Laure and Quarup

Our friend Guillermo visited for Christmas and New Years for some European traveling. We took a 10-hour night bus from Zürich to our first destination Prague with Student Agency Bus. It was our first time taking a private bus in Europe and we had a decent experience. The bus left right out time (very Swiss), offered free coffee on-board, and the best part was that each seat had its own TV. Instead of getting a good night's rest in my small seat in the back corner of the bus, I binged on old Friends episodes. By the time we rolled into Prague, we made a bee line for the hotel for an early check-in and a serious power nap.

After some rest, Guillermo and I noticed that our hotel was literally across the road from the Charles Bridge! Go Q for booking an awesome hotel. Being almost in the center of the tourist sites, we could easily explore the city's main attractions and always find our way back to the hotel. We set out to grab some lunch at the Christmas Market and explore the city.

Staročeské Trdlo - our favorite dessert street food.

Gullermo digs into a local flame roasted ham at the Christmas Market.

Walked by Frank Gehry's "Fred and Ginger" house.

Walking along the Vltava River at sunset.

Before this trip, we had no clue Prague was a popular Christmas destination. We arrived on Christmas eve and the streets were crowded and full of life. There was plenty going on during Christmas holiday. The Christmas Market was open, city tours were in operation, and plenty of shops were open especially in the touristic center of town.

Old town square remained lively throughout the holiday.

Art galleries and marionette shops were open for the holidays next to our hotel.

Even the local street artists were out on the days surrounding Christmas.

Within our four days in Prague we did a 3 hour free city walking tour covering the Prague Castle, the Old Town, the New Town, and the Jewish Quarter. We also checked out the Museum of Communism, the Jewish Museum, and spent plenty of time in the Christmas market.

We all enjoyed the local food and the guys were amazed with the beer. At Lokál Dlouhá restaurant, they both exclaimed that it was the best beer they had ever had. The waitress heard the compliments about their beer and brought over one of the brewmasters to our table to explain how the storage and pouring of their beer is carefully perfected to achieve its amazing flavor.

Happy customers at Lokál Dlouhá