Night Walk in Prague- A Guest Post by Chelsey Labusch
Chelsey is a university student from Canada interning in Berlin for the summer. She is using the opportunity to travel Europe as much as possible and gain experience in the field of Marketing. Read about her experiences and adventures in Germany and Europe at http://myberlinblog.com/chelsey
The city Prague in the Czech Republic has always been a must do on my “things to do before I die” list. So, as spontaneous as I can be, 2 friends and I decided that we were going to Prague on the weekend!
One of the highlights of the weekend was a tour called 'Prague Castle and Old Town After Dark'. I was hosted by McGee’s Ghost Tours. After a long day of sightseeing, I was completely exhausted but still ready to see even more of what Prague has to offer. Our tour guide was dressed in all black and made herself look Gothic. This was cool, since it was a night tour and all of them dress the part. She was from Scotland so listening to her speak was itself just as interesting as what she told and showed us. We were accompanied by another couple from South America who were really friendly. It was nice that it was just us, since such a large group would not have made the experience personal enough.
We started at the river that goes through town and walked towards the tower. Since it was getting later, it was a lot less hot and the crowds of tourists were starting to go home. We made our way to the tram which we took to the top of the hill where the Prague Castle sits. On our way, our tour guide suggested that we stop at a bar together to try a beer that’s recipe was lost for years and recently found again. It gave us a chance to get to know each other, talk about our travels, and enjoy one of the best beers I have had yet! I’m sure the tour guides recommend it to everyone, and I suggest you say yes when she suggests to try it.
The castle at night is almost even more beautiful than it is during the day. She explained to us the different designs on the castle and why they were all there. She answered any questions we had without hesitation and was very friendly about everything. Even though the tour was to be historical, I asked her to tell us some ghost stories if she knew any. She knew more about a student who haunts the old town, but apparently there aren’t many interesting ones from the castle. I found that really shocking since it is so old and gothic. It took 600 years alone just to build.
Visiting hours were over so we could not go inside the castle, but we walked through the courtyards and saw where the President on Prague lives. She explained to us that when the flag is up he is in Prague, and when it is down he is away. She also said that he tends to drive like a maniac to his “palace home”, probably because he feels like he can do anything he wants, even if that means putting peoples lives in danger along the way. It was so incredible to see where he lives. It had 2 major courtyards and just so much space.
One of the most interesting parts of the tour was she took us to these small homes beside the Castle. They were initially made for guards and were built only for sleeping purposes. This means that they were extremely small and people ended up living there. Today, they are used for shopping purposes as they have been turned into boutiques. For a small fee, you can shop there during the day.
We ended the tour with a view of the city at night where fireworks lit the sky. Czechs soccer team had just won a game in the EURO Football Cup and residents were celebrating. The night lights, music, view, and fireworks were a perfect ending to an extremely informative and interesting tour.
Overall, the night tour was a must do. It is filled with information from tour guides who are very passionate about what they do. Since it was so late, you actually had a chance to get pictures without crowds of people and the lit up buildings gave a completely different view of the city and its beautiful buildings.
I am so glad I experiences Prague as best as I could for the short time I was there. Seeing the city was a once in a lifetime experience and doing it with tours was much better than alone, since you really get an idea of why the buildings are the way they are.
The city Prague in the Czech Republic has always been a must do on my “things to do before I die” list. So, as spontaneous as I can be, 2 friends and I decided that we were going to Prague on the weekend!
One of the highlights of the weekend was a tour called 'Prague Castle and Old Town After Dark'. I was hosted by McGee’s Ghost Tours. After a long day of sightseeing, I was completely exhausted but still ready to see even more of what Prague has to offer. Our tour guide was dressed in all black and made herself look Gothic. This was cool, since it was a night tour and all of them dress the part. She was from Scotland so listening to her speak was itself just as interesting as what she told and showed us. We were accompanied by another couple from South America who were really friendly. It was nice that it was just us, since such a large group would not have made the experience personal enough.
We started at the river that goes through town and walked towards the tower. Since it was getting later, it was a lot less hot and the crowds of tourists were starting to go home. We made our way to the tram which we took to the top of the hill where the Prague Castle sits. On our way, our tour guide suggested that we stop at a bar together to try a beer that’s recipe was lost for years and recently found again. It gave us a chance to get to know each other, talk about our travels, and enjoy one of the best beers I have had yet! I’m sure the tour guides recommend it to everyone, and I suggest you say yes when she suggests to try it.
The castle at night is almost even more beautiful than it is during the day. She explained to us the different designs on the castle and why they were all there. She answered any questions we had without hesitation and was very friendly about everything. Even though the tour was to be historical, I asked her to tell us some ghost stories if she knew any. She knew more about a student who haunts the old town, but apparently there aren’t many interesting ones from the castle. I found that really shocking since it is so old and gothic. It took 600 years alone just to build.
Visiting hours were over so we could not go inside the castle, but we walked through the courtyards and saw where the President on Prague lives. She explained to us that when the flag is up he is in Prague, and when it is down he is away. She also said that he tends to drive like a maniac to his “palace home”, probably because he feels like he can do anything he wants, even if that means putting peoples lives in danger along the way. It was so incredible to see where he lives. It had 2 major courtyards and just so much space.
One of the most interesting parts of the tour was she took us to these small homes beside the Castle. They were initially made for guards and were built only for sleeping purposes. This means that they were extremely small and people ended up living there. Today, they are used for shopping purposes as they have been turned into boutiques. For a small fee, you can shop there during the day.
We ended the tour with a view of the city at night where fireworks lit the sky. Czechs soccer team had just won a game in the EURO Football Cup and residents were celebrating. The night lights, music, view, and fireworks were a perfect ending to an extremely informative and interesting tour.
Overall, the night tour was a must do. It is filled with information from tour guides who are very passionate about what they do. Since it was so late, you actually had a chance to get pictures without crowds of people and the lit up buildings gave a completely different view of the city and its beautiful buildings.
I am so glad I experiences Prague as best as I could for the short time I was there. Seeing the city was a once in a lifetime experience and doing it with tours was much better than alone, since you really get an idea of why the buildings are the way they are.