Beautiful jewelry glistening in the sun. Hair combed and done up like a Disney princess and an absolutely stunning dresses. Who doesn’t love a good wedding? But, before you can get married, you must have your picture taken. Every year more and more couples travel to Europe to have a pre-wedding photo shoot. With it’s beautiful Gothic/ Baroque architecture and gorgeous cathedrals, Prague is quickly becoming a hot spot when it comes to capturing that beautiful pre-wedding fairytale moment.

For the most part it seems that pre-wedding photos are very popular among couples from Asia. Partly because, Chinese wedding traditions are so extensive that the newlyweds almost have no time for posing in front of the camera on their actual wedding day.

The photo shoots typically start very early in the morning; just as the sun begins to peek out and emerge from the night time curtain. I set my alarm for 4:50am and was headed toward old city on the tram by 5am. When I first arrived at Charles Bridge around 5:15 there was not one bride in sight. I began walking the streets of Prague in search for the beautiful brides. Right around 5:45 there they were, with their high heels in one hand and the other holding on to their soon to be husbands. Almost like clockwork they began to show up one by one. It seemed like the consensus was to start at Old Town square where the beautiful towers of Týn church stand out. Then they slowly work their way towards the famous Charles Bridge.

** Fun Fact: Engagement and wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because it was once thought that a vein in that finger led directly to the heart **

It’s a really good thing that I’m not afraid of heights! Yesterday, I did some solo adventuring (highly recommend), and I climbed the 63.5-meter-tall steel-framework tower on top of Petřín Hill; called the Petřín Lookout Tower. The tower was built in 1891, to be used as an observation tower as well as a transmission tower. Nowadays it’s mainly just used to attract thousands of tourist daily. Its structure resembles that of the Eiffel Tower.

Climbing up the tower was exhausting to say the least, but defiantly worth it. A slight cold breeze blew on my face as I climbed up the steep spiraling steel stairwell. I took a break every few flights up to stop and enjoy the view. When I finally reached the top, I gazed at the beautiful vast landscape that is Prague. It was really cool to see all the places and locations that I had visited over the past three weeks since living in Prague from a different point of view. It’s always great when you can see things from a different perspective. It allows us to get out of our own heads and see things differently, and maybe see something that you might have missed the first time.

** Fun Fact: There are 299 steps that visitors must climb in order to reach the top of Petřín Lookout Tower **

To say I’ve really been enjoying Prague’s night life would be a bit of an understatement. It’s as if a curtain is lifted as soon as the sun goes down. The city transforms from a touristy town with cute little farmer’s markets to blazing neon signs pointing to the multiple clubs and bars that engulf the city.

However, I’ve learned that it’s less about where you go out than who you go out with. Prague may be the Las Vegas of Europe, but behind all the lights and the glitz it’s still just like any other city. I’ve come to really enjoy spending time at a small local pub that’s located literally right underneath my apartment (talk about convenient). Eating dinner and having drinks with my friends there often reminds me of the show ‘How I met your mother”. Simply because, no matter what’s going on in the characters’ lives on the show, they seem to always manage to find time to spend with one another at the bar right under their apartment. Living right above this bar has supplied me with an area to connect and get really close with a lot of the other people in my program. It also helps that they’re pretty good at making my new favorite drink; a aperol spritz.

** Fun Fact: Aperol spritz is an Italian wine-based cocktail. It is commonly served in Northeast Italy **

Point, click, snap! It’s amazing how a moment can be instantly captured by the simple click of a button. Today we visited this beautiful and unique 19^th century home that had been turned into a museum; The Fotoatelier Seidel Museum. This museum has an outstanding collection of various personal mementos from the life of Josef Seidel, a renowned photographer in Český Krumlov.

This was easily one of my favorite tours thus far. The whole experience felt very nostalgic. I hadn’t been in or used a dark room since my sophomore year of college. Therefore, it was great getting a chance to get back on the horse and develop film again the traditional way. When using a DSLR camera its really simple to point, click and see the image you took almost instantaneously. Whereas, when it comes to using film cameras, the gratification isn’t instant. Developing film is just like any true art, it takes time and its messy but the end result can be truly spectacular.

** Fun Fact: George Eastman, pioneered the use of photographic film. He started manufacturing paper film in 1885**

When it comes to character, the city Český Krumlov has plenty to spare. Český Krumlov is a city in the South Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. The city’s main claim to fame is its Gothic, Renaissance inspired 13^th-century castle. However, the real city’s character comes from its residents both dead and alive. It seemed like every building we stopped at had an interesting background story. Most seemed to center around the theme of death, as in having the main character die and become a spirit left to haunt the area.

But what truly intrigued me about this charming quaint little city was all the musical performers that lined the streets of Český Krumlov. It seemed as if there was music coming down every alleyway. The minute we stepped foot into their version of Prague’s Old town square; we were immediately entertained by this middle-aged man with a long wooden musical instrument that resembled a didgeridoo. The same thing happened right after dinner. As I stepped out of the restaurant, I was immediately greeted by the beautiful sound of a woman playing the harp, being accompanied by a violinist. I truly appreciate the uniqueness of the instruments that the people play here. I feel like it truly adds to the unique character of the city.

