Oh yes, a wondrous city it is, that Prague. The next stop on my whirlwind tour through Northeastern Europe was reached via an overnight train from Krakow arriving on May 21. I shared a compartment with an Indian guy and two giddy Polish girls but sleep was badly needed and I slept throughout the whole night, as is natural. I was awoken by the friendly Czech attendant at 6:30 am, just prior to arrival.
It was a beautiful, warm morning and I had a pleasant walk to the ELF Hostel, the place in which Andrew stayed five years ago when I failed to join him on his European adventure. I dropped my bags and killed the 4 hours until check-in time by walking around the hip neighborhood that surrounded the hostel and doing some reading in a park above the river. The afternoon was spent true to my travel style, wandering solo around the city in an attempt to record the plan of Prague in my mind for all eternity.
Satisfied with my efforts, I returned back to the hostel come evening and was fortunately sucked into the social backpacker atmosphere of the ELF Hostel. As it was Saturday and it would be a shame to waste my only weekend-night in this city, I went with a pack of Europeans and a couple lovely American girls (one from Portland) to a popular beer garden, followed by an underground club (underground not because it was obscure, but because it was in a basement). It was a night of Euro-beats to remember.
The next two days were filled with some more of those experiences of walking around the city and exploring holes in the walls and other Bohemian establishments. On Sunday I was joined by the two American girls, and later on a French-Canadian dude. On Monday I did some more of that solo-tripping until that night, when I had a mild evening on the town with some other backpackers. I found myself surrounded by loads of college students taking summer Eurotrips.
On Tuesday I had a ticket leaving for Germany, but not until the evening, so I spent this blisteringly hot day doing some minor shopping, buying a vintage Bohemian suit for the wedding with the help of the posh English shopkeeper, and a correspondingly vintage suitcase in which to carry it and the vinyl records I picked up (it seems that now that I'm approaching the end, I feel able to burden myself with a bunch of large vinyl discs and a formal suit). Otherwise I spent the day reading Nietzsche (I was going to Germany after all) and playing video solitaire on my iPod. I did get a chance to share a couple Budweisers (not that American barley water, but the real Czech Budweisers) with my cool Quebecois friend. After that I shouldered my rucksack and picked up my rockin' new suitcase and set off for the train station.
For I was heading on to Freiburg, a small city in the SW corner of Germany. I had a few hours of daylight before bedtime and my arrival the next morning at my destination. In that time, I hung out with some more Americans that were in the same compartment as me (Ok, seeing an American in Asia was unique and comforting, but it's getting old fast in Europe), before climbing into my bunk for the night.
And thus ended my Prague experience. And yes, it was a great time. I met some sweet people and got some Bohemian attire, and I just loved the spirit of that city. Sometimes it's hard to explain what makes your experience of a place good or bad, but it seems to be a combination of the character of the city, the situations and people you encounter in said city, and your own internal processes and emotions that coincide with it (OBVIOUSLY, Brett).
Ok, so enjoy this post. I know I'm a bit behind, but I think you will see why I have fallen into such a funk with my blog writing. There were simply better things to be doing. Since Prague, I have been to Freiburg, Paris, and London, and just today I arrived in that place that has occupied much of my thoughts and dreams since the first time I heard Sigur Ros, Múm, Björk, and all that jazz. Yes folks, I am in Iceland, and no volcano could keep me from getting here (though it remains to be see whether it will keep me from leaving).
