For my parent’s 25th wedding anniversary they both took separate vacations to Prague to visit me !!
It just so happened that my parents came over to Prague at different times. My dad and I spent a week together in Prague before my program and my mom arrived on Friday and leaves on Wednesday. They didn’t actually plan on coming at different times, it just kind of worked out that way with their work schedules (my mom is a teacher & they were doing state testing when my dad and I were here). My first experience with my dad was chaotic because neither of us knew anything about Prague- it was literally just the two of us bubmling around hoping to see something cool. Thankfully, i’ve learned a little more about the city in the time I’ve been here so I am a little more knowledgable about where to take my mom and what kinds of things she would like.
I spent my weekend being a tour guide for my mom. We went to really good restaurants I’ve discovered, did some of the touristy things, and spend our fair share of time wandering around the city. This has led me to two realizations:
- I know Prague better than I think I do
- I HATE Charles Bridge/Old Town Square/basically the entire City Center.
Before my mom came to visit, I viewed myself as the same doofy person I was when I started my program. I thought that I hadn’t learned that much about Czech Culture and still stuck out as an American totally out of her league. I’ve learned that I still stick out as an American but I know a lot more about Czech Culture than I think I do. I realized that I feel totally comfortable on public transportation, know the intricacies of going to restaurants, and how to find shortcuts to as many things as possible. I might not be the doofy American that I thought I was.
The second statement is a double edged sword. I think the tourist things are absolutely beautiful. It is so cool to be able to live in a city with so much history and things to see. That being said, being in any of these places in the hot, midday sun is my personal version of hell. Tourists are everywhere, the crowds are huge, and I constantly feel on edge when i’m in these areas. I much prefer the the smaller, less busy, sections of Prague than the bustling parts.