Advertisement
Old Czech Woman?
Or rather a marionette version? I had all but given up on seeing my Czech friend, Jana, while I was in Prague. After convincing myself she was probably okay and had just forgotten about my arrival, I went about making the most of my stay at Chili Hostel. My second night, which was supposed to be quiet and "responsible" despite its being a Saturday, turned wild after I relieved my two Kiwi friends from a bottle of wine they could no longer bear to drink. I planned on drinking no more than a couple of glasses before bed, but soon found myself having profound conversations with a new group; and one glass turned into a bottle, followed by a beer, or maybe two, followed by a decision to go out and drink some more once we'd run through our hostel stash.
Taking a momentary break from our deep philosophical conversation, we poured out onto the empty streets of weeknight Prague in search of a cheap pub in which to drink ourselves shallow. We walked and walked, it seemed, before admitting defeat in navigating the labyrinth of the Old Town and ducking into the next club we found, where we were welcomed with open arms and
Astrological Clock, Old Town
I arrived just in time for the 30 second show of waving apostles at 4pm big toothy smiles. It seemed to be an okay joint, lights flashed everywhere, a few men and women sat around the bar. We ordered beers and headed towards the basement before realizing why we had been so welcome.
Four women stood upon the bar, smiling at audience members, pouting for tips, spinning around their poles and dancing seductively to the music being pumped out by the DJ. The three guys I was with looked at me uneasily...should we stay here or try to find somewhere else? I was happy to stay since it was cold outside and the only better party we were likely to find would cost us considerably more than free entry and a few tips.
We sat and watched the dancers, who rotated on and off the stage in teams, each time wearing newly revealing costumes before moving to the empty dance floor to kick up our own party a notch (though we kept all our clothes on). Time seemed to melt away as we grooved to the music and before I knew it two of our team had called it a night and I was left with Zach, who seemed in no rush to
Snack Food
Delicious smells of fatty goodness can't be ignored by passers-by get back to the hostel.
We finally stepped out onto the street to see the sky an electric blue. The sun was rising. Our watches read 5am. Looking over the hills on the other side of the river, I was struck by an adventurous idea. We crossed Charles Bridge, which spans the Vltava river and began winding our way up through the yellow-lit cobblestone streets, higher and higher until we reached a clearing I'd found on my own the day before. Standing alone in a clearing over the Lobkovic Gardens, our chills melted away as we watched the sun peek over back-lit steeples below, washing the Old Town in golden hues. Then, exhilarated from a perfect sunrise, we continued our climb over the hill for a complete walking tour of the West side.
Though it might have been a good idea to sleep after such a long night, I was pleasantly surprised to find an e-mail from Jana (complete with phone number) when we returned to the hostel. It seemed her computer had crashed before she was able to read my flight information, which I had admittedly only sent at the last minute. Luckily she was free to
Em in the Park
Walking in the quiet woods of the Mala Strana area. Amazing to find solitude in such a touristic city see me that afternoon, so I skipped napping for some breakfast before meeting her for coffee at the Art Deco-styled Grand Cafe Slavia, once the hang-out of the former Czech president, Vaclav Havel.
After exchanging our two-years-worth of updates, Jana invited me to join her for some afternoon errands - picking up her kids from school and dropping them off at home before heading back to the city for dinner - seemingly mundane tasks, but a great way for me to get a taste of everyday Czech life and a tour of the Prague suburbs. The few hours I spent with Jana, her generous mother and her brilliant girls made me wish I had been more organized in planning my arrival. Their charming house and small barn surrounded by forested hills was idyllic and I could easily have spent another few days there hiking around, reading in the garden and quizzing Jana on everything she was learning in her courses to be a Prague tour guide. But after a rushed coffee we were on our way back to Prague to meet Zach for a traditional dinner, once again at the Slavia.
After a hearty, piano-accompanied meal of goulash
Better at Sunrise
This was a nice view, but it was even better for watching the sunrise the next day! and bread dumplings, Jana and I parted ways, but not without my promising to return soon, though not without some better planning, for a real home-stay visit. Zach and I returned to the hostel feeling an even stronger connection to Prague than we had after watching our magical sunrise. And though I'm looking forward to some day taking more time to discover the country through Jana's eyes, my forced hostel stay allowed me to find at least one new kindred friend while searching for my old one; and I think that makes the destination all the more special.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.121s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 11; qc: 66; dbt: 0.0774s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Dana
non-member comment
Those sausages can be dangerous LOL LOL LOL Prague here I come in two weeks :-)