Corporate America Saves the Day

No American wants to admit to intentionally seeking out a McDonald’s while in Europe. But when you arrive in an unfamiliar city at 4 a.m., there are only so many options for 24-hour safe havens.

This weekend I went with one of my roommates to Prague via train and it proved to be an interesting experience. We had tickets for any train on Thursday from Keleti Station in Budapest to Prague (her birthday present to me). In our search at the station, we were so wrapped up in finding a train to Prague that we didn’t notice whether we would arrive at 4 a.m. or 6 a.m., as we originally intended. It was the 4 a.m. train.

We didn’t have a reservation in addition to our tickets so we sat in one of the seating cars, which are far from ideal for sleeping. Still, we managed to get at least a couple hours of rest wrapped in our coats and taking full advantage of the current blanket-scarf trend.

We arrived in the city with little idea of where we were with our only destination being warmth until we could check into our AirBNB at 9 a.m. I had briefly used the data on my phone to search 24-hour places in Prague and McDonald’s seemed to be our safest option. It helped that the first sign we saw upon stepping out of the station was one pointing us toward the nearest McDonald’s.

Unfortunately, that particular one was closed. We continued walking down what appeared to be a main tourist street where we passed two more closed McDonald’s, two Burger King’s, a KFC, and a Starbucks before finding an open McDonald’s around the corner. We found our safe place so we got coffee to get us through the day and settled in for the next three hours.

Another perk of the American fast-food chain: free Wi-Fi. We used it to set our plans for the next two days and find directions from one place to the next before leaving to try to catch the sunrise by the Charles Bridge. Well, directions didn’t seem to help too much for that. We ended up about 10 minutes in the opposite direction before checking and making our way back, heavy bags in tow.

Eventually we made it to the bridge and caught the end of the sunrise before going to check into our AirBNB right at the opposite side of the river. We were finally able to warm up and drop off our bags before beginning all over again.

The best part of arriving so early in Prague was being able to see it so empty. There were barely any people around and it was the perfect opportunity to take pictures and appreciate the sheer beauty of the city. Having that first impression got Prague a spot as one of my favorite cities in the world before we resurfaced in the middle of the day to the extreme crowds.

Nearly empty Charles Bridge and Prague Castle in the distance

Deserted Old Town Square in the early morning

Crowded Old Town Square and Christmas market at night

After a brief stop in the apartment we went around the corner to Bohemia Bagel for a real breakfast. Czechs are excellent at breakfast. I got a delicious and filling French bagel toast. When we left to explore the other side of the side, we found the Charles Bridge covered with people and vendors.

It was a pseudo-maze to get through the Old Town Square and past the Astronomical Clock that hours before had been barren. We passed the McDonald’s we had started the day at and paused to get their Wi-Fi and check directions to a real maze – one of mirrors (think corn maze but with walls of mirrors instead). It was smaller than it felt on the inside, very disorienting, and a lot of fun.

Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square

We visited several churches and got a late lunch of traditional Czech food and amazing white mulled wine with cinnamon and apple juice at Café Louvre. We ate our way to exhaustion and we were both in bed by 8 p.m. and slept for over 12 hours.

Inside St. Nicholas Church

Refreshed, we began our Saturday with a stop at the Lennon Wall (dedicated to John Lennon) on the way to breakfast at Café Savoy. There we had to wait almost half an hour but the meal and the service was well worth it.

The Lennon Wall

The Lennon Wall

Once we were sufficiently stuffed we went up to Prague Castle where we got tickets to see St. George’s Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, St. Vitus Cathedral, and the Golden Lane. We sauntered around the city afterwards, enjoying the Christmas markets and the cobblestone streets.

St. Vitus Cathedral

One of many impressive stained glass windows in St. Vitus Cathedral

Golden Lane

Besides the heavy crowds, Prague has been my favorite European city so far. The streets and architecture were beautiful; the people went out of their way to help; and when we were desperate, corporate America and its offer of free Wi-Fi always came to our rescue.

Four Languages, Countless Christmas Markets

Temperatures are down and I’m in a winter wonderland dotted with Christmas markets! Here in Budapest, there is an abundance of vendors lining streets and squares in their wooden booths throughout the city. This weekend I left the Hungarian language behind for Barcelona, Spain – though the flight there and back was conducted in English, Hungarian, Spanish, and Catalan.

Christmas Season in Budapest

It already looks a lot like Christmas in Budapest: main streets and buildings are lit up with twinkle lights, streets and squares have turned into villages of vendors, and a #2 tram is wrapped in lights. I’m in my glory!

Here are some of the many markets around the city:

Advent Feast at the Basilica

This market is located directly in front of St. Stephen’s Basilica and features an ice-skating rink with a large decorated tree in the center and several food trucks down the road opposite. In the evenings, there is a short video version of The Nutcracker projected onto the face of the basilica (as you can see in last week’s post).

 

Fashion Street Advent

High-end stores on Fashion Street face the wooden booths that line the center of the pedestrian road. Large lights are suspended in the air above in the shape of gift boxes, umbrellas, purses, and shoes.

Budapest Christmas Fair at Vörösmarty Tér

At the end of the touristic street of Váci Utca you will find a Christmas haven in Vörösmarty Tér. It’s considered one of the prettiest markets of the city and hosts specifically chosen vendors of high-quality handmade products.

Four Seasons Christmas Market

The Christmas market of the Four Seasons Gresham Palace is a window-shopping experience for many, selling mostly luxury-type products. Still, the hall dedicated to the market is beautifully decorated and indoor, serving as a good place to warm your fingers between hot apple ciders and mulled wines on cold winter evenings.

Nativity in Barcelona

We got lost trying to follow a map to a Christmas market, but we found it shortly after. It reminded me of Spain’s heavy Catholicism. About 90% of the market stalls only sold nativity scenes and related items. There were also several small nativity “towns” throughout the city for people to walk through.

We stumbled upon one of these whilst walking through some Roman ruins. We followed the crowds and ended up in the central courtyard of the Cathedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia where geese wandered as people walked through the little village in the center.

We didn’t keep only to Christmas-related events and places. We visited the famous Roman Catholic church, La Sagrada Familia, with its incredible details and amazing acoustics. The sun shined through the massive stained-glass windows so that the walls appeared to be painted with color.

 

In the afternoon we searched for a late lunch and ended up at Melic del Gòtic, a traditional charcoal grill restaurant. When the waiter brought our breadbasket he asked, “Do you know how to do it?” We looked at each other wondering what he was talking about and gave a unanimous “No.” He then taught us how to properly prepare the bread with garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, and salt for a delicious outcome.

The grilled corn on the cob was delightful and the (white) house wine was phenomenal. The meal took longer than we anticipated because of the laid-back, slower-paced culture, but it was worth it. It was also very reasonably priced!

From there we went to the Gaudi House in Park Güell, where the architect of La Sagrada Familia lived. Our visit there was brief because arrived late and the building had to close. We took our time leaving through the park and stopped to take in the night view of Barcelona below.

On Sunday two of us were able to appease some nostalgia by going to the beach. We walked past the Arc de Triomf and through the Parc de la Ciutadella to reach the Spanish coast and touch the sand for the first time in three months.

Most study abroad students will be heading back to the U.S. in the next two weeks, but I look forward to travelling with my best friend for a couple weeks after the semester. Time will fly, as it already has, and soon it will be January and I will be standing on the Maine coast again (but maybe with a few more layers of clothing).