Ever since I graduated, I’ve wanted to spend some time living abroad. It’s hard to articulate why, exactly, it’s just something I felt compelled to do. It’s kind of similar to how I felt about moving to Boston from California.
I wanted to explore a new city and have access to the surrounding region. In the U.S., that meant traveling to different states, but in Europe, I can easily explore other countries. I also wanted to get to know people from different countries and learn from them. One of my favorite things about meeting people from cultures that differ from mine is discovering new ideas, insights, and approaches to life.
I thought this was a pipe dream, but thanks to the flexibility at ICS, I’ve been living in Prague for two months. I’ll be here for another month, and then I’ll be back in Boston. Although we primarily operate out of Boston, ICS has allowed me to temporarily work from a country of my choosing. I chose Prague for the architecture, it’s friendliness to expats, its central location, and the cheap beer.
It didn’t disappoint. The beer is great—mostly Pilsners and lagers, of which I’m a fan. And the architecture is incredible. Once while crossing the Charles Bridge, I felt so overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude about the beauty surrounding me, that I literally almost cried. And the people here have been so kind, and happy to give recommendations for hikes, restaurants, cafes, and bars to try. One of my favorite things to do is try things people recommend because not only do I get to try some amazing places, but I also get to make someone happy because I’ve tried something they’re excited about.
I’ve been spending a lot of time traveling alone here, which I’ve come to really like. It’s peaceful and liberating to be on your own schedule—to have the freedom to wander down a street that looks cool or stop to get food wherever and whenever you want. Don’t get me wrong, traveling with other people has its benefits as well—it’s nice to share the experience of a place with someone else, or to get the opportunity to connect in a meaningful way with someone, with all the time spent walking and talking. I’ve met up with friends a few times, and I’m grateful for those experiences.
But the freedom to relish in the beauty around me has also been something that has brought me a lot of joy.
I bought a polaroid camera for the trip because I liked the idea of having physical photos I could paste into a journal.
There was some trial and error involved, as you can tell by my first picture.
I had the brilliant idea to take a timelapse of it developing. After five long minutes, I discovered it takes about 45 minutes to fully develop. Which is shorter than never, which is how long it takes when you have your exposure set too high.
This was Take Two:
It’s the back of K10, a villa that was converted into a workspace with outdoor wifi in the summer. It’s one of the first coworking spaces I tried out.
As gorgeous as it was, I ended up choosing a place called Locus Workspace because of their strong sense of community. Since I didn’t know anyone here, I wanted a place that fostered this.
My first weekend here, I set out with my camera to wander the city. I took this photo on my way to the river. I loved looking around at all the beautiful buildings along the way.
I was excited to try out the iPad I bought right before the trip, so I stopped over on a small island and sat for a while, drawing a bridge in the distance.
After that, I took a few photos of another, lovelier bridge in the distance. It apparently was the Charles Bridge, which I didn’t know at the time. I didn’t want to know much about Prague before traveling here, because I wanted to stumble upon things. I especially didn’t want to see photos. I figured one of the advantages of living in a place for a while is that I’d have more time to discover things and let myself be surprised.
The mystery bridge in the distance.
And one a bit closer up.
And another. I’m kind of in love with the Charles Bridge, despite all the tourists.
I have a bit of a love affair with the architecture here. I’m constantly looking up, in awe.
I’m especially interested in buildings with layers. This one was intriguing, with just a small sliver of old ornate architecture peeking through the otherwise solid wall.
I hope these photos give you a sense of how beautiful Prague is. I’ll have more to share soon.