All good trips must end with a bang.
At the end of a football match, the strong defenders are counted on to stop the other team from scoring and to secure the win. These players must be dependable. They must inspire confidence that the match will end with the victory intact.
In travel terms, Prague is that finisher. As the final stop of my travels, it needed to impress a tourist who had already been impressed by numerous cities. My head was weary from having been dunked in art and history, brought up for air, and plunged down again and again. This last city needed to be spectacular. But if any place can stand up to the challenge, it’s Prague.
I’ve been told Prague is ”too good to be true”, though having now seen it I would rather say you can’t go wrong with Prague. It seemed to take pieces of other European cities and one-up them. A prettier riverfront than Budapest’s. A bigger cathedral than Vienna’s. A better old town square than Krakow’s. All this is debatable, of course, and you should visit these cities to decide for yourself. Still, I contend that Prague greatly pleases in all these different ways.
In fact, that’s probably how I managed to be there for six days without running out of things to do. I did see Harry Potter on one day, but come on, it’s Harry Potter! Aside from that it was the castle district for a couple days, the Jewish quarter for one day, window shopping on another, and so on. Prague packs a lot into a small area. Any family made up of varying personalities should do fine here pleasing all its members.
As a fellow student, I can definitely recommend Prague as a good place for you and your friends. The city–truly catered towards visiting revelers–has no shortage of nightlife. I didn’t partake in any, but it seemed like other people in my hostel had a great time, judging by my lack of sleep. If you have a taste for pubs, dance floors, or even jazz clubs, they aren’t difficult to find, and strolling through the city streets is a pleasant experience even at night.
What else does Prague do, aside from making happy vacations? Prague’s tourism itself is one of the Czech Republic’s biggest industries, but as far as other businesses go, I don’t know. This city makes a living out of looking pretty, and given its beauty, that wasn’t a poor career choice. Simply following one’s strengths, I guess.
It’s daunting to think that even three weeks of European travel will only show you a fraction of what this continent has to offer. We’ll see what the coming school year has in store as the travels continue. In the meantime, I hope you are setting your own plans in motion.
