prague soul

i don’t normally take a week off for spring holidays week, but man, i think i might have to start, ‘cause we’ve just been having so much fun lately. (also, let’s be honest – nobody wants lessons that week – holidays here are serious) we went to prague to pick up my mother-in-law from the airport (kicked off with a long chat over flat whites at costa) and spent such a lovely time immersed in all the things that make up this great city.

we wandered old town square at night and watched the “morality play” with the rest of the tourists. night is really the time to go! i don’t think i’ve walked around here for at least a year or two (remember that crazy easter weekend when i swore off old town square forever? – warning: don’t go to that square during the day on easter weekend!) but! evening is nice and calm, the waxing moon helping to light up all of these historical buildings…

we dined on schnitzels, chicken, dumplings, and beer at lokal, which i can highly recommend if you can ever manage to find an empty chair! (also, this joint just oozes character) i was so excited to say na zdravi over d’s first czech beer in those characteristic rounded czech beer glasses. 

how fun is it to be a part of someone’s first experience in the place where you live… especially if that place is a new country for them!

i wonder if anyone else will be able to relate to this, but when i go out and about in the city, i am armed with a shortlist of restaurants or cafes to visit depending on the neighborhood. so, it was incredibly refreshing to wander around old town with no destination in mind and stumble upon a quaint little kavárna (not the new school cafe of the present) called ‘modrý orel’, housed in a 13th century building behind týn church with the nicest owner (very accommodating to dogs! two thumbs up!) and lovely coffee drinks, baked goods, and homemade jams. it’s nice to see that the kavárna of olde hasn’t completely been replaced yet… and furthermore, that even in the depths of prague old town, you can still find a nice one with reasonable prices.

there’s something to be said for finding your own path rather than always following the path of someone else. then again, i think that’s what prague means to me in general.

i had a conversation the other day about a certain popular european city i’ve visited a few times before but feel like i still have no idea what drives it or what makes it tick.

prague, for me, is the opposite of that. it positively drips soul. i feel so much when i’m there and the effects of such pragueish exposure are almost like a vitamin – it’s just good for you. a good reminder to go… and go often!

do you have a  “soul place”? are there any cities that you have trouble seeing the soul of? more recent adventures to follow…

this post is a part of wanderlust wednesday.