After spending the past week and a half in the gorgeous city of Prague, I’m officially ready to become a Czech citizen! All jokes aside though, the city is beautiful and brimming with culture. If nothing else could be said, Prague sure isn’t Pittsburgh. While you can see a river pictured above and the Charles bridge (a famous bridge named after a past king in the city), the city has a lot to offer that can’t be found in western PA.
What has stood out to me? This is a city that has experienced the tides of war and occupation, a rich history, many different changes of kings and presidents, and a much longer history than every city in the United States. The amount of history you can find in any one building (or bridge) is incredible. The stories behind every sight we saw, such as the synagogues of the Jewish quarter (pictured below) have weight and significance beyond what any individual could imagine. The architecture boasted by the city is also much more classical than the modernization of many cities in the United States such as Pittsburgh.
Another aspect of the culture in Europe is the ability to travel abroad unlike in the US. To travel abroad from the US (with the exception of Canada and Mexico), there are many obstacles with money arguably being the biggest one. Here, the experience is much different. In a group with people on my program with me, we were able to pick up our things and take a day trip to Germany, going for a hike and then to the city of Dresden. Within the span of 11 hours, we were able to cheaply cross international borders twice! Dresden held beautiful sights to be seen, such as the gothic cathedral I have included a picture of below.
Overall, the pace of life here is very different. People are roaming the streets much later, no matter the day of the week. The culture in the city is different and people are extremely warm. I will mention the smallest difference can have a much bigger impact than expected, such as paying for public bathrooms and tipping culture at restaurants. This can affect how people go about their days and how and where they choose to even spend their money. From an academic standpoint, Prague has provided a much more immersive experience than Pittsburgh has, as we have spent time learning about the politics, history, and economics of Prague in the classroom and then have been able to immediately experience what we learned about outside the classroom. Prague provided an amazing experience, and I can’t wait to see what Krakow brings next!
