{Day 2} Warning: This post is a slightly longer.
Half of our group left bright and early for a walking tour of the city, but the rest of us opted out in order to get more sleep. Kevin and I got up little while earlier, so we journeyed for breakfast and walking around before really getting ready to head out. We wandered into Old Town Square again to see if there were any quick bites. We grabbed some freshly squeezed orange juice, but ended up throwing it out before we headed back because we discovered a dead bug in the cup. Nope. I also grabbed a small cup of hot wine just to taste, but I was not a fan. It was a beautiful, brisk morning for a walk around our neighborhood, and I fell in love with all the alleys, streets, and their aesthetically pleasing architecture all around.
Our relatively small but lively group of Kevin, Jess, Andy, Bo, and myself made the second day of exploring tons more fun. There's nothing like a beautiful cityscape, so we began our trek to the top of the city for #DatView. Being the genius that I am, I wore a pair of heeled booties for an entire day of walking. Talk about smart decisions. I wasn't expecting to go on a hike, which is what we essentially embarked on. It also didn't help that almost all of Prague's roads are cobblestone; my feet took a serious beating, but I took it like a champ. Sort of. We eventually made it to Petřín Lookout Tower, where we were able to go to the top (via stairs for Andy, via elevator for the rest of us lazies) for a lovely bird's eye view of the city. The view was absolutely phenomenal with red rooftops sprinkled throughout and a miniature Charles Bridge with ant people scurrying about. The shaking of the tower floor made us uncomfortable, so we headed down the tower to visit the monastery. From there, we found Bellavista, a restaurant with a gorgeous view of the city. I had the beef goulash with bacon dumplings, which was a bit too heavy for my liking, especially after our "hike." The food was simply okay at best, but the spectacular view deemed the restaurant worthy of a visit.
Prague Castle was up next, where we were able to meet up with the rest of our group for a quick little reunion. We continued on with our own version of a walking tour around the castle and the St. Vitus Cathedral. The cathedral was enormous with incredibly detailed and beautiful stained glass windows. The architecture throughout our mini walking tour was astounding; it was definitely a change of pace from the skyscrapers and industrialized city buildings we're so used to seeing in NYC. The Lennon Wall was another point of interest on my list. The first thing we saw was a "We Support You" message for Hong Kong, which was heartwarming, especially surrounding recent events. I also loved seeing "I'm fucking crazy, but I'm free..." spraypainted on the wall.
On our trek back to the flat, we ran into a bulldog meet, featuring about 3 or 4 English Bulldogs and 2 French Bulldogs. While we were enjoying bulldogs running around, the bulldog's slobber got all over our hands and clothes, so we all decided it was time to leave. Of course, in all of Europe, if you want to use a public restroom, you need to pay, so I had to scrounge up 10 koruna to utilize the services. On the plus side, the public restrooms are relatively clean, so it was a nice change from the disgusting public restrooms we have in the US.
Fortunately, I was able to change into more comfortable shoes before meeting up with one of my people, Lumi, who's studying abroad in Prague this semester. It was a sweet mini-reunion filled with delicious red sangria and el pastor tacos from Las Abelitas. We had a bit of a wait before we were seated, but in the end, it was worth it. We ended up at Propaganda Pub after dinner for some drinks while we waited for Kevin to pick me up. It was a gamble asking him to come to the bar because we had no way of getting into contact with him {keep in mind we have no cell data}, but it surprisingly worked out. Pat on the back for Kevin for finding us. After Lumi and I parted ways, Kevin and I ventured into New Town in an attempt to find some bars for night out together.
We ended up meeting one of Kevin's friends and his girlfriend at Icon Hotel. After seeing their cozy room, we decided to splurge to a grab a hotel room for the remainder of our stay in Prague. I have to say it was one of our better decisions on the trip; while it would have been nice to have been with the rest of our group, having our own bathroom and shower felt like a little piece of heaven. We ended our night at KFC to satisfy my late night french fry cravings and headed back to our hotel for some rest before our last full day in the beautiful city.
{Beautiful streets of Prague.}
{Tater twists!}
{They reminded me of the little Washington Square Park ducklings! So cute.}
{Beautiful buildings.}
{Cutie pie walking around.}
{Old Town Square.}
{Hot wine. Definitely not my thing.}
{Still can't get over these little streets.}
{Show me whatcha workin' with, girl.}
{A super meaty breakfast for Andy & Jess. Pork on pork.}
{Some more Old Town Square.}
{With my tour guide.}
{Some tram action. Reminded me a little bit of San Fran.}
{Transmission!}
{Some street art action. Siiiiimbaaaaaa.}
{Bo & Andy!}
{Jess & Me!}
{Breathtaking view from Petřín Lookout Tower.}
{Breathtaking view from Petřín Lookout Tower.}
{I spy the Charles Bridge! From Petřín Lookout Tower.}
{All sweaty and smiles after our struggle-bus of a hike up to the tower.}
{Just one of the many segway tours we saw throughout our stay.}
{Goulash with bacon dumplings.}
{Potato soup in a bread bowl.}
{View from lunch.}
{The sun decided to peek out after lunch!}
{Prague in the background, very washed out though.}
{Entering Prague Castle.}
{Changing of the guards.}
{"Hey can you take a picture of just me so I can show it to my parents." Thanks, Kevin.}
{Here are some selfies.}
{Super hot.}
{Stunning.}
{These walks took my breath away.}
{Some more selfie action.}
{Prague Lennon Wall.}
{Prague Lennon Wall.}
{Prague Lennon Wall.}
{Prague Lennon Wall.}
{Prague Lennon Wall.}
{Love locks. Do you see what I see?}
{A line of penguins.}
{Selfie on the bridge while we waited for the straglers.}
{Beautiful sunset.}
{*heart eyes emoji*}
{Taco dinner. Pineapples are a must.}
{Propaganda Bar with Lumi.}
{NYU in Prague!}
{Reunited with my love in Prague!}
{Some street sausages.}
{Of course, KFC.}