Prahahahaha

Words of wisdom, Matt and Kim!



So, what do you know about Prague?

Because, before I went to Prague, I pretty much didn't know anything. I have heard its name, I know it exists, and characters on Gilmore Girls would reference it from time to time--most notably its history of great composers and overpriced taxis. (So hey, don't tell me that TV doesn't teach you anything!) But when I found out how cheap it was to get to, I thought, well why on Earth would I not go?

Okay, true, I had to use two of my five German Rail Pass days to get to Dresden, but from there it was only a 15 euro train to Prague. Plus our hostel was only 15 euro a night, and we stayed for two nights so...I'd say I saved some money, especially compared to Paris! It's funny, too, because the trip there seemed a lot longer. It's only six hours away by car, I believe, but by train it was basically a 10 hour journey. We left early Friday morning at 6am, transferred trains in Frankfurt at 7am, and arrived in Dresden around noon. Maybe it's because it was irreparably bombed at the end of WWII, maybe it's because it was part of the GDR, or maybe it's because it was a cloudy day...but boy, Dresden is depressing. Okay, to be fair, we didn't actually leave the train station during our one-hour "layover" but the view from the windows seemed gloomy. And when I thought of its history I just felt gloomy. I'm sure it's not so bad, but it's not some place I'd want to actually go. But after finding a blueberry muffin at a coffee shop and hanging out with my friends, we boarded the 1pm train to Prague. The train had compartments, just like the ones I'd always see in Harry Potter (and A Hard Day's Night, naturally) so that was kind of exciting. My legs were stiff, however, my iPod battery was basically dead, and I just wanted to GET THERE.

And finally, at 3pm, we arrived in Prague...known to the Czechs as "Praha." As it turns out, I do not know Czech. I admit, Slavic languages all look like gibberish to me...so I was a bit worried. I felt bad, because I did not know how to pronounce a single thing, so I basically just spoke English to everyone there. I was really grateful that they could all speak English there, but I think people might've been a little ruder to us because we barely attempted to speak Czech. But...it's really hard!

That was the only real problem we came across though, especially because it made finding out way around a bit harder with all of the crazy street names. Luckily our hostel was right in the middle of the Old Town, and it was only maybe a 10-15 minute walk to the Charles Bridge. I know it's not, but the way we traveled around Prague it seemed like a pretty small place. We did most of our sightseeing in the Old Town Center, on the Charles Bridge and gazing up at the buildings, especially the Astronomical Clock. On Saturday we went to the Prague Castle, but saved money by not going to any museums. It was basically the same idea on Sunday when we went to the Jewish Quarter. I wish we had gone to museums, but I was with a bigger group of people this time, and they didn't seem entirely interested in learning about the history. It was kind of a bummer, but at least it was cheap. I guess that's one of the compromises you have to make when you're with a big group! The others were more relaxed. I'm probably just the crazy one because I usually wake up at 8 and I'm out the door as soon as possible when I travel.

But, it was still fun. Prague was beautiful, the food was filling and delicious (thanks to Rick's recommendations of course), the beer was great, and it was nice being with friends. The "Czech/check" puns flowed like Pils and they never got old. The main highlights of the trip, I think, were the concert and the club. What concert? What club?

Okay, I know Prague has got quite the classical music scene, and RSS that I should try to go to a concert because they have them nightly. So my friend and I were on the lookout for one, and lo and behold we got a great deal. RSS they're anywhere from 300-800 Czech Crowns ($15-40 USD) and we were about to get ones that were 300. They were for a string quartet that spent an hour playing the big hits: Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Pachelbel's Canon, etc. But my friend Selma is Bosnian (she was born there but lived in America her whole life) and apparently she looks it, because the guy selling us tickets was Russian and could tell she was from Eastern Europe. So they actually started talking in Bosnian, or something like it (she told me he said all of the languages were really similar so they could understand each other) and he discounted our tickets by like 100 Crowns. Worked for us! The show was inside, small, and we were definitely the youngest people there, but it was really sweet and relaxing. I'm glad I finally got to do a cultural activity rather than just seeing sights, perusing museums and staring at souvenir shops.

