Like most of the world, I’m desperately missing freedom to travel…and freedom in general. So, I’ve decided to start sharing some of my favorite travel memories.

Celebrating the 2017 New Year in Prague, Czech Republic

On the night of New Year’s Eve, my travel mate, Kaylee, and I were walking from our hostel to the trolley to head to the Old Town Square for the New Year celebration and fireworks. She decided to get a beer for the ride. She got one of those beers in a very tall glass bottle that you seem to find in all European convenience stores.

As we continued walking to the trolley, we realized it wasn’t a twist top and we didn’t have anything to open it. We saw a group of three—maybe 18-year-old—guys on the sidewalk up ahead and decided to ask if they could open the bottle with their lighter. From here on, everything happened very fast.

Setting the Stage

It’s under 30°F.  Kaylee and I are freezing but we are so excited to be in Prague and go out on New Year’s Eve. We’re all bundled up and done up for the night.

The kid on the left is holding a case of beer in a box. The kid in the center had gloves on his hands and was holding the lighter to open Kaylee’s beer. The kid on the right was just kind of drunkenly standing there. Oh and none of them speak English.

The Hilarious Scene

Kaylee and I are standing facing them and she gave her tall beer bottle to the guy in the center. We’re watching center boy attempt to open Kaylee’s beer but instead, it slips through his smooth, gloved fingers so cinematically and smashes on the sidewalk. At the exact time this happens, boy on the right, next to Kaylee, simultaneously leans in and plants a kiss on her.

Immediately after that happened, the boy on the left, holding the beer case, pushes his friend in a gesture that kind of says “What are you doing trying to kiss her?!” and then shoves beers from his case into each of our hands in apology for everything.

This was HILARIOUS. I tried to set the stage but it doesn’t do the story justice, so use your imagination.

New Year’s Eve Celebrations in the Old Town Square

The rest of New Year’s Eve (what I can remember) was completely magical. When we arrived at the Old Town Square, it was on a side street where the trees were covered in white lights. The moment we hopped out of the cab, it started lightly snowing.

If you’ve ever been to Prague, you know the Old Town Square feels like a fairy tale. In fact, the Cinderella Castle was party inspired by the church in the Old Town Square. So, you can probably imagine how amazing it was to ring in the New Year there.

They had a huge stage set up with live music and a countdown. Fireworks blasting off. People all around were holding individual champagne bottles, popping off the tops and pouring champagne into the mouths of people nearby. Seriously, it was awesome.

Counting Down & A Night on the Town

Kaylee and I had sooo much fun. We jumped and danced for the final countdown, drank champagne straight from bottles and watched fireworks as it snowed.

After the New Year, everyone in the Town Square dispersed to nearby bars. We went to so many bars and night clubs, probably 4 or 5, but we were determined to find a club we looked up when planning the trip: Chapeau Rouge.

We were so tipsy and lost, it took us what seemed like hours to find this place. We couldn’t seem to get to it through maps, and directions from locals were equally unhelpful.

Dancing the Night Away

We finally found Chapeau Rouge, a three-story nightclub with different music on each level, and danced the night away.