Day 3 - Prague

We awoke from our slumber between 7 and 8 am. After a quick shower, we proceeded to go down to breakfast and eat a meal designed for monarchs. Jacob ate 6 sausages and some eggs with a cup of coffee. After breakfast, we walked outside the hotel and proceeded to the subway station. We went down a steep escalator that was very discombobulating. We then got to go up an equally steep escalator to get out at the other end.

After getting on the subway to head to the National Gallery, we walked around this area of the city, then proceeded to a market where we met up with our tour guide for the day, Sandra who is a professional street artist. We went on a guided walking tour around major street paintings in a less touristed area of the city and learned about the artists’ intentions for their street art. We found ourselves under a bridge where it was legal to paint everything and learned about the rules for the local street art painting community, such as not painting over someone who is better than you. During the walking tour, Sandra went beyond topics of street art and explained how the flow of people through Prague changed the culture and politics of the city. Her parents grew up in the Communist era, but her grandparents did not, and she talked through their different perspectives and relationships with politics as a result. She was able to explain how her generation connected closely with their grandparents because the older generation remembered and knew a time before Communist rule. Throughout the walk, she also showed how artists used their work to comment on political events throughout history and today. After this thought-provoking walk, we went to what our guide called a “hipster coffee joint,” where we enjoyed some delicious coffee and took photos in front of a massive painting of a bird, which was created by a friend of Sandra’s.



For lunch, we headed to Puglia Bistrot and ordered a mix of pastas and pizza. Our meals were very tasty! Reese was surprised with her first birthday cake slice of the day and we all sang happy birthday to celebrate. Our meal was packed with carbs and funny conversations.



Next on our agenda was the interactive graffiti workshop with Thomas, who taught us how to properly paint a canvas using professional spray paint and stencils. To make sure that our clothes stayed clean, we put on protective attire on top and looked pretty silly, but at least we were safe. After 45 minutes of creating colorful works of art, everybody ended up with a masterpiece.






It was chilly outside, but thankfully it did not rain, so our paintings were protected when we walked outside towards an art museum that was recommended by Sandra, because of the gift shop which had souvenirs made by Prague artists. Ben pointed out that there was a blimp further up, so he, Tiff, Kylee, and Millie, walked quickly to check it out before it was time to head to our next stop, taking the tram to Old City Square.

Here, Megan, our Atlas Program Leader, and the chaperones allowed us an hour of free time to shop, after which we would rendezvous at the Charles Bridge. We traveled in groups of at least three people so we could hold ourselves accountable for time; one person was in charge of navigation, another in charge of managing how much time we had left.



Around 6 pm, the group had finally worked up an appetite for dinner. Recommended by our guide, we experienced traditional Czech cuisine at one of the oldest restaurants in the Czech Republic, “U Fleků.” The Global Studies crew was in good hands because they’ve been serving customers for more than 500 years! Each person had the same starter and dessert, but for our main dish, we were allowed to pick between Goulash, roasted pork (with or without cabbage), fried cheese, and several other Czech specialities! While we ate, musicians played jolly music in the background with a huge tuba, and surprisingly an accordion too! Reese also faced a pleasant surprise; the entire restaurant sang and clapped “Happy Birthday," accompanied by the musicians themselves!

We’re back in the hotel now, playing cards and preparing for our bus ride to Berlin tomorrow morning!

Jacob, Millie, and Jules