Written by Ilan Barnea, (Washington University in St. Louis ), CET Prague, Spring 2025
Scavenger Hunt Around Prague
Arriving in Prague was a long, but well worth it, journey. I had been told the city was incredible beforehand, but I was still nervous about whether or not I was going to like it. In the first day or two I was really antsy to go out and explore, but we hadn’t really had the opportunity to really see the city itself since we had an academic and logistical orientation.
However, CET Prague then had us go on a scavenger hunt around the city. The 3-4 hour experience was incredible as we got to see all the great monuments around the city, like Charles Bridge, the Astronomical Clock Square, the Prague Castle (from the bottom of the hill) and Vaclavske Namesti. In the picture on the left, you see us two of my friends posing outside of a restaurant we had stopped at for lunch right underneath the Prague Castle. The view of the castle as you cross the bridge was great and what was nice was that we got to explore Prague 1 with the guide being the scavenger hunt paper, so it was up to us where we started and where we went.
As you can see in the picture from Charles Bridge, one of the most beautiful, and one of my favorite, parts of Prague is all the red roofs combined with the old architecture. On this particular day, there was a slight mist in the air that made the city look super mysterious and beautiful, almost like its soul was ascending from the rooftops of the buildings.
In the photo above, you can see a modern Prague tram in front of one of the many gorgeous cathedrals scattered around the city, highlighting the ways in which the city combines modernity with its older aspects, weaving them together to keep the historical facade while integrating itself with the future. I like this picture a lot because I think it does a good job of accurately reflecting the warmth of the city. Even in the dead of winter, the city feels so vibrant and welcoming.
The scavenger hunt ended on the Vltava river where we took a boat tour, got to bond with fellow CET Prague students, and had incredible views of the city. After eating, we went to the top of the boat and got to see both sides of the city from the river. It was a nice way to conclude the day and talk about all the beautiful things we had seen earlier in the day while eating great food. I got a chance to talk with one of the Czech roommates about both what I saw and what I should look for in the city.
Český Krumlov Excursion
Climbed to the top of the Český Krumlov Castle Tower during free time on our overnight excursion to the beautiful and quaint medieval town. The Tower offered 360° views of the town, and we were blessed with gorgeous weather and blue skies. We were able to see both the medieval castle itself, as well as the Saint Vitus Church and the breathtaking countryside. The town as a whole felt so tranquil but the top of the tower had such a special feeling of peacefulness that words cannot describe. The air was so fresh and clean and the sun hit our faces, warming us up on the chilly morning.
Fooling around after lunch when we first arrived in Český Krumlov on a local playground. Ian, a CET student, wanted to get a photo of himself touching the top of the breathtaking Saint Vitus Church.
Hiked to the top of the mountain overlooking the town. At the top of the mountain was a chapel that was built in 1710. The chapel is an eight-nave chapel of Our Lady Dolorous and the Holy Cross. At the top, we had gorgeous views of the entire town. The absolute quiet up there was incredible and extremely peaceful. Martin, our Czech roommate, had been to Český Krumlov before and led us on this hike. It gave us a great opportunity to talk and get to know each other better while talking in the beautiful Bohemian countryside.