Spring Break 2009 - Czech Republic

The last leg of my trip during Spring Break was to the historical city of Prague! I'd been receiving recommendations since arriving in Vienna to go and check this place out. It was a thoroughly fascinating experience - the city is in an impressive state considering how old and historical it is.
Getting to Prague was a hard experience; after the night in Dresden really revealed my exhaustion and weariness, it was tempting to just head back to Vienna. I decided against that, and took the train that morning from the Dresden Hauptbahnhof to Prague.

During the ride, I finished reading Obama's "The Audacity of Hope." I read the last page and set the book down in immense satisfaction that the man whose book I was reading was the president of the most influential country on earth, that simply by his presidency and his desire for change he has set something great in motion. I glanced out of the train window onto the beautiful quaint but stunning landscape that flew past. Now I was glad I had decided to press on.
Upon arriving at the station, I was immediately impressed by the cleanliness and brightness of Prague. For some odd reason, I'd expected it to be gray and rainy, but it was just the opposite: the sun dominated the blue sky and uplifted my body's weariness.

Now, on to the problem of finding what I needed and where I needed to go to find the hostel. I wandered around in the train station for longer than I care to remember: getting money, pouring over a few tourist maps, and trying to figure out the transportation system. It was a process that I had become very accustomed to by this point, but my broken suitcase was becoming an ever-pressing burden. Somehow I managed ...

I finally found the hostel - Miss Sophies - and it was located pretty near the city center. The people who worked at the receptionist were amazingly calm, and it was impossible to be stressed out with their calm voices and generous manners. They gave me a lovely map of the city, pointed out a few places that were popular and great to see, and then I started off.

The weather was lovely - a bit windy, but gorgeous. I hopped on some trams and just let myself wander around the city. The river, the 600-year-old bridges and buildings, the exotic Czech language, the new merging with the old, was breath-taking. Prague was indeed a neat city, see for yourself:

[Media: 1. The Dancing House, Prague; 2. View of the city from near Charles' Bridge]