“Is this your first time in Prague?” a shopkeeper asked us yesterday. Sam nodded. I replied, “Well, no, I was here in 2009/2010.” The woman behind the register smiled. “So this is your first time, too?” she asked. In many ways, she was absolutely correct.
The Rhys of 15 years ago is not the Rhys of today. Prague is still Prague, of course, but so much is different now. Last time, I was trying to stretch my remaining dollars before returning home after many months abroad. No museums, no attractions. It was Christmas time, which meant cold and snow instead of warmth and sun. Also, shorter daytime hours to explore! Most of all, though, Samantha’s companionship and passion has led me to places here I would not have otherwise experienced, even today, if I was on my own.
Fun fact: last time, in a little over a month, I took 375 photos. This time, in less than four days, I’ve taken twice that amount. Sam has taken even more than I have.
Even though we’re a 45 minute walk from the city center, the tram makes things so easy. At about $1.75 a ticket it’s a no-brainer. There’s a mass transit app that tells me exactly which lines to take to which stops and how long each wait will be. It’s miraculous. The whole city is open to us and we’ve done our best to make the most of each day.
There are so many museums to see! Our first stop was an absolute must: The Mucha Museum. Alphons Mucha is Sam’s favorite artist so I was very pleased to get to experience this with her. When we first met, she introduced me to Mucha’s work but I’ve never really explored it deeply. I loved seeing more of his work and understanding his massive impact to greater Czech culture. In addition to his regular work, he designed all of their bank notes and stamps and was a huge creative voice for Czech independence.
Food choice is a bit overwhelming in such a big city, but we settled on a spot in Wenceslas Square called Krušovická Šalanda – and loved it! I had a pork tenderloin dish with roasted vegetables (and I ATE THEM) while Sam enjoyed a homemade chicken noodle dish. We liked this place so much, we came back two days later when friends first arrived in the country. The second time, our waiter told us how much he wanted to visit America. I told him the best way to experience the country was on this great old road that connected Chicago to the Pacific Ocean…
After that first great meal, we spent several hours at The National Museum. It’s a mix of ancient and modern history with an absolutely stunning audio/video experience connecting the two sides of the complex. It moved me to tears as it wordlessly charted the history of the Czech Republic and Prague, from the prehistoric era to modern day and then back through the last 100 years of independence, war, communism, and freedom. One of our favorite exhibits was actually the very first one installed when the museum opened: the Hall of Minerals! Every size, shape, color, and rarity is on display here. My least favorite exhibit: the case showing an evolution of cell phone technology, which included a literal version of the first cell phone I owned. Not cool, history.
Everywhere we walk in Prague, the architecture is nonchalantly brilliant. Prague survived World War II relatively unscathed from bombing and there’s something new to see every few steps, from gothic to baroque to modern to Art Nouveau. Sam has taken a particular love of doorways, while I tend to look for skyline juxtaposition of styles. It’s the most beautiful city I’ve ever been in and don’t think I really quite appreciated that before. I even went back and read my old blog posts and I only gave it a passing mention.
Of course, the big “touristy stuff” is worth doing too. We enjoyed the treat trdelnik (also known as Chimney Cake), walked around Old Town Square and watched the Astronomical Clock do its thing, and had a traditional Czech meal at Havelská Koruna (even though typing that out makes it sound like a curse, it was really very good!) We stopped at the Czech Garnet Museum and had a drink at the Becherovka pub. And, as mentioned earlier, some friends arrived to start preparing for the Route 66 festival this coming weekend. It’s happening!
Our time here is going by so quickly.
Rhys' Pieces 
Nice read, very pictures of a beautiful place. I would love to go sometime.