I visited Prague Castle in the last week of July. Prague Castle is located in an area that contains a number of other touristy sites, such as Saint Peter’s Basilica, Saint Vitus Cathedral, Golden Lane, and the Prague Toy Museum.

Pictures of the Old Royal Palace at Prague Castle:

The main hall:

The ceiling of one of the rooms:

Itinerary Update

Aug1

I’m back in Paris for a few days because I liked it so much when I visited last month that I had to come back. New York City will be fun as well; I’ll be hanging out and living with my buddy from high school nerd camp.

My travel plans:

July 30-August 2: Paris

August 2-August 6: New York City

August 6: San Francisco

Prague: Vltava River

Jul25

The Vltava River from our classroom:

Prague High Court

Jul24

The university gave us a tour of the Prague High Court last week. We sat through a one-and-a-half hour lecture in which one of the criminal law clerks gave us an overview of the Czech judicial system and courthouse history. Most of the information went in one ear and out the other, as it was nine in the morning and I (along with the rest of my classmates) just wanted to sleep. The only remotely interesting part for me was the presentation on execution apparatuses they used to use. It seemed that hanging, guillotining, and something that resembled garroting were the primary methods in the 20th century. Our tour guide mentioned that during the garroting process, the executioner would usually punch the executionee in the head to break his neck after the choking process started so that the death would be “more humane”, as it usually took 10-15 minutes for the executionee to die from the choking alone.

Anyway, here are some pictures from the courthouse.

The entrance of the courthouse:

The hall leading to the courtroom:

The courtroom:

Some sort of seal behind the judges’ chairs in the courtroom:

Art outside the courtroom:

Prague: Two-Week Assessment

Jul24

I’ve been in Prague for two weeks, and I like it so far. It feels much less hick than I’d anticipated (in fact, it doesn’t feel hick at all) and has surpassed my expectations in many other ways. I like it so much, in fact, that I would probably consider moving here if I spoke the language.

Things I love about Prague:

the summer weather–I get cold very easily, and I literally haven’t felt cold once since arriving here. I haven’t even felt the need to wear a long-sleeved shirt. The only drawback is the unpredictability of the weather; it can go from sunny to rainy pretty quickly. However, even when it rains, it’s never cold, and it never rains very hard. And when it’s sunny and 85 degrees, which it often is, it’s glorious.
the architecture–I don’t know a thing about architecture, but I think the buildings are gorgeous. They look like they’re taken straight out of Disney’s Cinderella, at least on the outside. This probably applies more in Old Town than in other neighborhoods.
the beautiful young people–Most people here under age 40 are fit, tan, well-dressed, and well-coiffed. And they smell divine, especially the guys, as they bathe themselves in cologne whenever they venture outside.
the construction workers–They are surprisingly polite, more polite than the average person in the streets. They never harass people, and they move out of the way when you’re passing them on the sidewalk.
the shopping/fashion–Women here like colorful, revealing clothes. So do I. And I haven’t seen the shadow of a hipster since coming here.
the nice cars–I don’t know if Mercedes, BMWs, and Audis are cheaper here, but the streets are full of them.
Cafe Imperial–delicious French cuisine, exquisitely polite wait staff. My favorite entree is the US hangar steak, which I make sure to get every time.
the Vltava River–It’s just beautiful to look at, especially when you’re bored during class.

Things I don’t love about Prague:

Charles University dormitories–shabby and small. I am a petite woman, and I bang my elbows against the shower walls numerous times per shower. The mattresses and pillows also need to be thicker–much thicker.
the smell of horses in the streets–They offer carriage rides in Old Town, and as a result an entire section of Old Town reeks of horse manure. I have to pass this section every day on my way to class.
the dog poop in the streets–It seems like every other person here owns a big dog (or, occasionally, a small dog) that they fail to clean up after. I’m constantly watching out for random chunks of dog feces in the streets.
the smelly old people–People over age 40 have never heard of deodorant. If you pass a group of middle-aged locals, be prepared to walk into a wall of body odor.
the taxi drivers–One of them charged me $40 for a 7-minute drive. Another tried to charge me $25 for a 3-minute drive. Enough said.
the grocery stores–If you don’t read Czech and venture into a grocery store, it’s like being in a bad dream where the letters are recognizable but the words aren’t. You never know if you’re looking at a carton of soy milk or baking soda. This can slow down your shopping quite a bit.
restaurant portions–This is consistent with the rest of Europe, but the portions are tiny! I can actually finish every meal. It makes me sad.
the nail salons–For some reason, it’s hard to find a place that does pedicures; a lot of places offer manicures but no pedicures, and nobody seems to offer manicures for less than $35. And a lot of places, even in touristy Old Town, don’t speak English. After days of searching, I finally found a kiosk in the Palladium that charged me about $55 for a pedicure.

In Prague

Jul9

It is warm and wonderful here. I went out last night in a skanky dress and didn’t get cold at all. I am in love with the weather.

Paris: Centre Pompidou/Museum of Modern Art

Jul8

I didn’t make it to the Louvre today because I didn’t wake up early enough to make the trip worthwhile (I managed so sleep in so late, in fact, that even my French Airbnb hostess was appalled at my laziness), so I went to the Centre Pompidou/Museum of Modern Art instead.

The Centre Pompidou: