A Quarter of a Century

Petrin Hill on the left and Prague Castle on the right

Narodni Divadlo (National Theatre)

March was a pretty quiet month, filled with classes and job applications. In the beginning, my friend DR came to visit, after our trip in Vienna, when we went ice skating. But the rest of the month was pretty uneventful. Still, one day stood out as being more meaningful than the rest: my birthday. Not just any birthday, either. My twenty-fifth.

Happy Easter!

Prague Castle

Of course, this meant that I had a few quarter-life crisis moments ("What am I doing with my life?" "Did I make the right choices?" "Will this degree get me a job in my field - do I even still want a job in my field?" "Am I crazy for living abroad? I miss out on so many things at home!" "What do I want out of the next 25 years?") And so on...

Vltava River, with Petrin Hill behind on the left and Prague Castle on the right.

Still, my birthday - March 26th - turned out to be a "bright, sunshining day" as the song goes, and I bought a grill to BBQ (I know, a vegetarian having a BBQ birthday, hahaha). My friends and I - all late - met at Stromovka Park, on the northern edge of Prague's downtown area. It's the only place within city limits where you're allowed to have an open flame - though I've sensed since that these kinds of rules are often meant to be bent or broken, apparently.

On Vitkov Hill

Inside St. Vitus Cathedral

We had a lovely picnic, and the weather was incredible - I was born in a snow storm when it was probably 20F, and this year I enjoyed 20C - gotta love March. After my friend MO took some of us to a pub in the area with a great Porter - my favorite kind of beer, in case you were curious. All in all, I was thrilled to be surrounded by great people. I feel so lucky to have traveled so much, and to still manage to find people everywhere who make me feel at home wherever I am. I don't need much more than that to keep my hope in humanity alive and well.

Old Town Easter Market

At the end of March and beginning of April, my travel buddy came to visit, too, and we enjoyed being tourists for a few days in a city that I'd come to take for granted in some ways. It was a wonderful reminder of how privileged I am to be living in such a beautiful place, with its unique history and stunning panoramic views. I didn't remember my camera on my birthday, but this post has photos from my sightseeing days at the end of March and beginning of April.

View of Prague from Vitkov Hill: Old Town is center, Petrin Hill is on the left, and Prague castle is on the right.