PRAGUE

Visiting Prague will be the closest I’ll ever get to time travel. Walking the streets of this charming city felt like I had entered a time capsule. Cobbled pavements, whimsical castle-like buildings painted in pastel colours and the essence of ancient magic in the air. We buckled down in Prague for an entire month (bar a few days spontaneous adventure to Italy in-between!). It gave us a much needed rest and recharge, but in all honesty, Prague is a city you can probably explore in just a few days and be utterly charmed. A month in Prague was a little crazy.. I booked this stint in our adventure before we had even left Australia because I couldn’t believe just how cheaply you can live in Prague. Spending an entire month there meant we spent very little money but could live in luxury. We had the sweetest little apartment to call home, with a loft bed, small but perfect kitchenette and a very strange, noisy toilet. I fell inlove with a local vegan cafe where we ate healthy big lunches most days for $5, washed down with fresh homemade lemonade and the best vegan cake I’d ever tasted. Days were slow, spent soaking in the spring sunshine, Martin reading a book while I caught up on blogging and planning our next adventures. We watched live music with new friends, took a day trip to a fairytale small town, watched the trees come out of hibernation and the air fill with the scent of blossoms.

After catching a long and winding train from Berlin, we arrived in Prague in the late afternoon. A short rest later and we ventured out to see the streets with the sky painted in beautiful colours from the setting sun. We followed the cobbled paths of old town, mesmerised by fairytale buildings unlike anything we had ever seen. We reached Charles Bridge just as the sun dipped below the horizon, hundreds of people were out and about in the new Spring evening warmth. I couldn’t believe we had only travelled a handful of hours from Berlin and yet Prague felt like a million miles away. A new city with a new sense of life.

 

What seemed like overnight the trees went from bare branches to filled with the most luscious green leaves. I’ve never witnessed the changing of seasons until I came to Europe. Australia’s seasons are mild and blend into one another. Europe’s winter is harsh and unforgiving. It lulls you into a world of monotone, bleak skies and bare branches. After what seems to feel like forever, you awaken one morning to soft sun rays peaking through the curtains, birds singing and the delicious smell of blossoms and freshly cut grass wafting through the air. As if all of a sudden it’s Spring and it’s more breathtaking than I could have imagined. The world was technicolored again, I had awoken from winters slumber.

Barefooted with soft grass between my toes, we made sandwiches and took a picnic to the rivers edge. An afternoon well spent was sitting in the leafy parks scattered around Prague, writing thoughts in my journal and watching lovers embrace while they paddle down the river.

Our first week was mostly spent aimlessly exploring which is my number one favourite thing to do in a new city. Get lost in the streets for no purpose other than to see and feel everything. To try and forget who you are and why you are there, just imagine you’re a local and this is your everyday walk. See things that normally would go unnoticed. Gaze upon window ledges, street corners, shop windows. These were taken in the beautiful neighbourhood of Vinohrady, just a short walk from the centre of Old Town but it has an entirely different feel. Food is almost half the price of the city centre and you’ll rarely stumble across another tourist this far off the beaten track.

Saturday morning farmers market down by the rivers edge. The first few stalls were selling delicious smelling foods and fresh produce, but wander a little further along and sitting on a small barge on the river were mismatched flea market stalls selling Czech books, nic-nacks and traditional clothing. This was exactly the kind of market I love. Authentic and real, without all the touristy rubbish. Also you can’t complain when you’ve got such a beautiful backdrop while you rummage through fascinating antiques.

One afternoon we met up with our friend Mat whom we first met at a concert in Berlin. He gave us a tour of the city and we ate lunch at a basement cafe, but my favourite place he showed us that afternoon was Vyšehrad Fort. The main castle in Prague is quite spectacular, but in my opinion this magical place is even more beautiful. The vibe here was relaxed and local, with families having picnics in the setting sun and dogs playing in the grass. The view is panoramic, on one side you’ll see the suburbs stretching out as far as the eye can see, and on the other a city of red roofs leading to the castle. The grounds and the view are the most impressive, the church and graveyard were also very interesting, with some famous composers graves located there. I was so taken with this beautiful place I decided to shoot my portrait series Light & Shade on the grounds a week or so later, and it is by far my favourite location I’ve ever had the chance to photograph within.

 I can’t wait to show you the rest of our adventures in this magical city.

❤