Prague Is Beautiful, Here's Some Proof

St. Vitus Cathedral 

The Gang

Seeing Mom, Dad, and Grandpa this past week was absolutely outstanding; I saw the family after 7 long months, I left the country and was back in the developed world, I stuffed myself silly with bacon everyday (no exaggeration-this happened).  The joke of this trip was that I was basically a 5 year old who could drink, I had no money and no opinion-just happy to be in the company of those I love.  The fact that we got to tour around two of the most awe-inspiring old European cities was a bonus.

A very very large bonus.

Prague and Vienna are, expectedly, beautiful.  It's easy to get overwhelmed as you crane your neck from one side of the horizon to the other because you are surrounded by majestic, palatial, structures.  Kings and queens have seated themselves in these cities, people who's existence was supported by the economic activity of entire nations.  And they built churches and palaces and castles to say just that.

We saw a lot of sights and went on a lot of tours (which, actually, was really nice.  I've never been on an official tour before, but it was cool to have a guide give context to everything you see).  Prague was my favorite, so much of the city feels like a living museum and its great to see how the city stays modern while still staying true to its UNESCO World Heritage site certified roots.

In Prague, two of my favorite sites were the St. Vitus Cathedral, which is a breathtaking work of architecture who's completion spans hundreds of years, and the memorial to Prague area Jews who were killed in the holocaust, a haunting list of names, dates of birth, and death clearly written on the whitewashed walls of a former synagogue.  And, of course, beginning each morning with a warm cup of honey wine.

From Prague we took a train down to Vienna which was a pleasure, both to get the morning off from walking and to see the fairy-tale countryside.  Though not my favorite of the two, Vienna was still a great time.  The highlight was taking the elevator up the south tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral, casually you step out of the elevator only to look through the metal grate floor to you see you are standing 60 feet (at least) in the air with a view commanding the entire city.  I also recommend the Belvedere Museum, which is dedicated to artists who were based in Vienna.  The building itself is a former palace and it wonderfully showcases Vienna's rich artistic heritage.

For this vacation, I packed like an idiot.  I had absolutely forgotten how to pack for a vacation with normal people, who have normal standards of living and eating.  Numerous items ended up getting packed for an unknown (and unencountered need) whereas others (like my camera charger!) were left behind as I was still in the mental mindset of 'regular' Peace Corps Volunteer travel.  Luckily I was able to fully capture our trip to Prague, and I think there are some good ones.

Click HERE to see pictures.  More coming.