Prague, the coolest city in the Czech Republic

  I just got back from visiting Prague this weekend and I must admit, I had a great time. I still can't believe that I actually made it there, I unfortunately severely underestimated the amount of time it would take me to get to Pisa's airport. The fact of the matter is, I couldn't have left Florence any earlier because I had an Art History midterm and then had to stop at home and get my stuff. Needless to say, I arrived at the airport 30 minutes before scheduled departure, but miraculously made it on the plane.
 I had to stop in Paris both ways, so I guess I can see I've seen the Eiffel Tower at night because I got a spectacular view during my layover. Doug was nice enough to trek out to the airport and meet me there. Public transportation is really great in Prague, it's super convenient, goes everywhere, and you can get long term passes for really cheap. My three-day pass cost around $17 but I think his student pass for a month is less than that. It's also nice because you just need to have your pass on you and show it if there is a ticket officer instead of constantly getting it in and out of your wallet. When I arrived on Thursday night, I got to meet one of Doug's flatmates and we all went out together.
 On Friday, Doug and I saw Charles' Bridge, Old Town, and New Town. We did a lot of walking around and eventually went to the top of the Baby Tower. That night, we made chicken and whole-wheat pasta for dinner, it was delicious.
 Saturday, we went to Prague Castle which has been around since 870 and is still used by the government. The cathedral was huge, and gorgeous with incredible stained glass. We also went to the top of Petron Hill which is right in front of where he lives and climbed up the tower. For dinner, we went to Louvre Cafe because I wanted to try some Czech food. It definitely was not a traditional Czech place, but was very elegant and offered some Czech dishes so I tried goulash which I really liked. Afterwards, we went to the Chocolate museum's store and got hot chocolate. That night, we went to the Five Story Club and I tried something Czech (which was fried cheese, in bread and with ketchup) and Doug got sausage which actually was not that great.
 Czech is such a different language and it was really fun to see Doug try to speak it in restaurants. The food definitely is not as good as Italy but the churches are gorgeous despite the people being pretty nonreligious. All the dogs were adorable and very well behaved, rarely on a leash but always following their masters obediently. Things are also much cheaper there: Doug also lives in a huge flat, with his own room for only $500 a month. It was a nice change of pace to be spending a lot less money for a weekend. Overall, I had a great weekend and hope that I can be as good of a tour guide when he comes to Florence.