If there’s one thing that brings me back to my childhood its carnivals. When I was little, there was a pop-up carnival that came to my town annually. A lot of my best childhood memories were made there, and I was so happy to relive my childhood in Prague today. It came as a pleasant surprise to me that after our tour of the Pilsner brewery that there was a little festival ground a five-minute walk away.

The town square in Plzen was almost a parallel to the Wenceslas Square downtown but without the bustling streets filled with tourists. Instead, the square was full of colorful sweets and carnival stalls. All of the traditional carnival foods we are used to in the States like hot dogs and burgers were replaced with things like sausages and horseradish gnocchi. Even the cola flavored slushies here at a new and unique taste different from the ones back at home. It was almost as fun to try all the festival foods as it was to check out the handmade goods sold by local vendors. It was nice to escape from the hustle and bustle of life near the center of Prague to come and enjoy a relaxing afternoon in a home away from home.

Food is one of the most accessible aspects of culture. With a simple dish, you can travel to far away countries and experience a glimpse of life in another county. Even though I’ve never been to Japan or Italy, I can get a taste of their cuisine and learn about the different spices and flavors that are prevalent there.

As an aspiring foodie, today was one of my favorite experiences in Prague thus far. Czech food is known for its gluttonous and meaty goodness and boy did we get to experience that today! We started the day off with some light snacks that ranged from sweet to smelly, and ended the tour with a nice hearty meal of roasted meat and veggies. I was surprised to find out that Czechs have sweet main courses such as gnocchi with poppy seed instead of savory dishes that we are used to in the States. One of my favorite things that we tried today was the marinated cheese at the beer garden. Unlike most cheeses that are paired with bread, this cheese was not spreadable and instead retained its globular shape when eaten. This particular dish was garnished with cranberries and a delicious red sauce that complemented each other perfectly. Paired with a dark Kozel beer, it was a match made in heaven!

Tuesday June 4^th is a day that will go down in history. Last night, the tourist hotspot Wenceslas Square transformed with a powerful energy of national pride. An estimated number of 100,000 Czechs from around the country flocked to the heart of the city to protest the prime minister Andrej Babiš, demanding for his resignation for corruption. This scene parallels similar movements back at home regarding the Trump protests that occurred shortly after his presidential election, however something was very different about last night.

Getting off the metro, I expected to see crowds of angry citizens with their fists in the air. What I got was in fact, the exact opposite. There were families with their small children and couples kissing everywhere around me. Even though the Square was packed like sardines, the protesters still allowed me to pass through, with some even smiling at me and giving me a thumbs up for taking their photo.

Although I did get lots of standard protest pictures, I loved this photo of the young girl who was just one of many in the crowd watching the spectacle. This girl was lost in the crowd with her parents, probably not tall enough to see the speaker – but somehow she was so fixated. Like me, she probably didn’t understand the full extent of what was going on but we were both enchanted by the scenery and the whole experience.

Walking through the Pinkas Synagogue is like talking a trip back in time. The Pinkas synagogue is one of the second oldest surviving synagogues in all of Prague and is full of rich history. One of the main defining characteristics of the synagogue is the names of holocaust victims lining the interior walls. The names are hard to miss as they decorate the walls like an intricate wallpaper of black and red. While much of the building retains its original historical context, many artifacts from Jewish culture, including children’s drawings from WWII are preserved in the synagogue and displayed.  

One particular observation that I found to be intriguing was the fact that all male visitors had to wear a yamakah (or kippah), which is a brimless hat worn by Jewish males. These are usually worn by Jews to fulfill the requirement that their heads must be covered, but it is a sign of respect for men to cover their heads when entering a synagogue even if they do not identify as Jewish. I really appreciated the fact that even though the synagogues have been turned into public museums, that visitors still pay respect to the traditions and customs of the culture.

Walking through the streets of Prague is like going in a time capsule to the Renaissance period. The architecture is adorned with beautiful fresco paintings and intricate sculptures line every street corner. During our guided tour of the castle area today, I remember seeing seas of tourists from all over the world headed in the same direction to take in the infamous scenery. As we walked through the tunnel to the tower, I remember feeling astonished by the view. This being my first time in Europe, the closest I’ve gotten to authentic gothic European architecture was pictures on Google; but nothing can compare to the real thing. Looking at all the people surrounding me, I saw them taking selfies and laughing with their friends and wondered if they felt the same amount of awe as I did travelling through that tunnel.

Once we finally made it through, the castle revealed itself in all its glory. The line to get inside stretched for several kilometers, which was definitely justified by the beautiful gargoyles and buttresses that embellished the exterior of the building. Even though we didn’t get to go inside today, I can only imagine what surprises await inside and will definitely go back to explore.

