My first impression of Czech Republic

Exploring Prague

Have you ever wanted to wander around Old Town Square, see the old fashioned building, visit galleries, gothic churches, palaces, gardens, and feel the charming atmosphere of the cobble stone side streets? If so, then Czech Republic would be a right place for you! I fell in love with Prague from the first sight. As soon as you step into the Old Town Square, you will be surrounded by the unique atmosphere and style of this charming place. It is difficult to describe Prague, you have to see it with your own eyes in order to fully understand its beauty. 

When you wander around Prague it almost feels like falling down the rabbit hole; just like Alice you do not really know where you are going and everything around you looks surreal! Prague has so many hidden gems, you will be amazed! When you cross the Charles Bridge and walk down the Vltava River you will see quite unusual, even disturbing statues. For example, these giant, faceless baby statues, or this red horse rider with long arms. The most peculiar statue I found was the one located by the Kafka Museum. It is a fountain which presents two men peeing in the basin, which is formed in a shape of Czech Republic. So, it appears that they are peeing onto the country! Looks pretty controversial and funny and the same time! 

Another interesting place I found in Prague was the narrowest street in the world. It is so tiny that it has its own traffic light to stop people from entering the street from the opposite ends and prevent colliding. It is pretty easy to walk past this street without even noticing it! Then if you keep walking down the hill or take a left turn after crossing the Charles Bridge, you can find and interesting wall full of colorful graffiti. This wall attracts younger tourists and seems to be their favorite place for photo shooting. It was fascinating to see the two different sides of Prague: one is historical, old-fashioned, gothic, and another one is modern, surreal, and bizarre.  

After spending three days in Prague I was heading to Olomouc, which is a totally different experience. If you could compare Prague to Wonderland, then Olomouc is more like a cozy home. It is a very small, quiet town, but it has its own charm and a welcoming atmosphere. People here are very nice, even though they do not smile as much as Americans do. I remember the quote that one of our professors said at the first meeting: “Americans always smile and pretend that they are happy, but Czechs like to pretend that they are always depressed.” It is so true! People here have a different lifestyle, they will not ask you “How are you?” or “How was your day?” but it does not mean they are rude or they are not happy to see you. It is just the way they live, which is very different from American way of living; we just need to adopt to this cultural change and let this place to become part of our life.