Bohemian Rhapsody

Prague, Czech Republic
Monday, September 21, 2009

Oh, Golden City, how you can enchant a simple country boy from North Carolina. I speak, of course, of Prague, the former capitol of Bohemia and current capitol of the Czech Republic. As part of this rest break, I decided to break out of my comfort zone (countries where I can at least halfway read the signs and know enough language to muddle about) to venture into some new territory. Since the 1990s, Prague has been a big hit on the backpacker circuit both because of the mystery of it being a former Soviet satellite state as well as the relatively low cost of visiting the city. So out of the Euro Zone I headed on Thursday for a 4 night stay in the Golden City.

First of all, everything they say about Prague being a beautiful city is true. This city has generally withstood the ravages of WWI and WWII, with many of the classic architecture still standing. Portions of the castle date back to the 900s, Old Town Square and the Charles Bridge are still teeming with tourists, and there is still a bizarre replica of the Eiffel Tower in the park. It's a city you can easily just walk around and enjoy the sights in without having to pay for museums and the like. You can turn the corner and see golden spires of a church or old municipal building, as well as just enjoy the people-watching as throngs of tourists fight their way across the Charles Bridge. It was a great place to have a rest, in my opinion.

Now, Prague has a bit of a party reputation, but I didn't experience much of it. I deliberately booked a quieter hostel (Miss Sophie's) that catered towards older travelers who weren't looking to drink themselves blind, and spent some time resting up for Oktoberfest. The rooms were probably some of the nicest I had seen, with a beautiful common room and the best room shower I've ever been in. Sure, you have a beer with lunch and dinner, and of course I had to try Czech Absinthe, but that's mainly because the prices are so low in Prague. You can get a 50cL Pilsner or Budvar for around 35 Kr, which comes out to $2 US. Not bad for a restaurant price, and definitely better than the $6-7 you will pay in some of the Western Europe countries. The food is generally simple but filling, with lots of meat and dumplings. The definition of 'vegetarian food' in Prague is generally cheese on fried bread, which is pretty much guaranteed sure to kill you.

I know there are those of you out there reading this wondering if I'm being a bit reserved in my travels. Well, a tiny bit. Sure, I am enjoying myself, but I am not generally that interested in going out and getting pissed every night. Those days are gone, and had this trip been 10 years ago there would certainly be much more debauchery. However, rest assured that I am having fun and letting my hair down...in my own ways. Sometimes I can find the simplest pleasures in sitting in a cafe for a couple of hours drinking coffee and people watching.

Also, to address a recent criticism of my pictures, I don't have many pictures of myself for a few reasons. One is simple logistics, in that I'm traveling alone which typically leads to the pictures being from my point of view. I hate those myspace-style pictures where you hold your arm out, point the camera at yourself and try to capture something behind you, so that's not happening. And generally I like to keep to myself and not ask people to take my picture. Another simple fact is that I hate being in pictures, and since it's my camera and blog I get creative control.

I'm heading towards 3 days in Vienna, where I'll try to do some domestic maintenance as well as take in some culture (and Sacher Torte!) Afterwards, I head to Salzburg for 2 nights, where you had better believe I'm taking the Sound of Music tour. I even booked myself into the hostel that has screened The Sound of Music every morning for 30 years. It'll be great fun, and a somewhat quiet time before the insanity of Munich. Hopefully I can also find a farm in Italy for October, because I haven't had much luck thusfar. If I can't, perhaps I'll just park in Florence for 3 weeks. I'll keep you updated.

Lessons Learned:
When you head east in Europe and want spicy food, you'd better go to the grocery store and buy a bottle of pepper sauce. The food here is filling but bland.

Even if you don't like talking to strangers, sometimes it's the best course of action. Last night, three of us were looking for a pub nearby that wouldn't be too busy or filled with techno. Best course of action turned out to be simply asking the lady at the front desk. They're there to help you, and generally know the area better than anyone in the hostel will.

If you're going to get intimate in a hostel room, put a sign on the door. No, this isn't a story about myself, but rather directed at the German couple who decided to celebrate finding a flat in Berlin by christening the hostel bed. This was on my last night in Berlin. It made for an awkward moment when I walked in to get my shoes, moreso for them than for me.

Consonants can have accents. At least they can in Czech. It was the first country that I just gave up on trying to learn the language and learned "Hello", "Thank you" and "Do you speak English?" My head is jammed full of a mix of 4 other languages, and is starting to spill over. This was exhibited this morning when I slipped some German into the conversation when I was talking to 3 girls from Argentina. I think they thought I was batty...

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