are some parts with a more modern feel, but you can easily get lost in various areas of Prague without seeing a building that was constructed within the last 100 years (at least it feels that way). I did mention earlier I didn’t have the greatest experiences with the Czech people, but don’t let that deter you in any way from visiting this historically rich city.

I did happen to catch the Super Bowl here as well. Turns out the guy working the night shift at the hostel is from San Diego, small world. We were able to become pretty good friends and watched the weirdest Super Bowl I have ever seen (not really the game, just the atmosphere I was in) at an Irish pub. It’s funny how something like hearing the National Anthem in another country can make it sound so much different than any other time you have heard it in the past. I couldn’t wait to get out and see other countries and cultures, and I’m so glad that I am. At the same time it makes you appreciate all of the familiar quirks and cultural aspects of being an American. We can learn a thing or to about conservation and sustainability from Europe, but that is a whole other can of worms. For everyone who complains about American culture, don’t be afraid to get outside your comfortable bubble you live in and see what else the world has to offer, it may help you complain less about how shitty you think you have it. You can choose where you live in case you didn’t know, so feel free to live anywhere that makes you enjoy life, or do something to change the world around you. I don’t mean to rant and rave, so I’ll end with… go see Prague it’s neat!

Prague photos and I think one or two videos will be up sometime soon, there are some good ones.  My commentary on the city should follow shortly there after.

I’m slowly working my way into the Alps and am looking for a cheap spot to possibly get my ski on, we’ll see if it fits into the budget.  Before you know it I will be in Italy and then over into Spain!  I want to thank you all again for your comments and support, it’s great to hear from friendly faces.

So, I’ll be changing a few things with how I operate the site.  I’ve been taking into account what you guys love most… THE PICTURES! I’ve noticed that page gets more hits than any other.  I’m glad you’re enjoying my photos so I’ll be sure to keep them coming in grand fashion.  I also have been on the road long enough to share some of my Hobodrifting knowledge with you all.  I am going to start a little tips and tricks series with some fun stories and info on how to get by in the world of travel.  The posts about each city or area are going to be more of a journal type entry just to give you a sense of how my crazy brain works as I tour Europe.  Let me know if you want to see anything else incorporated into HoboDrifter.com

Well, I’m leaving Munich within the hour and am heading to Prague!  My first mission is to find a bar to watch the Super Bowl!!  Then I can officially enjoy what the city has to offer.  I captured some new videos while in Germany, so I hope to get those to you soon, Munich pics will be up soon also, and as always I will continue to update my site when I get a hot minute.  See you all soon in the Czech Republic!