Meet Ema: a regular at the Vnitroblock coffee shop, avid music lover, and fellow photographer. When I first arrived in Prague, I was surrounded by totally unfamiliar faces. I remember walking down the street and getting cold stares from pedestrians and wondering if I would make any friends during my short stay in a foreign place. Then came a message from Ema, who had by chance found my profile on Instagram back when I was still in Texas. My friend and I set up a day to meet up with her, and off we went to Holešovice, a trendy neighborhood full of personality and local cafes. As Ema showed us around, we probably bombarded her with a million questions about what daily life was like in Prague and what her favorite gelato place was. After learning about Czech culture through class lectures, I realized that there were so many aspects of life here that no textbook or professor could teach. Turns out that even local Texas artists such as Conan Gray and Kacey Musgraves have even made their way to students here. When it was time to say goodbye, I hoped that one day I would be able to show her around Texas and inspire the same amount of awe that we felt today.

Tucked away in a quaint little neighborhood in Prague is Bleší Trh, one of the largest flea markets in Prague. Colorful dresses, shiny trinkets from the past, and various assorted items ranging from tires to vintage cameras lined the streets. All around me, I could hear visitors haggling with merchants in all different languages and friends chatting away next to the many food stalls. Each vendor was unique in their own way, some had their items spread out on towels on the pavement while others had entire trailers full of books and home goods. Many of the vendors appeared to work together with their families, as many of them had their spouses and children with them. Even between different vendors, there seemed to be an air of camaraderie as merchants helped each other out with translations.

As someone who loves thrift shopping, this place was an absolute dream for me. During my treasure hunt, I was able to snag an intricate beaded wallet and a case of vintage art prints. Haggling with the merchants proved to be challenging due to language barriers, but my friend and I were able to negotiate deals with the sellers after much deliberation. My only regret was not having enough space in my suitcase to take home more goods!

This morning, the muted pastel streets downtown that are usually packed full of tourists and people running to catch the metro were littered with colorful skirts and lots of vibrant personalities. Today was one of the last days of the week-long festival Khamoro, which is a celebration of the Romany sub-culture in Prague. This 21-year-old festival was once a grand showcase featuring hundreds of performers from around the world, however in recent years the attendees have become predominately local due to the oppression of the Roma culture in the Czech Republic. Nonetheless, each performer today brought their own excitement and individuality to the parade. Near the front of the procession, I noticed two little girls adorned with flower crowns riding on a horse drawn carriage. A majority of the audience were too distracted by the musicians and dancers to notice the two leading ladies, so I took the opportunity to photograph them.  Both of the girls seemed accustomed to having their photos taken, as they immediately started twirling their skirts when I approached them. The sight of their intricate outfits against the medieval architecture looked like a fairy tale and brought new life to the Old Town Square that I’ve walked through nearly every day on this trip.  

The streets of Old Town are littered with many quirky novelty shops which sell things ranging from souvenirs, intricate glassware, and toys. All of these stores had one thing in common – they all had this funny looking mole cartoon in some shape or form. In fact, one of the toy stores that I visited had an entire back section dedicated to this odd character. Soon, I began to realize that this mole was making an appearance at almost every street corner in the town center. It turns out that this cartoon character is actually named Krteček and is an extremely popular character throughout Central Europe and some outlying countries. The cartoon that he starred in was originally about how flax was produced, but the star of the show has a legacy that extends far beyond the original children’s program. Krteček has been featured as a mascot in European Athletic Championships and has even made it in to space on a NASA mission. I found it crazy that I had never seen this character before since cartoons from other countries such as Hello Kitty and have found wide success in the States. Hopefully in the future, Krteček will be making an appearance back at home so that we’ll have our little bit of Czech culture.

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During the short time that I’ve been in Prague, I’d always been cautious to approach those on the street as I didn’t want to make it so obvious that I was a tourist. Today during a visit to the Town Square, I was drawn to these two women who were watching a street performer dressed as a tin man. While many tourists passed by them, they seemed to be frozen in time mesmerized by the optical illusion. I was initially drawn to the pair because of their matching silvery hair and was too caught up taking photos to realize that one of my friends had struck up a conversation with them. After talking to them, I learned that they were both from South Carolina and that one of them had a grandson around our age who was in business school. Being surrounded by unfamiliar languages and places for the past few days, meeting them was a nice reminder of how small and interconnected our world is. Seeing how happy they were to be here and how fascinated they were by a spectacle that many others had passed by without blinking an eye made me start to appreciate all the little details around the square just a bit more.