Our 4th and 5th day in Prague was filled with historical visits like Prague Castle and The Terezin Memorial that brought chills to my spine while also getting me in the mood for the Christmas season with sweet treats, hot sangrias, and holiday cheer. We visited Prague castle which has been one of the most beautifully designed complexes I’ve ever been to. It felt like I was in a mini city inside Prague like Vatican City is inside Rome. While we waited for our tickets to go inside, one of my classmates said that this would be a perfect place to hold a techno festival as we were in the main outdoor square of the complex and I couldn’t agree more 😂. I also learned that it is the largest ancient castle complex in the world dating back to the 9th century. Undergoing numerous reconstructions, the Prague Castle complex went through several different architectural styles such as Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque which can be seen all around the castle. One of my favorite parts of the tour was getting to see the inside of the Old Royal Palace and seeing Vladislav Hall which was used for state ceremonies and dinners. I also liked seeing the portraits throughout the castle detailing the history and lives of those who lived there. Prague Castle is not just a historic monument but a living testament to the rich heritage and resilience of the Czech people.
Next on our list that day was to go see a Christmas Market in the second district of Prague. What I loved just before getting to the market was that we took Prague’s Subway system for the first time which I was excited about. Their subway/metro system was nice, clean, and efficient as it got us to where we needed to pretty quickly. I also find it interesting how the city does rely on the honor system as no one was checking if we had tickets. At the Christmas market, it hit me that I still haven’t gotten my mom her Christmas gift yet. I remembered that the one thing she wanted while I was on this trip was a unique Christmas ornament from Prague, so I went to work on finding one at this market. There were plenty of novelty Christmas ornaments but none of them gave me the “unique” aspect I wanted till I came upon this beautiful white and gold bell ornament. This would definitely catch the uniqueness I sought after as well as a set of three traditional Czech-style house ornaments. Another thing that caught my eye as we were in the Christmas Market was that they were selling Hot Sangrias. I had to try one and when they said “hot” they meant it. It took maybe 10 minutes for me to even get a sip in as it was that hot 😅—never thought about making sangrias hot until that day. To end this great day, a couple of my classmates and I decided we should go ice skating at the River rink in Prague’s up-and-coming district near the river. I learned that day that I should be getting the Women’s skates as they were far more comfortable to skate in than the Men’s and I am not afraid to admit it 😂. Overall, this has been one of the greatest times I had traveling abroad, meeting new people and enjoying a different culture than my own.