Cesky Raj & Jaclyn's visit!

one of the amazing views on the hike path at Cesky Raj!

Dobry den! With only a few weeks left, and only one more trip, I have been taking full advantage of my time in Prague. This weekend was very eventful, and assured me even further that I chose the right city to "study" in. On Thursday, Jenna and I went to a city called Cesky Raj, also known as "bohemian paradise." We went with five other girls from a different program that we have classes with. They were talking about it in class one day and they invited us to go with them. We took an hour and a half long bus ride to Cesky Raj and had a bit of a rocky start (typical). We were dropped off in the center of town, when we were trying to reach the hiking trails and caves like we saw in the pictures. After roaming around, speaking gibberish to local czechs, and not seeing the bohemia paradise, we finally reached a train station where a man who spoke english pointed us toward the right direction. Once we got onto the hiking path, every pathway, hill, and lookout point had the most incredible views of the city. The trees were green, the flowers were in full bloom, and it was a sensationally clear day.

Jaclyn, Jenna and I in front of the Lennon Wall

We hiked for about 3 hours, stopping at a castle along the way. I couldn't believe that a place this beautiful existed just an hour away from Prague and we had never heard of it before our friends told us! After the hike, we reached civilization again and found a restaurant overlooking the city. It felt amazing to sit down and just enjoy the scenery. Unfortunately, Jenna and I had to leave early, but we definitely want to try to go back before we leave to hike through the caves!

That same night, our friend Jaclyn came to Prague for the weekend. We all went to high school together and have not hung out much since then. We picked her up from the airport, dropped her stuff off in the room, and of course, took her out to a club. What better way for her to start her journey in Prague, right? The next day, Jenna and I played tour guides and took Jaclyn to the Charles Bridge, the Lennon Wall, the Prague Castle, and even a little park to sit and catch some sun. To be honest, I loved going to all the sites again. I don't think I could ever get sick of any of them because each time I go it's different. Jaclyn also wanted to walk through the Jewish quarter, so we did that and walked into one of the temples.

Sparta Game!

After a long day of site-seeing, we went back to the dorm, and then headed out to our favorite Mexican Restaurant (Jaclyn told us she hadn't had Mexican food this entire time she's been abroad, so Jenna and I happily obliged). Immediately following dinner, we headed to the Prague Sparta soccer game! We had never been to a game before, and our team is actually really good. I had to buy a Sparta scarf, even though I know I will probably never wear it (especially considering it is dark red and has an S on it... Stanford?). The game was so much fun! We had front row seats and a bunch of people from our program went too. Overall, it was a great night and Jaclyn enjoyed herself. Saturday was Jaclyn's last full day in Prague, so we took her to some more sites, some of which Jenna and I hadn't even seen yet. We woke up and went straight to the Wallenstein Palace and Gardens. The palace is now home of the Senate and the gardens were absolutely beautiful. Jenna and I had been waiting to go to a garden until the weather got better, and it was well worth the wait. Everything was so green and bright, it felt so great to be walking in the sun through the gardens. Next we headed to Petrin Hill, one of the best views of Prague. Jaclyn was in awe at the city and I had to admit, I had never been up to Petrin Hill with such phenomenal weather. After the climb to the middle of the tower, and many snapshots, we were ready to head to Old Town Square where the Easter Fair has been going on. After walking around the fair and making Jaclyn try all our favorite treats, we went to the Chocolate Museum, a museum Jenna and I have had our eyes on for a while.

horse and carriage ride around old town

We got to watch a chocolate demonstration and of course, we got to sample the finished product. It was a lot of fun and quite delicious. Our last stop on the agenda was the Jerusalem synagogue. We had seen a picture of it during our walk through the Jewish quarter on Friday, but it wasn't anywhere near where we were, so we waited to go. It was honestly the coolest looking synagogue I have ever seen: so many bright colors and intricate designs, I wouldn't even have known it was a Jewish synagogue (well besides the star of David and hebrew writing). Since it was Saturday, it was closed for Shabbat, but Jenna and I really want to go back to see the inside. For Jaclyn's last night in Prague, we took her to one of our favorite restaurants on the river. With a view of the bridge and castle right behind us, we couldn't have asked for a better ambiance to end the weekend. Before going out with friends for the night, we actually went on a horse and carriage ride around Old Town Square! We were waving to people as they passed, and it was actually a lot of fun! Definitely something worth doing. After our carriage ride, we met up with a bunch of friends and went out. Jaclyn left on Sunday and headed to her next destination. I am so glad we got to catch up and spend time together. Overall, this weekend was great: filled with sites, adventures, and great company!