Macklin Comes to Prague!!

This past week has probably been one of the best weeks of my life. It probably has something to do with the fact that someone I love so much came all the way to Europe to visit me in the beautiful city I now call home. After two very long months apart, Mack finally made it here to share some of the experiences that I have been fortunate enough have here in Prague.

In Front of St. Vitus Cathedral

On his first night here, the two of us went to dinner at a restaurant with one of the most beautiful views that I know. We ate on a boat right on the water, with big glass windows that capture the Charles Bridge and the Prague Castle. On Wednesday I had class in the morning and late afternoon, however Mack was lucky enough to be able to come to my morning class, Art and Architecture. It just so happened that for Wednesday’s class we had a planned trip to visit the Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral, so I basically got to turn my class into a date, it was perfect. After walking the castle grounds, a group of us went to lunch right on the Vltava River. It was absolutely gorgeous out. Later that night, we all went out and Mack got to experience his first Prague club, where there is a lot of fist pumping and a lot of lights.

Cruising down the Vltava River

Thursday had to have been my favorite day during Mack’s visit. Because I had no class, we spent the entire day basking in the beautiful weather. We enjoyed the jazz music while walking across the Charles Bridge, visited the Lennon Wall, and made a stop at the fence covered in love locks. This fence has locks the couples have put on from years ago. We decided we wanted to be a part of this romantic tradition, so we eagerly purchased a lock and added it to the collection ourselves. Later that afternoon we began the 21^st birthday festivities for our friend Phil. Although his birthday wasn’t until that Saturday, we somehow managed to celebrate is birthday for about three days in a row. The first of the celebrations started with a boat cruise up and down the Vltava River. The experience was so much fun, and we couldn’t have been in a more gorgeous location. It honestly seemed as though life couldn’t get more perfect as we rode back and forth under the Charles Bridge during sunset. We all had such a blast and it is something I will never forget.

Having lunch in front of the Charles Bridge

The following day Mack and I decided to hit up the Prague Zoo, which happens to be ranked as one of the top zoos in Europe. We basically spent the entire day there because there was so much to see. One of the most… interesting experiences we had while we were there was when we decided to visit inside the nightlife exhibit. Everything in the room was dark (obviously) and as we were walking though the exhibit we noticed a dark figure pass behind us. Neither of us really knew what it was and we both figured it was just something added for effect, so we continued walking. Next thing we knew, live bats were flying around us, WAY too close for comfort. I screamed as one came out of no where and flew right in front of my face and we both booked it out of there as quickly as possible.  Each exhibit after that, we were cautious to make sure there were no while animals on the loose.

In front of the Lennon wall

On Sunday night, Dani’s mom Lisa, who was visiting for the week, took Mack, my roommates, and me out to a nice Czech restaurant. We all shared delicious food and enjoyed each other’s company until the night was over. The following day was Mack’s last day and in the morning, he, Lisa, Dani, and I took a private tour of Terazin, a concentration camp that was mainly used as propaganda during WWII. While Terazin was not specifically a death camp, it was eerie to walk the same grounds as thousands of tortured prisoners, where many thousands died solely from being over worked, malnutrition, and often shootings. The most chilling experience for me was being able to walk inside the crematorium and the prison cells where people were held for ransom and torture. While the tour was a very heavy and depressing one, there are endless stories and knowledge about the Holocaust to be shared. I took so much away from this experience and I so appreciative I was able to go.

The lock we added to the fence!

That night Mack and I went out for his final dinner in Prague. As sad as I was, I don’t think we could have had a better night. We ate outside at a beautiful Italian restaurant that had a perfect view of Old Town Square and the Astronomical Clock. Not only was the dinner and atmosphere amazing, but I could not have asked for someone better to share it with. Monday night was the perfect closing to an amazing week.