Prague and Budapest for Spring Break!

This year I decided that doing some traveling on Spring Break was in order! A group of us decided that Prague and Budapest would be two really interesting places to visit during our break from classes and life in France.

Prague was our first stop and we entered the city with high expectations that were definitely met. We spent the first night exploring a bit of the city center by foot and getting a feel for it. The next day, we decided to get a guided tour through the city. We started at the ancient Astrological Clock in the city center. The clock had several dials and four figurines symbolizing things like death and vanity and has been standing for over 600 years! All around us were gorgeous buildings from many different eras like Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance, and many more! It was clear that throughout all the invasions of Czech Republic, that the preservation of history was very important.

We even visited a “haunted” church where a mummified arm hangs as a warning to any thieves thinking of taking the churches treasures! Our tour guide was extremely accommodating and even took us to one of his favorite local pubs for lunch. My friends had goulash, pork, or beef, and I enjoyed the only vegetarian option: a garlic-y potato pancake! We explored more of the city the following day including the castle where we watched the changing of guards. We also made our mark on John Lennon’s wall, in a part of the city that seems to be hidden.

Authentic Czech Lunch!

The next stop was Budapest where we stayed in a neat hostel with a very relaxed atmosphere! We went to a hummus bar for dinner (I was on cloud nine) and then went to a bar in old city ruins! The bar was really large and old and the quirky atmosphere allowed us to take a little rest from the constant tourist site seeing. We only had one day after that to explore the two cities (Buda and Pest) and we sure made the most of it. We climbed high to see great views, we visited a large market, and we visited another castle. Near there we found an old Hospital Bunker that was top secret until 2008. It was neat to tour the only hospital ever designed to survive a nuclear war!

Exploring Budapest

We finished off our trip in the baths of Budapest and relaxed our aching feet! Although it was a lovely trip, we were tired out from all of the exploring and were thankful to get back to Rennes.

What unexpected treasures have you found in cities you have explored?