European Semester Abroad

Maly Bhuddha isn't exactly in the center of Prague, but it was always worth the tram ride. The food is extremely tasty - a Thai fusion. I admit I didn’t really expect to get decent Asian food in Prague, but I really liked Maly Buddha. For a sit-down restaurant, the prices were really good, and the portions were large. The one thing that I remember, though, was that sometimes the service was a bit slow. The atmosphere is good and the restaurant is pretty small and intimate. Look it up before you go or you won't find it.

Let me start of by saying that I am not a vegetarian - I like my meat. With that said, I really liked Radost FX's cafe (as well as the club). The portions here are really big and the atmosphere is REALLY cool. I enjoyed dinner at Radost, but they had the best breakfast/brunch. I ate brunch there many times on the weekends after a long night out. Go for the brunch, you won't be sorry!

This was a great bar right off Old Town Square. There was no cover, and the drinks were not too expensive (this is Prague, remember). One thing that was nice about Marquis was that in addition to their long bar, there were a few other places to sit with your friends. There were many TV monitors, and I distinctly remember them showing a lot of Fashion TV, which I have not seen much at all in the U.S.

The place was rather dark, but I felt had a good atmosphere. You could either order drinks directly from the bar or from waitresses. This was strictly a bar with no dance floor.

This club makes the claim that it is the "biggest club in Middle Europe." My friends and I referred to it as "The Five Story" club. Each floor is dedicated to a different type of music, with the top floor set up as a lounge rather than a dance club. Whether you like hip-hop, ‘80s, or electronica, Karlovy Lazne is the place to check out. It is also in an extremely scenic location right on the river. I was there just after the major floods of 2002, so the riverfront was slightly depressed, but I can envision it being a very nice place to hang around outside.

The one thing I will say, though, is that Karlovy Lazne is quite touristy. It seems as though everyone and their mom visits this club if they're in Prague. It is the most visible and biggest club in Prague. Oh yeah, it is also really funny to see Euro's dressed up in "hip-hop" clothing. I saw more kids in full NBA uniforms with headbands and the like than I've seen anywhere else.

Lastly, the last time I was at the club, I remember women in skin-tight red outfits handing out free cigarettes. This is Europe, but still it was a shocker to me. I'm from California, where smoking isn’t allowed anywhere!

This is supposedly the oldest brewery in Europe, or something like that. They have been brewing the same type of beer since the 13th or 14th century. Bottom line is that this place has been around for a long time and is worth visiting both because of the beer and because of the history behind it.

Because of its status as the "oldest brewery," it is very touristy. They have huge long tables set up and people running around serving steins of beer. The beer is dark, but very good. People will often break into song and you'll end up singing with other groups of people there.

They made us take shots of Becherovka with our beer. They don't exactly explain what it is very clearly, but forced it upon us. All they say is that it "aids digestion." Becherovka is a Czech alcohol that began as a digestive aid and is very herb based. It is made in Karlovy Vary (aka Carlsbad) and is actually pretty tasty. I recommend at least trying one shot while at U Fleku.

Make a stop at U Fleku, soak in the scene, drink a beer or two, and have a shot of Becherovka. You will understand why you just need to do this once.