Prague, Czech Republic || Backpacking Europe!

hello lovelies

I am back to continue my Backpacking Europe series which initially started during summer 2019. Despite lockdown, I think it’s time to start looking forward to times ahead where travel will once again be possible. Check out the entire series so far to get caught up on our journey to this point in the trip.

I spent a while trying to decide whether now would be the right time to bring this series however decided that this could be the escapism needed by many right now. I would also love for this to be a tool for those in quarantine currently to help plan their dream trip to take once lockdown is over.

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Following a very uncomfortable flight from Budapest Elliott and I finally landed in Prague. During this flight, my flight anxiety skyrocketed setting off symptoms of other chronic conditions I face day to day (post coming soon). My flight anxiety nor my chronic health diagnosis is something I have covered here on my blog previously and is something I do want to be more open with my readers about.

This resulted in a slow start to our time in Prague. After sitting in the airport and coming back round from an awful bout of adrenalin, dizziness and presyncope we began our travels to our hostel.

Unfortunately, we had very limited time in Prague and despite feeling a little bit off I wanted to ensure we didn’t waste the little time we had. We arrived at our hostel.

Once checked in and shown to our room devised a quick plan to spend the evening walking around the city and seeing as much as we possibly could. We only had one evening and the following morning to see as much as we could.

Our first stop was St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague’s first temple. The cathedral looked beautiful reflecting the golden hour sunlight.

 

St. Vitus Cathedral & Prague Castle

We also made our way to Prague Castle, placed looking over the city. Promoting beautiful views and picturesque lanes.

Upon our descent back down to the city we came across the main river to run through the city. We took a moment of peace while looking upon its blue water and the wildlife that lived within it.

As we continued our walk around this beautiful city we came across a few small independent stores. My favourite being this gingerbread/confectionary store. Mostly for their miniature gingerbread men and the strong ginger aroma. Unfortunately, as many of you who read this blog regularly will know I can’t eat gluten and therefore couldn’t purchase any of these sweet treats but I enjoyed looking at them and the experience of the store none the less.

Sticking to the topic of food I always find so much enjoyment watching Elliott trying the local delicacies of a city. Having been Gluten/Dairy Free for a long time now I often no longer feel the jealousy as I did when first diagnosed.

Prague’s Astronomical Clock

Charles Bridge

We wandered across the city continuing to stop at many landmarks including Prague Astronomical Clock and Charles Bridge whilst also on a search for Chimney Cake a Prague delicacy. We came across a wonderful little stall selling these delights and of course Elliott had to get his hands on one. This particular stall was extremely popular being on Old Town Square.

We also managed to almost gatecrash a wedding ceremony whilst queuing. The newlyweds had stopped their horse and carriage to take pictures across the picturesque square. A truly magical moment to witness.

Still feeling a little symptomatic I decided not to eat much in terms of food that evening and instead decided to continue our walk of discovery.

We came across a bench looking over the river and sat for a while taking in the cities culture. We discussed what we would like to do with the rest of the evening seeing as at this point it seemed slightly early to return to the hostel but also too late to visit any other major landmarks.

During our conversation, we got onto the topic of ice bars. As I had never experienced one before we did a quick Google search to find out if there happened to be one in Prague and by luck, there was, and also within walking distance.

Price-wise compared to the remaining cities we had on our trip it seemed like the perfect opportunity to visit one within an affordable cost. Unfortunately, once we arrived as we had some baggage and also refillable water bottles it was too much of a hassle for us to enter. Instead, we decided to potentially visit an ice bar later in the trip and head back to our hostel. Despite a little bit of disappointment, we both decided an earlier night back at the hostel will be beneficial for both of us after such an action-packed day!

A refreshing night sleep later we were up early to eat a quick breakfast in the hostel before packing in the final sights before our transfer that afternoon.

Grand Cafe Orient

We found ourselves browsing shops finding a Marks and Spencers of all shops to buy lunch in. A gluten-free wrap was definitely welcomed at this point after a lack of food options I could eat.

We also found ourselves in a spot of panic when an emergency alarm was sounded across the entire city. This deafening noise overtook all other noise and despite panicked looking tourists, the locals appeared unfazed. A little bit of panicking later we learnt it was a monthly occurrence while Prague tested the alarms. This was the first time I ever experienced something like this as it just isn’t something done here in the UK. Definitely was an interesting one.

Museum

We made our way up toward the museum to see if there was a possibility of us entering despite our 35-litre backpacks and hand luggage. After skimming the rule upon entering we decided against the idea and made our way toward the station ready to catch our next Flixbus this time on the way to Munich!

I would absolutely love to return to Prague for a chance to enter some of the sights we weren’t able to and to spend a little longer admiring its beauty. Though we did manage to see a lot of the city I would recommend spending at least 3 days to get the full experience that Prague has to offer. Let’s hope in the not to distant future I can return to this beautiful city.

Have you visited Prague? Are there any sights I missed you would recommend? Let me know in the comments!

 

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