Ep. 8 - Prague, Czech Republic
The city of 100 spires - Prague is yet another cultural and architectural masterpiece. Join in on our 8th adventure to a new city and discover some of the can’t miss spots for history and adventure that everyone should be adding to their bucket list.
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Transcription:
*Intro music*
Hello! It’s Friday again and this is your 8th episode of The Friday Take Five! Thank you so much for tuning in once again to our weekly break from the world. I’m your host, Mark Moran, and this podcast is your five minute dose of history and adventure. Another week, means a new city, and a new story. We like bringing new places to light to inspire our listeners to travel and experience the world. By the end of this episode, if you’re itching to hop on a boat, plane, or train, then I’ve done my job. With that, let’s get exploring!
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When I planned my trip to the Czech Republic, I had no idea really what to expect in terms of a cultural experience. I was seeking new adventure and wanted to jump in head first. It just so happened that I had a friend that wanted to go, another one that happened to be studying there, and a free weekend at the end of a term at my French University. So, we bought the tickets, then hopped a plane to Eastern Europe.
The trip got off to quite an interesting start. As we descended into Prague, a 12 year old yes, a 12 year old, started engaging us in conversation, asking us where we were from, where we were headed, and why. Aside from the fact that I, like any typical American, was a little weirded out by a complete stranger who was asking so much about where we were headed in English no less! I was amazed by the confidence of this dude that seemed like he made the trip from France to Prague every week.
After saying goodbye to our new friend at the airport exit, we were off to the next leg of our journey. A 40 minute drive took us to within a few blocks of our Airbnb. We arrived later than originally planned, and so unsurprisingly, our host was not there right as we pulled up. No big deal, we made him wait, so we didn’t mind waiting a bit. Two hours later, we were still waiting in freezing temperatures after midnight. After multiple calls, thinking we had made a huge mistake, we were losing hope and thinking we were going to need to crash on my friend’s couch for the night on the other side of town.
Just before throwing in the towel, our Airbnb host came stumbling down the alley. It looked as though he had been having a bit too much fun on the town with his friends. After slurring his way through the tour in a mix of English and Czech, we grabbed the keys and shooed him out.
We were exhausted, but the city was just coming alive, or as any city could become in the dead of winter. We decided to hit the town for a couple of hours to see what we could see. We ended up finding a somewhat calm bar with great beer that was perfect for putting us to sleep.
After a bit of adventure and a long day of travel, my head hit the pillow and I was OUT. We didn’t have much time in the city, as we were still hitting another country during the long weekend, so after waking up not too late, we shot out the door to explore more of the city.
We enjoyed mulled wine at the famous town square christmas markets, walked the world famous Charles bridge, and climbed our way up to the crown jewel of the city - the Prague Castle.
Founded in the late 800s, the caste has held more than 1000 years of history. It has seated the highest representative of the Church like the bishops of Prague. Additionally, it served as the seat of Charles IV, leader of the Holy Roman Empire. Since then it had gone through periods of destruction and reconstruction, but now it has once again been restored to its former glory and in 1918, with the founding of the Czechoslovak Republic, it once again became the seat of government and remains as such today.
The castle was impressive, to say the least. Though my favorite part was the stained glass in the cathedral on the castle grounds. St. Vitus’ cathedral has in my opinion some of the most incredibly detailed and beautiful stained glass in the world. Notre Dame and La Sagrada Familia, and St. Peter’s Basilica are all incredible in their own ways, but honestly the trip to Prague would have been worth it if I could have just seen the stained glass in St. Vitas’. The main glass tells the story of the Czech patron saint, St. Wenceslas with his grandmother St. Ludmila, along with the stories of the lives of Saints Cyril and Methodius who spread out Christianity among the Slavs. It is an absolute must see, so if you haven’t been - Get out there and CHECK IT OUT!
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Hi there - Thanks for listening! If you’re liking what you’re hearing, please give us a rating on podcasting platforms, and be sure to enable notifications and automatic downloads to keep up with new episodes. Have your own stories of Prague, feedback or recommendations on places or stories for us to cover? We’d love to hear it so follow us and DM us on socials @FridayTakeFive or email us at thefridaytakefive@gmail.com. Stay curious, stay adventuring, and have a great weekend!
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