But it might be cold. Correction. It will be cold, but for this to work, I need you to put that behind you. I say you should get a good coat and a nice pair of good wool socks and suck it up buttercup because December is one of the…no…THE best time of year to visit Prague.
It’s Christmas! It’s Christmas, and if we are lucky we all might get tucked in with a beautiful blanket of fresh snow. The best part is you don’t have to wait for a snow day to have one of the most gorgeous walks of your life while in the Golden City. The city is full of Christmas markets and decorations. I was lucky enough to experience my first Christmas in Prague while attending the TEFL course at Live TEFL Prague.
Lucky, you ask?
The bell rings. You look up from the paper in front of you. It occurs to you that the school bell has been replaced with the chimes of the cathedral bells outside your classroom window. You gather your things and prepare to step out into the evening. You and your new friends fill the stairwell with the echos of the successes and remaining questions from the examination. The doors open. The cool winter air hits your face first, but then the shockwave of smells that comes immediately afterwards will pull you across the street and into the square. Roasting nuts, hot wine, and a delicious honey drink called medovina. The sounds of Christmas, and the lights. Sweet baby Jesus, the lights.
Yeah, lucky.
Now this is going to happen to you everyday, but wait that’s not all folks. You have a whole city to explore. If you can manage, I highly recommend bearing witness to the tree lighting in Old Town. I’m not ashamed to admit that the spectacle of seeing Old Town for the first time on the same night the tree was first lit for the joyous season brought tears to my eyes.
There was a lot of familiarity in the Christmas season in Prague for me, but the holiday is so unique in Czechia. I had a lot of fun spending the full season here, rather than the couple days most visitors get. It gives you the chance to absorb all the time of year has to offer. Who knows, maybe you will make some Czech friends and get to know what Czech hospitality is all about. Maybe you will sample some traditional Christmas fish soup, or the country’s best potato salad, a claim issued by every Czech that offers you a taste. Evidently, potato salad is a competition sport here, but I’m not complaining. I consider it a great honor to be one of the taste testers each Christmas.
This is also a good time to pal around with ESL teachers and the office staff as well, because one of the best traditions is the giving and receiving of various homemade Christmas cookies.
No matter what time of year you choose, Prague is an amazing place to visit and an even better place to get that TEFL certificate. All I’m saying is that you certainly won’t regret it. Just don’t worry about the cold.
