Prague

Church of Our Lady Before Tyn

Our trip to Prague started off in style. Wendy is a stewardess, so we were given first class seats, first class food, free drinks, and even a couple of airline-sized bottles of wine for the trip.

Prague is one of the most beautiful jewels in Europe's crown of cities. Baroque towers, Gothic spires, domes, and catherdrals overlook busy public squares and streets. Gods, mythic creatures, and religous figures burst forth from walls, stand on rooftops, and stand on their own. Ancient walls of protection surround parks and climb hills. And the Vlatava river winds through it all. You don't even need a map to find the highlights. Just walk around, and you're bound to come across them. They're everywhere.

Prague is the only major Central European city left untouched by WWII, architecturally anyway. I suspect there are many wounds and scars out of sight from the casual tourist.

It reminds me a little of Barcelona; the old Baroque and Gothic architecture; the ancient faces worn with weather and time, fading. It has a touch of darkness to it, but not in a sad way. It is just enough to give it the character of a city with a history that reaches beyond the imagination of mortal men.

We spent my birthday exploring and taking naps on a grassy knoll. My birthday dinner consisted of bread, cheese, fruit, and beer from the supermarket and I ate my birthday cake out of a plastic bag (KLM left overs). It was more of a crumb cake than a chocolate one having spent days in my backpack. It was perfect.

The next few days were spent wandering through the city; eating good, cheap food; drinking big Czech beers; and sleeping like babes.

Eventually we were forced to leave the campground we were staying at: a combination of rain and an attempted theft.

We were sleeping soundly one night when I suddenly heard someone struggling to open the zipper on my tent. I woke instantly and looked over at Wendy. She was sound asleep. An agressive anger that I never knew I had grew within me. I incoherently growled, "get the hell out of here," as I rushed to unzip the tent and meet the bastard trying to steal our stuff.

Nobody was in sight when I got out, but cigarretes were in the air. I put on my shorts and scanned the area. Around the corner of the campground office, I could see a couple figures moving nervously in the shadows. Armed with only testosterone and a big stick, shoeless and shirtless, I marched toward them like a wild savage loudly saying, "you guys better get outta here!" When I rounded the corner, they were gone.

It was only 2AM, 4 hours till daylight. Wendy and I agreed to take shifts. I took the first. Propped against the tree with my sleeipng bag wrapped around my legs and a good book to keep me company, I kept watch.

After 20 minutes or so, drops of rain began to fall and I crawled into the tent. As I expected, Wendy was still awake. The rain increased its intensity and my instincts told me were safe. As I nodded off to sleep, I heard a couple of doors slam, ignition, and a loud car drive away. I suspect it was the would-be theives. I slept soundly. Wendy did not.

The next day we moved into a hostel. The rain continued on and off through the day. It was our "tea and rain day". We spent it wandering around and running into cafes to drink tea and avoid the rain. When we got back to the room, we moved the matresses off the bunk beds, onto the floor, and slept.

In the morning I sadly said good-bye to Wendy at the airport and moved into a cheaper, more social hostel. My solo trip had begun...

Tags: travel, Prague