The Vegas of Europe [Prague; 8/26-8/28]

thus Way back in the spring when I was 'planning' this trip- and by "planning" I mean just thinking of places I wanted to go and occasionally looking at Googlemaps- a visit to Prague was on the "must do" list. Later on I didn't imagine it would be feasible to get all the way over here, but as it turns out it's right on the way up to Berlin.

Prague is on par with Rome & Florence as one of the most interesting and fun cities I've been to this summer. There's still a bit of a bohemian gypsy vibe here with lots of street musicians. And there's a Vegas vibe as well: distinctly different crowds of daytime tourists and the nightlife clubber set, beer & cocktails for sale at sidewalk vendors, a bit of an 'anything goes' attitude.

After all these tourist laden cities I've visited this summer, I finally talked myself into splurging on a guided walking tour- The Prague Underground- to learn more about the history of this place. It was very informative and worth the $13... I learned that back in the 13th century, tired of frequent flooding from the river, they raised the street level by 3 to 8 meters, burying the first floor of all the houses in the process. This network of basements and tunnels proved handy to the resistance fighters during the Nazi occupation and now provides a perfect home to numerous dive bars and nightclubs. And hence a thriving nightlife scene was unintentionally fostered.

the Prague underground circa yr 1200

 Lunched on a traditional Czech ghoulash soup in a bread bowl w/ a liter of pilsner for $6.

Later in the evening I splurged again ($20) to hear a classical concert at Church St. Giles, a 13th century Romanesque church with a huge pipe organ constructed in 1737. It boasts 3500 reed pipes, 50 ranks and 3 manuals. I have no idea what that means specifically, but I know that being engulfed in the acoustics of that immense cathedral with a bellowing pipe organ was unreal. The program was a sort of 'greatest hits of the Baroque era' and it was great to hear many familiar pieces. The hands down highlight, however, was Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D Minor: the famously ominous organ piece that is familiar as the intro to some funky 70's disco hit.

Church St. Giles

During my wander back to the hostel after the concert, I passed a real-deal absinthe bar... an essentially illegal alcohol in the US because it contains wormwood (an allegedly psychedelic elixir.) I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try an absinthe cafe mocha... in a to-go cup no less. As I said, it's a little 'Vegas' here. It was a little trippy... a fun treat. And then I went to bed at 11:30pm, like the good church-goer that I am.

absinthe mocha frappe... tasted better than it looks here!