Prague

About Prague

By Martina - "I'm 8 years old, I set foot in Prague for the first time. Geographically, I have no idea where it even is. At 8, geography isn't exactly your strong suit. Over the years I came back three more times. At eight, what wrecked me was the Vltava, the longest river in the Czech Republic, splitting the city in two and holding it together at the same time. The water reflects gothic spires, baroque domes, and stone bridges with demonic silhouettes. The most famous one, which you end up crossing at least 15 times a day, is Charles Bridge, watched over by 30 statues of saints. Behind it all, the Castle, the largest castle complex in the world according to Guinness World Records, and beside it the gothic Cathedral of St. Vitus, its splendor quietly hoarding coronations and centuries of intrigue. The old town, Staré Město. The new town, Nové Město. At 8 I was so struck I told my mother: when I grow up, I'm moving here. Growing up, I discovered that Prague is the capital of Bohemia and the historic heart of Central Europe, a city that survived empires, world wars, occupations and revolutions while keeping a fairy tale historic center completely intact. Walking its streets you move through centuries: from the Kingdom of Bohemia to the Habsburg Empire, all the way to Czechoslovakia and the Velvet Revolution of 1989, which ended communist rule. I came back at twenty, alone, for a relaxing weekend. Running away from who knows what, and that city had stayed in my head as a postcard of happiness. At twenty you know more geography, but about life, zero. In any case, I spent a spring weekend walking along the riverbank, slipping into literary cafés, independent bookshops, eating and drinking gloriously in the historic Bohemian beer halls. Museums devoured: the National Gallery, which holds one of the most important collections in Central Europe, from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century avant gardes. Art Nouveau lovers will lose their minds at the Mucha Museum, dedicated to the master who turned illustration into pure art. And even the Museum of Communism, a window into the Velvet Revolution that changed the country's fate. Five years later I came back for the third time, this time with the love of my life. Prague had welcomed me as a baby, then as a solo traveler who barely survived adolescence, and now as one half of a couple. The most romantic city in the universe. Every corner of the city seems built to tell a long, endless love story. Don't miss the sunset cruise on the Vltava, concerts in baroque churches, even the alleyways lit by lamplight seem custom built for walking hand in hand. If I were ever going to propose to someone, I'd absolutely do it here. But there's no danger of that. Years later, we went back with friends to recover from our respective heartbreaks. We land at 10, by 11 we're already lying on the grass facing the Vltava on our third beer. We hook up with beautiful boys for a hit of self esteem, we stuff ourselves with food: Bohemian cuisine, hearty and authentic. Worth every bite: svíčková, melt in your mouth beef served with creamy sauce and dumplings, guláš, spicier than every other version we've tried around the world, and vepřo knedlo zelo, the national dish of roast pork, sauerkraut and bread dumplings. In the squares you can smell trdelník from a mile away, a cylindrical pastry cooked on a spit. Honestly worth licking the spit too. We devour Prague, literally and metaphorically, we haunt museums and hook up, we cry into the Vltava mixing our tears with the river. We laugh like there's no other city on earth where you can laugh this lound. It's the perfect city for every mood and attitude. Even for families: castles, towers, riverboats and sprawling parks turn it into a non stop adventure even for tiny screaming humans. So: for kids who know nothing about geography, Prague. For solo travelers, Prague. For those madly in love who want to shove their tongue down their partner's throat 24 hours a day, Prague. For those getting married, Prague. For those who will never, ever get married, not even at gunpoint, Prague. For those looking for new perspectives, Prague. Some cities you visit. Prague you carry with you."

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