We made it!! My travels went smoothly, with no delays or cancellations. I started my journey by getting dropped off at PHL International Airport by my parents. After they wished me safe travels and we said our goodbyes, I made my way to the TSA checkpoint that was surprisingly empty, which meant it only took me a few minutes to get through security. Since I was flying through Aer Lingus (for the first time), I wasn’t quite used to the layout of their website and mobile tickets that did not include the gate from which I was to board the plane. It was quite odd, since in all my previous travels, I’ve never had this issue. I did, however, find my gate easily using the displays available all over inside PHL, and grabbed a bite to eat at a little Mediterranean cafe before settling down. I soon boarded the flight and spent the 6h20min fading in and out of a light sleep. When I landed in Dublin, I found my way through their maze of an airport and found that I had to take a bus to my terminal, which was quicker and simpler than I had expected. By pure chance, I ended up meeting one of my classmates on my connection flight from Dublin to Prague, so it was very nice to have someone to travel with for the remainder of my journey. Once we got through customs, we collected our luggage and met Petr, our tour guide, outside our terminal, and then walked over to another terminal where we met some of our other classmates. I’m so excited to finally be here and get to know my classmates!
After those of us at the airport all arrived and met up, we took a bus to the hotel, where we would meet the rest of our classmates who had already arrived. On our way to the hotel, we got to see a decent amount of Prague, which I found really cool. We passed over the bridge that crosses the Vltava River, which was home to many docked boats. Once we arrived at the hotel, we had our orientation session. The session showed us what we had to look forward to, and my excitement ramped up tenfold. We then went on a walking tour of the city, and WOW was I amazed by the architecture and history of the old town. Even the roads and sidewalks are all hand-laid stones and bricks. Despite the inconveniences the roads and sidewalks may cause in the modern day, I’m glad they’ve been preserved, as there are very few places with such handiwork reflected in things as simple and mundane as the street. We then went to our welcome dinner, where we had duck with pickled vegetables and boiled bread. I found the meal to be very delicious, although some of my classmates were put off by the duck.
So far, the Czech Republic has been very different from the US. Even upon arrival, there were very few “Welcome to Prague” signs, whereas most American airports boast welcome signs to their respective cities every few yards. Also, so far it seems like a lot of people here speak multiple languages, the most common combination being Czech and English. Even self-service kiosks have had prominently displayed English-language options, which I found surprising. Most Americans, however, really only speak English unless they grow up speaking another language as well. Public transportation here has been amazing so far. It is clean and effective, unlike what we’re used to here in America. Also, the level of safety here is unmatched. The city, even at night, is perfectly safe to wander, which is incredible as a tourist.
Going forward, I cannot wait to see what Prague has to offer. I expect the Christmas Markets to be filled with culture and learning opportunities, as what’s sold gives a good insight into not only holiday culture in Prague, but also the kinds of goods people here value. I have so much to look forward to in the next few days, and I cannot wait!