Scenes from Old Town Square and Prague Castle.
Ah, Prague, you have not lived up to my expectations thus far. I breezed through the famous castle in under three hours, after which I spent the rest of the day walking around and around old town. (No, literally - I did some sporadic shopping that required me to retrace my steps when I decided to exchange a coat I had already dropped off at the hostel).
And since I've seen and tasted enough to know that the food is cheap but also not very good, the thing that's made the biggest impression so far is my hostel.
The Madhouse certainly lives up to its name, and is therefore best suited to travelers of a certain age who like to rage, rage, rage. In other words, staying here is like being in college all over again - or more specifically, at a frat party that never ends. To that end, the staff are more or less like the upperclassmen you idolized and hung out with as a freshman because they could get you alcohol. They drink from approximately 7pm onwards, and they expect you to keep up with them. The college analogy, unfortunately, extends to the noise pollution too; your roommates probably won't get back until late, the walls are thin and the doors squeaky, etc. (And if you're me they might even try to have sex in the room while they think you're asleep!) But if you can embrace the madness, the location is great and you'll meet lots of cool people. I met a guy from Israel, for example, who I'm hoping will send me tips on what to do in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv before I head there next month.
This is the common area.
Side note: who knew that playing beer pong and slap cup could make me feel so nostalgic?