Acting Like a Tourist; Living Like a Local

At last, I’ve finally made it to Prague! I could not be more excited to start my semester here and I’ve wasted no time already getting to know this breathtaking city. Once I arrived at my apartment, I couldn’t help but laugh that my apartment is directly above the most American-looking Chinese restaurant. I’ve spent the first week wandering through my district and the main parts of town to become familiar with my new home. I’m surrounded by numerous eclectic cafes and fresh food markets. Best of all, there are so many authentic Czech restaurants that I’m eager to try. There’s even a cat restaurant were you can eat lunch and play with countless cats at the same time!

By now, my jet lag has dissipated and my roommates and I have taken advantage of our first week to go ahead and get all the touristy sightseeing out of the way. A few tram stops away from our apartment took us to the Old Town Square in the center of the city. There were so many tourists, with me looking like the biggest one. My goal by the end of the semester is to blend in with the locals and know everything there is to know about this city.

Colorful buildings and massive castles captivate Prague and I’ve discovered something new with every side street I’ve gone down. Of course we also visited the Lennon Wall and we even spent an evening watching the sunset from the Charles Bridge tower.

There are cat cafes where for a small price, you can hang out with cats and drink coffee for an afternoon!

Cool wall, bad advice

After a few days of being in Prague, I decided it was time to try a trdelnik, which is the most famous desert/snack in Prague. It’s basically a hollowed out doughnut, covered in cinnamon sugar, and filled with whatever your heart desires. You can’t go ten feet without seeing a bakery that sells them. We wandered down some back streets to get away from the main square to find a more local bakery, hoping to get a more authentic trdelnik. It did not disappoint! The local Czechs love to argue about which bakery sells the best one, so I guess I’ll have to try them all and decide for myself!

Trdelnik! I got mine filled with apples, chocolate, and whipped cream.

I was surprised to find that Prague is much colder than I had anticipated. Everyone walks the streets with massive parkas, hats, scarves, gloves, and warm boots. Whether you’re walking to class, or going out at night, you have to bundle up before walking outside. On the first night, we geared up and discovered a local underground cave pub where we got to know some fun Czechs in our neighborhood along with some other American students also studying at our University. The city comes alive at night and creates a perfect environment for me to meet new people!

My semester has just started and I already feel like I’ve made my home here. I can’t wait to discover every district in Prague and make this place my home away from home!

This was an underground pub suggested to us by some local Czechs!

The sunset view from the top of the Charles Bridge Tower.

Lillian H. is the Spring 2017 MOJO Blogger in Prague, Czech Republic. She is currently a Junior studying Communications at University of Georgia

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Lillian Huckabee in Prague, Czech Republic, and is currently studying at University of Georgia.