Maminka comes to Prague // Part 1

One of my mom’s favorite life mottos (and hip-with-the-kids quote) is YOLO, and we definitely followed that theme this weekend.

After going the weekend before to Garmish-Partencurchin, where we traveled as a family on our last European trip, all of the memories started to make me homesick. Thankfully, my best friend was coming across the ocean to visit me for two weeks!

This was my mom’s third time in Prague, so I was determined to take her to some new places she had never been! The first time she came to Prague was when she backpacked Europe. She said she hadn’t heard of the city, but saw a train that was going there for cheap and hopped on! Because, after all, you only live once!

I picked her up at the airport, and we checked into the Air BnB. Since the flight to Prague is a long one, our first stop had to be coffee! We headed off to Cafe Louvre, where Albert Einstein and Franz Kafka used to get coffee and do work.

Later that day was my Junior Voice Recital, and seeing my mom definitely calmed me down. I was so nervous! I only had a few hours till my performance, so I warmed up and got ready in her room. The performance lasted 30 minutes, and I sang 9 songs! (Four of which were in different languages!) It was my international debut! My mom had never heard me sing classical music before, so it was definitely a different performance than my gigs back home!

Picture of my program:

Relieved to be done, we headed to walk the bridge and get dinner by the water! The views were incredible, and the restaurant had blankets at the tables to keep warm in! Mom definitely enjoyed her first Czech meal of the trip and got my favorite: duck with red cabbage and dumplings!

The next morning, we headed over to Cafe Savoy for breakfast. I had been to over 13 coffee shops in Prague so far, and wanted to take my mom to my favorites! Cafe Savoy is known for its famous hot chocolate, which is basically a melted chocolate bar in a cup. Yeah, it’s pretty incredible.

Happy to have a beautiful day of sunshine, we headed up to Petrin tower for some panoramic views of the city. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and made the uphill walk much more enjoyable. It was the first day that felt like Spring in Prague!

Natural picture frame!

My mom is scared of heights, so we took an elevator to the top of Petrin Tower! (Don’t worry we walked down!) The views at the top were breathaking, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. We could see the entire city!

Fresh raspberry lemonade on the walk down! Lemonade in Prague is made with sparkling water, so it tastes more like soda!

Petrin Hill is home to one of the oldest monasteries in Europe, and they have a world famous library. Both of us being book worms, and my mom being a teacher, it was a must-see! The library was one of the most beautiful I have seen, from the painted ceilings, to the shelves reaching towards the roof. I wanted to curl up in a corner and get lost in a book.

Signal Hill Elementary should take notes!

The library also included a collection of treasures of the monks. They had a huge collection of bones and rocks they studied as well as souvenirs from around the world.

We headed over to the outside of the Prague Castle and then I had to head off to classes for a few hours. (Yes, study abroad does involve studying!)

It was supposed to be one of the warmest days that week, so after my class let out my mom and I headed to the river! We rented a paddle boat, and had an amazing time seeing views of the city from the water!

Dancing House from the water

One of the best parts about paddle boating was getting to paddle up to a floating bar! We got drinks, and made cheers overlooking the Charles Bridge! Couldn’t be luckier!

U Glaubicu for dinner, one of the oldest restaurants in Prague! Closed during communism, it reopened in 1998!

Another morning, another cute cafe! Headed off to La Boheme Cafe for some traditional Czech coffee. This local coffee shop is one of my favorites, a little ways outside the city center, and has an artsy interior! A great place to do homework or catch up with friends over coffee!

La Boheme is near the “Peace Square” in Namesti Miru. There was an Easter Market in the square, so we looked around for a few minutes!

We laughed when we saw a booth selling wooden hedge hogs, Alfredo would love this city!

After breakfast, we went to visit Vysehrad. The original site of the first castle in Prague, the grounds have my favorite church, The Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul. I made my mom take some artsy pics around and inside the church!

The painted inside of this church is what makes it one of my favorites in all of Europe!

New challenge: find a place in Prague where you can't see the Prague Castle

Amazing overlooks of Prague!

Spring flowers blooming on old remnants of the castle walls

We entered the underground museum of Vysehrad, and got to see many artifacts of the old castle and Prague. So interesting!

Painting of what Vysehrad Fortress looked like before it was destroyed in the later 18th century

Stay tuned for part 2!