Prague at Night

On Friday night, I arrived in Prague. I was greeted by both of my uncles and my babicka – the Czech name for “grandma.” I was exhausted from travelling, so it was great to know that I could rest safely at my babicka’s apartment. When both my babicka and I came home, I immediately fell asleep. I was too tired to do anything else. The next night, however, was very different. After fully resting from my travels, I was ready to explore Prague.

Noc Museum, a night where many museums and galleries are open for free to the public, was held on the first Saturday of my visit. While riding the bus around town and walking in a park above the city, I was able to see most of Prague at night. It was magical. Many buildings with beautiful steeples dazzled in lights. From the hill, I could see rooftops with many different colors. Each building seemed like a special one, with statues and windowsills to show off. I saw bridges, the river, theatres, churches, and other buildings. Star-struck, I thought that there couldn’t be anything more magical. I was wrong.
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On Sunday evening, my babicka and I went to one of my uncles’ apartment to celebrate both his and his wife’s birthday with the rest of their family. While close to Charles’ bridge, my babicka recommended that we walk across it after the visit. It had already started to get dark when we left my uncle’s apartment, but many people were still walking around so we decided we would walk on the bridge. When we started walking on the bridge, I experienced much of the same emotions as I had the other night in Prague. But there was something different. Now, instead of seeing the bridge from far away, I had a much more personal experience. As I walked across the bridge, I saw all of the saint statues up close, and was able to pay attention to the details in surrounding buildings. And as the sunlight faded, even more buildings seemed to be put on display. I could see Prague castle and buildings from Prague square, along with the Cathedral and other churches. This experience surpassed the first experience from Prague, and made me wonder how much more my next will surpass even this one.