Half a day and one night in Prague

Next stop on the 'Mad Dash through Europe' travel tour was Prague. There are direct trains from Berlin to Prague twice a day so we took the morning train and headed towards the Czech Republic. Sean and I knew we'd have some serious train journeys on this trip so we killed a lot of time playing cards and looking out the window at the rolling countryside. 

Prague's train station is pretty ancient but there are beautiful stained glass windows as you come off the platform and into the main station. It certainly felt like we were in Eastern Europe at last. We had booked Hostel Downtown, two minutes from the famous Wenceslas Square in the Nové Mesto (New Town) on the right bank of the River Vlatva. Definitely an improvement on the Berlin hostel with free internet and a far more comfortable sleeping arrangement. There was also a kitchen which meant we could cook in the evening - it's really the little things that make you happy when you're on a budget... and when you're in need of a bed to lounge on.

We knew we didn´t have long in Prague as we were planning on heading to Budapest around noon the next day so as soon as we dropped off our stuff we headed out to explore.

We strolled down to the riverside and made our way up to the Charles Bridge, which is a beautiful stone bridge lined with statues and is, in my opinion, the most impressive site in the city. 

On the other side of the bridge we grabbed a couple of Pilsner Urquell's (couldn't possibly be in Prague for more than an hour without indulging in some Czech beer) made our way up the narrow, winding streets towards Prague castle. Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of Irish pubs in Prague, and in every European city it seems, so we took advantage of the backdrop for a good ol' posed shot

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The sunshine was coming out and after three days of rain, it was a welcome change! At the end of the climb, the view overlooking the city is stunning and even Sean was alright with looking slightly touristy as we took a few pictures from the top

After a quick bowl of pasta back at the house, we headed out to the Old Town square, Starometske namesti, a 12th century marketplace which is definitely a rival for Brussels' Grande Place. It really is stunningly beautiful, with a towering astronomical clock as the main feature. 

At the end of the night we found ourselves in (I'm ashamed to say it) an English pub, mostly because it was one of the first matches of Champions League. All in all, Prague is gorgeous. I could definitely see myself coming back at a later date, perhaps with a group of friends for a few nights out on the town, treating myself to a nicer meal than pasta and questionable tomato sauce in a hostel kitchen...