Can't believe I've already been here almost a week!
I arrived at the airport and was greeted by my program staff who shuttled me and my new roommates to our new flat on Jindricha Plachty. Below is our street, stairs up to our flat (we're on the 3rd floor), and cute little dining room and kitchen. We're half a block from the main Prague river, Vltava, where there is a permanently docked boat called the Admiral, an extremely elegant hotel/restaurant. One of the biggest transportation stations, Andel (means angel, pronounced like "Danielle" without the "D"), is about a 7 minute walk inland.
We immediately dropped our bags and decided to go explore our new city, walking right across the bridge to an amazing Farmer's market filled with all sorts of fresh Czech fruits, veggies, beer, nuts, jams, meats, and breads. We grabbed a small lunch and ate it overlooking the river listening to a live band playing "Lean on Me" and "Heard it Through the Grapevine" as we watched local Czech children feed the Vltava white swans.
View from our side of the river.
View from the other side of the river (the green and white boat on the left side of the picture (Admiral) is where our flat is. And the bridge you see is the one we walked over. The magnificent building in the far back is the Prague Castle, which is only about a 25 minute walk (12 minute jog) from our flat.
Super friendly Czech woman making my calamari. When I asked if I could take a picture of her, she started dancing as she fried them up.
My three roommates and I went out to our first dinner at the Admiral "boatel". Later on we realized how symbolic this boat is to us; we've used it as our landmark countless times to find our way home. We decided to get our first alcoholic drinks but all the words were in Czech. I took the safe road and chose one under pivo (go figure beer was one of the only words I memorized beforehand). My other roommate Laura just pointed at a random item; Kate decided to choose the longest, craziest looking word on the entire drink menu. 10 minutes later the waiter comes out with my beer, Laura's... tea, and Kate's............. plain bottled water. HA!
I've gone on multiple adventurous runs with my roommate Tay, watched Czech cultural dances, and had many events mingling with International students that go to my school. In preparation for a semester long Czech language class, I went to a survival lecture with students from all over the world. So funny to me how Americans speaking Czech sounds like a completely different language than the French trying to speak Czech, which is different Italians trying to speak Czech etc. Learning this language is definitely going to be a challenge. Luckily, almost all Czechs speak English.
Wandering around Old Town Square is phenomenal, you can nearly feel history pouring off the walls that date back the 12th century. Now twice I've bought a Belgium hot chocolate (basically dark chocolate melted into a thick rich liquid) as I walked through the many streets surrounding the square, gazing up to admire the architecture and looking down in awe at the intricate cobblestone walkways.
A bunch of people gathered in Old Town Square to watch the astronomical clock hit the hour. (Only got a video of the actual clock so pics of it coming later).
I got here Saturday, and school doesn't start for another week so every day has been filled with touring around and discovering new places.
Walking across Charles Bridge to the Castle, where the President lives.
My roommate, Kate, eating the famous "Trdelnik"- a cinnamon sugar dough filled with Nutella.
Our own little Venice in Prague.
One of five different paths up to the castle (featuring two girls from my program).
The Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world. It was started in 870 and was just "completed" in 1929. The castle is extremely interesting because it is the combination of a variety of influences (Gothic French cathedrals, Renaissance, and chateau style) as it was built through different eras.
View from the Castle back at the city.
After a week of being here I definitely have a sense of my surroundings but there is still an infinite amount of people, food, and places I have yet to discover in this alluring city.