“Ready or not here I come!” Any kid with a fun and active childhood knows this phrase from the popular game Hide-and-seek. Pretty straight forward game with even simpler rules; players go and find places to hide and wait till the designated seeker finds them. Adults tend to play this game too. However, their main objective is to hide with the intentions of not being found, necessarily. This is what I call hiding in plain sight.

The streets of Prague tend to be pretty crowded, especially in touristy areas like Charles Bridge and Old Town Square. It can be difficult for one to find space of their own. Today I was fortunate enough to have the chance to meet up with the Prague street photography collective Facebook group. We were given the task of going out and taking pictures of people having a moment to themselves in the hustling busy city of Prague. Not going to lie, I found this task to be a little difficult at first. My main issue was trying to find a way to make the mundane seem interesting. But I realized it’s less about trying to capture the perfect picture and more about trying to capture the essence of the moment. Provide your viewer with a visually pleasing composition that also provides a story; then let them do the rest. I thought this composition was not only really interestingly vertically, but I really liked how the man is a bit hidden within the image. It leaves the viewer wondering what exactly is he’s doing. But above all I thought it nicely depicted someone trying to have their own private time in a city that seems to be packed shoulder to shoulder.

** Fun Fact: As of 2017 Prague’s population is roughly 1.281 million people **

Beautiful auburn curly hair with melanin skin glowing in the sun. This isn’t a very common sight found here in Prague. When walking down the streets I often notice the not so subtle stares and double takes. It became pretty apparent to me that many people here in the Czech Republic have not dealt with or seen too many black people or African Americans I should say. While I was unable to find an exact number there seems to be a small amount of Africans who live here but most are predominantly male and have skin complexions much darker than mine. There’s been a few times during this trip where I’ve had people come up to me and ask if they can take a picture with me. I think most of that has to do with my particular hairstyle at the moment. Many people here seem to be fascinated by my golden colored box braids. Though the number of foreigners has increased due to the opening of the Iron Curtain, this country is still far from being as diverse as other European nations.

That’s why I was immediately drawn to this pretty melanin queen! When I went up to talk to her, she told me she was vacationing here in Prague with her boyfriend. They were both from London and were only visiting Prague for a few days.

** Fun Fact: Some common minority groups here in the Czech Republic include (but aren’t limited to) Ukrainians, Roma, Hungarians and Silesians **

Last night my friends and I participated in Prague’s Museum night. A night that occurs every year on the second Saturday in June. Forty-five museums, galleries, and other cultural institutions open up their doors to the public for free. During the event I couldn’t help but think of the movie Night at the Museum. I thought the idea behind it was really cool, because I feel that a lot of museums are really interesting. However, most of them don’t get the recognition they deserve, either because people are sometimes cheap and don’t want to pay for knowledge or they are simply not aware of them. This event is a great way to showcase numerous museums to the public in a nice, safe, and fun environment. I was able to snap this picture during sunset of a man sitting at the water fountain in front of the National Museum historic building.

** Fun Fact: The historical building went through some major reconstruction and was just re-opened on October 28, 2018; the day of the 100^th anniversary of the Czechoslovak Republic**

Spend, spend, spend. So far that seems like a pretty accurate summary of what I’ve been doing here in Prague. That’s why it was really nice to find something fun and FREE to do today. This afternoon my friends and I decided to do some exploring and go to the Prague fashion market. It was nice walking up and down, looking at all the unique items being sold in the tents. Off to the side there was a small stage where bands were performing. We sat in the lawn listening to the bands and watching the people as they walked by. People watching is easily one of my favorite activities to do while on vacation. I was watching a group of middle aged men & women dancing, when all of a sudden I see a little boy, with an extremely large helmet, whizzing down the little hill straight for the stage. He initially caught my eye because I was so amused and confused by the fact that the helmet he was wearing was larger than his head. He seemed so content riding his bike back and forth, occasionally stopping to look up at the performers and casually taking a sip from his little apple juice box. I just sat there and watched him; thinking back to when I was little. It really doesn’t take much to please a child. They don’t have to worry about crazy stuff like finances and bills. Just give them enough room to run around and they are happy. One of my favorite lines from the movie Zombieland is “You gotta just enjoy the little things.”

Big wide eyes filled, with curiosity; round cheeks; and energy for days. These are just a few of the characteristic traits that make up the third largest population demographic, based on age, here in the Czech Republic. Children, specifically children aged 0-14 years old, make up 15.16% of the population in the Czech Republic according to the Index Mundi profile report in 2018. After walking around Prague for a few days, it becomes pretty clear that this city has more to offer than just a few tourist traps. You can’t go more than five feet before you see a mom holding hands with her child or a cute small family awkwardly pushing their stroller on top of the jagged cobble stone.

My parents have always been big believers in traveling and all the benefits that can come from the experience. Traveling is not only a great way to explore other cultures, but also helps people to improve their social and communication skills, along with providing great real life educational experiences that they simply cannot learn in a classroom. That’s why it was so nice to see this mom allow her daughter to participate in this pottery class going on in one of the many Prague Farmers markets. You could tell this was her first time doing anything like that, and that she will remember that experience for the rest of her life.

** Fun Fact: Prague had a total of 7,652,865 tourists in 2017 **