Prague was the Disneyland of Europe! It was not what I expected at all, but I was pleasantly surprised by every aspect of it.
Walking Tour:
We started our trip off doing a private walking tour with a local which was so beneficial in learning about the history as well the current life of Prague. If you find yourself in Prague, go through local tours and ask for Mesh (he was awesome).
We walked across the Charles bridge, went to the Prague castle, as well as getting to go to the top of Prague to see a view of the entire city while enjoying a beer with our tour guide! Prague is so recently part of the EU, which made for interesting conversations with our guide. They were freed from communism just 30 years ago and 15% of their population still votes communist which is the craziest thing because that’s all they know and deem as “safe”.
A Little Background on Prague
I was super curious about the history of Prague after the tour, so I did a little research. This is what I found out!
For most of its’ history, Prague had been ethnically mixed city with Czech, German, and Jewish populations. When the country was occupied by Germany during World War II, most Jews either fled the city or were killed in the holocaust. Most of the Jews living in Prague after the war came during the years of Communism. In the early 1990s, the Jewish Community in Prague was only 800 people compared to nearly 50,000 before World War II. 
After the war, there was a strong sense of nationalism and the communist party was sitting in a favorable position. 38% of the population voted for a communist leader, which is a very high percentage. There was bitter conflict between the communist party and their opponents in parliament. The communist members were controlling the police and all authorities who were taking away basic freedoms away from citizens. The non-communist party wanted them to be punished for what they were doing, but they were threatened with violence, so twelve members of the non-communist party in parliament resigned. After this, militia and police took over Prague, Communist propaganda was mounted, and anything anti-Communist was broken up.
Czechoslovakia remained a communist country until 1989, and some citizens in the Czech Republic still remain communist.
John Lennon Wall
After the murder of John Lennon, the Czech youth heard his music and were inspired to 
paint this wall and it became a main political focus and rebellion against the communist government. At night theywould come paint the wall with peaceful and love sayings, but the secret police would paint it over white in the morning. It came to the point where Western pop music was banned by the communists, and some Czech musicians were even jailed for playing it. The wall represents freedom and peace in a really dark and scary time. Today, the wall is a hot spot for tourists to come paint or take pictures in front of.
Drinks
Pivovar Sv.Norbert Strahov: This fun spot was on the top of the hill where the Prague castle is. There were beautiful views of the entire city. We didn’t get food here, but it was traditional Czech food which is heavy meats and potato type dishes. Pivovar is the oldest brewery in Prague so it has so much history and you feel like you’re back in time! Highly suggest.
U Sudu: This was the coolest under ground cave bar. You walk in and it looks like a normal restaurant but if you walk to the back there’s a door that leads to stairs that go underground. There’s different rooms and each one has a different vibe. the first room has a pool table and foosball and is definitely more chill. The next room has tables to sit and you can be served which is nice when it’s crowded you don’t have to deal with a crowd at a bar. The bar used to be used as bomb shelters which was SO COOL. warning: your clothes will reek of cigarette smoke because there isn’t any ventilation and people are allowed to smoke in the bar. But totally worth it.
Food
U Pinkasu: this is a very traditional Czech restaurant and not touristy at all. We definitely got some stares when we walked in, but the food was totally worth it and so well priced! Definitely make reservations if you plan to go here because it was pretty packed. We ordered a variety of things to all share between 8 of us which worked out perfectly. We had chicken dumplings which was served with carmelized onions an amazing sauce on top. We also got different types of smoked meat to start which was really good! You also have to try the goulash because Prague is known for it. It looks like it would be gross but it actually tasted so good!
Don Noc: best pancakes i’ve EVER had, and that’s saying a lot coming from me because i’m a pancake connoisseur. I ordered the cinnamon, brown sugar banana pancakes and 
they were so good. my mouth is actually watering while I write this. They are known for having sweet and savory pancakes. A favorite is the bacon, avocado, feta savory pancake which sounds strange to put on a pancake, but everyone’s said it was the perfect combination of sweet and salty! this is a MUST. Definitely go and put your name in as soon as you can if you have a bigger group because it’s a really small restaurant.
Cafe Louvre: This is another famous brunch place. They have the most amazing hot 
chocolate. it’s not the hot chocolate we’re used to though! it’s straight melted chocolatewith a side of whip cream, it’s quite the experience. I ordered the omelet with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach which was nice for a change because most places in Europe don’t serve eggs for breakfast. This restaurant is big and we got in pretty quickly but would still recommend a reservation being that it is extremely popular among locals and tourists.
La Piccola: This is a little hole in the wall Italian restaurant that a local told us about. You MUST make a reservation to get in because it gets very busy for dinner. I had the shrimp pasta which I highly recommend for anyone who likes shrimp. It was all high quality food for reasonable prices as well.
Overall Impression
I loved Prague and have every intention of going back there! I enjoyed how it wasn’t overwhelmingly big and I could see majority of the city in one weekend. 10/10 recommend this city to anyone!
EUR Invited 