Prague: Third Times the Charm!

When studying abroad, everyone is so anxious to get to as many places as they can and no one wants to repeat any places they’ve gone before.

Well, I’ve (so far) repeated all my trips, and I am not mad about it. In fact, I recommend it.

Half the time you travel when you are younger, you don’t truly remember the city. It’s a really cool experience to be able to travel back to these places at various ages. I’ve been fortunate enough to do that with Prague.

Trip 1 to Prague — 7 year old rugrat running around the streets of Prague in a giant pink paper boy hat, way too excited to eat all the Trdelnik’s she can get her hands on. I remember falling in love with Prague in the Spring, especially the way the sun lit up the domed copper roofs. I also remember smiling ear to ear for 4 days,

Trip 2 to Prague — 17 year old to be Senior in high school visiting Prague on her music trip to sing in all the cathedrals. At my peak, I was a really good singer and I sang with immensely talented people and it was the most incredible experience to be able to walk into a random, ancient, and stunning church and be able to sing in it.

Trip 3 to Prague — 20 year old going on 21, bundled head to toe as she braved February in Prague. It was a completely different experience. The city was enchanting. Coated in an eerie fog, with flurries dusting the ground and our noises, I felt the cold nip at my face and my gaping mouth.

I fell in love with this city all over again, but it felt like a completely different city.

There was nothing like walking at dusk to Old Town Square in Prague 1 and seeing the Astronomical Clock Tower. Slightly lit up yet hazy from the fog, the sky was purple.

Climbing to the Prague Castle and then the stairs to the top of St. Vitus, I looked over a chilled city. My friend, Alli, and I hauled ass up those stairs, and when we got to the top, we were in awe. It wasn’t a stereotypical beautiful. There was no sun, there were no blue skies, there were no flowers. Instead, the city was spooky and was coated in fog, but nevertheless, it took our breath away… Or what remained after running up 300+ stairs.

After returning to Prague a third time, the sights we visited were the same, except for the Lennon Wall that changes every day, the people were similar, and the Trdelniks were just as delicious, but I did finally realize why it was one of my favorite cities. Each building in Prague is a different color ranging from pinks to blues to yellows to greens, the streets are all cobble stoned, and the roofs are domed and old copper. Long story short, Prague looks like a medieval fairy tale.

It looked like a place fit for a princess, which 7 year old Michelle was all about, and to be honest, 21 year old Michelle didn’t mind either. Although, 21 year old Michelle did mind losing a part of her soul at the 5 Story Club, Karlovy Lázně, during her 21st birthday celebration. ?