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Published: October 12th 2007
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Wet t-shirt comp
Karina soaking some poor sod at the bottom of the viewing tower in Prague The journey to Prague was relatively subdued compared to my previous experiences on the continental rail service. I caught my train in plenty of time and there were no shifty clientele or winos present at any stage of the journey. Once in Prague I was to meet Karina who I had previously met in Krakow on the bender involving Toby and the four Polish grippers (see Krakow entry).
I had only just said goodbye to one quadruplet of girls (my fantastic four) when I was to find myself in the company of another. As luck would have it; Kendra, Melissa, Natalie and Reilly had all reserved a seat in my cart on the train and with 7 hours ahead of us it was nigh-on impossible for us not to converse. It turned out that the girls were Americans living in Prague and were willing to show me a locals night out in the city i.e. Prague minus the smut, the following evening. This was the chance I’d been hoping for, a chance to finally answer the question ‘Where does everybody go at night in Prague?’. They also offered me free digs for Oktoberfest as they were going the same time
Karina and I
Karina and I on Charles bridge. Yes, i have a big chin, i know. i wanted to and i had no accomodation. Get in!
That evening I met Karina. A quick stop off at the hostel to drop off my stuff and we were ready to go out for a bite to eat and a few drinks. The room was very nice and everything seemed fine until I made my way to the door to leave. That’s when I discovered the biggest pair of thongs (flip flops for all you English and American readers) I’ve ever seen in my life. ‘Shit’ I thought, I’m sharing a room with Andrea the giant and 3 other members of a rugby team. With that playing on my mind, Karina and I swiftly left the hostel, went out on the town for a bite to eat, a bit of a stroll, got lost, found a bar, got drunk, then tried to find our way back to the hostel which proved easier than when we were sober!
That evening, upon arriving in my room, I found that all the others sharing it were deep in conversation. There was no chance I was gonna get to sleep so I had no choice but to join in. This was
Czech Inn crew
The gang before we hit the city, left to right is;
Reilly, Kendra, Ilker, Karina, Imran and Eric the moment I met the owner of the giant flip flops, Rootsey. It turns out that Rootsey was neither a giant or travelling with an all Aussie Rugby squad but a delightful half Aussie, half Malay by the name of Gemma. It was a shame to find out the pair were due to leave the next morning as over the course of the evening it transpired the two were thoroughly likeable and could have been a really good laugh to hang out with. Still, that’s the way that travelling goes.
This was also the moment I met Imran, a man I would later dub ‘my Canadian Brother’. Imran was an instantly likeable chap although at 1am, tired from a days travelling and sight seeing I was certainly uneasy to work with. Still, the man’s persistence paid off and over the course of the next few days we became good friends. This was also the moment I was to meet Eric, the Panamanian who was working away from home (so decided a Hostel was the best place to do that….). This completed the rooms occupants until the following day where it was all change thanks to the departure of Gemma
More join the fray
Once again more randomers are drawn to our group and Rootsey.
That day Karina and I spent doing the touristy bit, walking around the famous sights of Prague across the river in Prague 1 (where the castle is and the funicular to Prague’s finest viewing point are) until the evening time where we were due to meet Imran, a Turkish guy called Ilker, the replacement for Gemma and Rootsey (who btw is one of the funniest men I’ve ever met due to his lack of understanding of the English language), Kendra and Reilly (from the train) and Eric who was affectionately dubbed Dead Guy or DG on account of his lack of personality.
The answer to my question ‘where does everyone go on a night out in Prague’ was finally answered. The tourist traps like the 5 storey night club full of 15 year olds, and the Duplex nightclub were all missed. The answer lies in the quant little bars. At the front they just look like a dingy little bar with 5 bar stools, one bar man and a disgruntled customer. However, you have to enter the bar, go to the back, through a tunnel, down a flight of stairs, through another tunnel, round a corner,
Karina
Another Japanese welcome! down another flight of stairs until it finally spits you out into a huge underground bunker packed with people. No wonder it’s so hard to find! The beer was cheap and the atmosphere good so the gang easily managed a fantastic session on the ale and everyone arrived back at the hostel suitably inebriated.
The following day Karina and I spent time around the Jewish quarter of Prague, where I was to pick up my rather fetching fashion accessory, and then we decided to organise trains and buses for our respective trips out of the city. A pretty lazy day really all in preparation for my trip to Vienna with my new found Canadian brother.
I really enjoyed my time in Prague and was sad to say goodbye to Karina as I had spent the most time with her out of anyone on my entire trip and we had become quite good friends. Still, I had an adventure to carry on with so leave her I must!
For more on Vienna check out the next instalment!
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