Arriving in Prague felt unreal. After an easy two hour flight from Milan, I arrived in city feeling refreshed, energized, and excited for what was to come in this new destination. After finding the other members of this study abroad group and our tour guide, Petr, welcomed us all and boarded everyone on the bus to our hotel.
As we all arrived, and attempted to check in though our rooms were not ready yet, I had a reunion with my friend and roommate Hailey. After talking about this trip for what felt like forever, we were so glad we both actually made it to Prague with little complications. Shortly after, our group started our first activity; a walking tour of the city. As we were walking through the historic city, it was impossible to not revel in all the amazing buildings and rich architectural style seen in every aspect. It was beautiful, despite the somewhat cloudy weather. It was all the more interesting as Petr enriched us all in the background and story of the buildings and their past use or relevance. Due to its location, the Czech Republic has been involved in many wars and occupations, archived by the lingering buildings, statues, and significant spaces. It was so different to the United States of America. Of course the US has its special historical sites, but compared to a city that dates back to the 9th century and has seen so much, walking around felt so much more immersive and culturally abundant. There were little to no skyscrapers to be seen, the streets were cobblestone rather than asphalt, there was little use of cars in the city, rarely did I see any litter among the ground, the streets felt safe even at night, and residents use a “trust system” for many things, such as paying for the public transportation. The respect in the city’s society was evident. In comparison, I could never imagine public transportation in the US to be so trustworthy and honorable. For instance, the New York subway system using an honor system? It is unfathomable. However, there are other factors that come into play when regarding hypothetical honor systems, such as public safety, but it was an interesting aspect to observe.
Later in the evening, we shared our welcoming dinner. We had a traditional 3-course Czech meal. Overall, most of the food was very new to me and consisted of more dense ingredients such as meats, potatoes, and pickled vegetables. It was amazing to eat food authentic to the culture. After our large meal, the group dispersed into the night and me and my friend checked out this random bar we passed by earlier that day on the walking tour, “The Alchemist Bar”, themed with a medieval atmosphere, decorated with plague masks and tarot cards. It was such a hidden gem and filled with so many exciting themed drinks, a perfect way to end our first night!