ILP: Czech Me Out!

April 3 2011- We arrived in Prague and checked into Hostel Dum (pronounced DOOM). Natalie and I were room buddies again. We were all pretty exhausted from the bus ride so we fell asleep straight away. The next morning Ameri and I headed down to the bus to go see Sychrov Castle. It was about an hour and half away from our hotel. Once we finally got there we got out and toured around the castle. We then had a tour through the castle and all the rooms. It was pretty neat to see how people lived back then. I don't have any pictures from the inside because you had to pay extra if you wanted photos. The one thing I can remember is that the castle was SO cold! I am so glad we don't live in castles because they are freezing. Apparently this castle was made during the 19th century and is known for its secrets and legends about ghosts. Maybe that is why it seemed so unfriendly. After the tour we were given some time to walk around the grounds outside. This was my favorite part because the grounds were beautiful! It made me think of Pride and Prejudice and Mr. Darcy's home. =) Ameri, Cailtin, Anna, and I took some fun photos on the grounds:

Jumping in front of the caslte

Ameri doing her 'cartwheels around

the world'

After going to the castle we headed into town to meet up with the rest of the girls. When we arrived we met our English tour guide. I can't remember his name but he was HILARIOUS! I really wish I had gotten a picture with him. He definitely knew his facts. To give you a visual image of what he looked like picture the Boss from 13 going on 30 =) He took us on a walking sightseeing tour. We saw the Powder Tower, Old Town Square, Charles Street, Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. My favorite part was Charles Bridge. It was beautiful to look over the river. There were so many tourists it was insanely crowded.

He told us that the Vltava River that runs through

Prague has flooded 3 times in history. Once

in 1890, then 1940, the last in 2002.

Here are some pictures of the flood. The water covered the first

story of all the buildings in Charles Street. It was the highest

the River has ever flooded.

Prague Castle and Old Town Square behind me

Vltava River

Apparently if you rub this and make a

wish it will come true!

The oldest synagogue in Europe

Prague Castle

This clock has been here since the 18th

century and chimes every hour. After

it is done chiming a man plays his

trumpet. It was pretty cool to watch. It reminded me

of Shrek when they get to Dulock and that thing sings

to them! So cool! Some other little things that our tour guide showed us were, the Pissing Men, The worlds tiniest street, and public bathrooms.

Tiniest street! It has to have a traffic light

so you know if you can walk or if people are coming up

the other way! Good thing I'm not claustrophobic.

They have these bathrooms EVERYWHERE!

We were all so tempted to use them

but they cost 10 crowns! Little side note: Public Bathrooms in

Europe COST! I miss American toilets that are free!

And Lastly the Statue of the Pissing Men. Not

sure what the significance behind this statue is but I

thought it was pretty funny! The pedestal they are standing

on is actually the shape of the Czech Republic!

After our tour we had about an hour to just look around until our River cruise. but we were all so tired from walking around we just sat and relaxed. The weather was so gorgeous it felt like summer! We all have missed the sun so much! We headed over to the river to go on our cruise/buffet. I was looking forward to this the most! The food was amazing! They had fish, fried chicken, fries, salad, fruit, potatoes, and dessert. I got a little bit of everything and it was DELICIOUS!

The river cruise was so much fun! It wasn't a super long ride but it was really cool to see things from sitting on a boat. Here are some pictures from the cruise: