We had the most wonderful time in Prague. Each and every day was more magical then the last and I can not wait to share all of the memories on here. I have been sifting through pictures for over a week now and decided to start with arguably our most memorable part of our stay there. On our second night in Prague we found ourselves up far too late, we still can't figure out exactly why, but we will chalk it up to fate. It was after 3 am and we kept saying "ok we really need to go to sleep now." "no but seriously now we have to." We shut out the lights and soon after we realized, the sun would be coming up in about an hour, why not just power through and see the sunrise on the Charles Bridge. Now anyone who knows me knows that I am not a morning person. Waking up early has never been my strongest suit so this seemed like a better option then Rob trying to get me up any other morning. Lights back on and we started to get ready for our adventure before sunrise. We tiptoed out of our apartment, snuck down the dark stairs and out into the dead quiet street.
Happily the main square was only steps away from our apartment. Now Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and you know what? Everyone seems to know that because during the day this place can be mobbed. Like us, everyone is looking to take in all the magic that is Prague, and that includes Segway tours wizing by, self sticks floating in the air and street performers everywhere. These aspects can make this city more fun, however at times it can feel a little claustrophobic and it makes photographing this place challenging. When we step out just before dawn we were greeted by a city all to ourselves and it was like nothing we had ever experienced.
Prague is magical at any time of the day or night but there was a different type of magic alive on these quiet, empty streets. We meandered past the astronomical clock, which is always bombarded by tourists and on towards the Charles Bridge.
Now let me give you some fair warning about early mornings in Prague, you won't be the only ones out. On our walk to the bridge we ran into the occasional pigeon, some photographers, a few workers starting their day, and one other thing, drunk people. Now there were not a ton, but with the beer being so inexpensive here we did run into some people who were inebriated. When I say drunk, I'm not talking about your run of the mill tipsy person, I'm talking about the people who fought the urge to go to sleep all night just so they could have a good time until the sun came up. I'm talking about someone we came across right after I took this photo above. Around the corner we saw a "full moon" and as we approached we saw a young man completely naked and about three of his friends laughing and videotaping the whole ordeal. This may give you an idea of how empty the streets are, empty enough that he could walk fully naked down the center of a normally tourist - filled road (also how drunk he was). We had no other recourse but to laugh and avert our eyes as we passed him. Still cracking up we came across the Charles Bridge.
The Charles Bridge might be one of the most touristy spots in all of Prague. Anytime of the day you can find hundreds of people ambling along this iconic bridge. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get a photo here without at least a dozen people in the background. This can be part of the enjoyment of the bridge but let me tell you that being here with no one else around was surreal.
We snapped a few uninterrupted photos, Rob terrorized some pigeons and then we got ready for the show to begin. Slowly the sun peaked it's head up and we stood in awe as it lit up the buildings across the river and slowly along the bridge.
As the sun climbed higher in the sky we climbed down beside the bridge to an area of town that's normally bustling. We were delighted to see empty streets filling with light and some amazing views of the bridge from below.
 |
 |
We wandered around near the bridge a little more and then decided it was time to head back. We climbed back up to the bridge and noticed more people coming out and it seemed that our magical spell had been broken, back to good ole busy Prague. Luckily it wasn't yet as crowded as usual so we could snag a few more glimpses.
We walked back towards the town square, keeping our eyes out for any naked wanderers as we went. Back in the town square the light was amazing, turning everything it touched rich gold.
With the sun finally up we skipped back towards our room, high on that experience. Smiles plastered on our faces as we passed tourists getting an "early start" and drunk people stumbling back to their rooms. We climbed back up to our room and tucked ourselves back into bed to get a few hours of sleep before another full day of sightseeing.
No comments