As for the club, well, everyone knows I don't like clubs. I don't like dancing with strangers, I feel claustrophobic, and I never have enough self confidence to "let loose" as the kids say. I knew we were going to have to go to one though (and I will two weekends from now when we go to Berlin...sigh...) because I seem to be alone in the belief that bars are more fun than clubs. And it was the epitome of clubs, too...apparently it's the biggest one in central Europe. (We thought Prague counted as Eastern Europe...whoops.) It had five floors, each one playing a different style of music. After spending too much time on the dance music floor (about 10 minutes) I decided to go to the floor I was actually intrigued by--it said "oldies." And, what do you know, it was awesome! They really were playing oldies music. Mixes of the Beach Boys, 50s rock and rollers, and some Beatles here and there. Now I must be crazy because no one seems to agree, but in my opinion THAT'S the music you can really dance to. The over-sexualized pop songs of today can often be catchy, but I never feel comfortable dancing to it. When you dance to the Beatles you get to be as lame as you want. So, I had a lot of fun on this particular floor. Of course, this particular phase ended when everyone wanted to go the R&B floor, but hey, if there are any oldies clubs in Boston, you can bet I'll be checking them out. (Shh, let me keep the illusion!)

Oh yeah, I forgot, we also went to the John Lennon wall. It's really just a wall that young people graffiti'd like crazy, especially to rebel during the Communist rule. John Lennon's face is on it, and so are about a billion peace signs. While I was quick to inform my friends that John Lennon was not actually a good person (he neglected and abused his first wife and son and bullied his gay manager who later OD'd) I managed to keep my mouth shut while we were actually there. I know he's an overrated jerk, but hey, he made some pretty awesome music, so that makes it okay, right? No, not really, but I didn't want to make everyone sad. I know, I'm so nice.

Wow, I almost didn't mention it--but I finally bought boots! They were still expensive, but they're real leather so they should last a while. Prague had a really fancy shopping street (Wenceslas Plaza or something, I believe?) that we unfortunately didn't really get to see, but I'm just happy that I finally got myself some boots. Bring it on, weather!

So, well, I think that's all I have to say about Prague! Not my favorite place so far, but it was pretty and I was impressed by the food and the beer. I wish we went to a museum or something, but instead all I really learned from this trip was: it's impossible to take pretty pictures at night, mulled wine bought on the street probably won't taste good, and it's impossible to take good quality pictures in a cathedral. My camera is really awesome, but the night photos still stink. Sorry about that.

Anyway, there are things about Germany I could write, but this entry took me forever and it's not even that long. Also it's mainly stuff about being really stressed out and a bit homesick, and no one wants to read about that. I wish I could get myself to stop feeling like this, because I know I should be doing nothing but enjoying every second I spend here. It's nice to think about sleeping in front of the fireplace with my dog, but I can do that whenever, and I'm only here for a limited time! Yet even thinking that doesn't totally convince me, and the cloudy weather only increases my gloom. It's silly, I know. And there's also another personal issue I've been having, and I don't want to go into detail, but it's simply my anxiety that makes me paranoid of something that might not even exist. Vague, I know, but I don't want to depress anyone or even seem more depressed than I actually am. I'm honestly fine. And next week we're having an AJY Thanksgiving, and the Christmas Market will start, and everything will be amazing. I just have to get through a really tough presentation on Monday, a tough quiz on Wednesday, and then I'll be smiling 24/7. So don't worry about me. I just figured I might as well be honest in my blogs, so anyone who plans to study abroad in the future can relate.

In case you're worried about me, just take a look at this cell phone picture I took on a walk to class on Tuesday. And Czech out the pics on my Shutterfly. Everything will work out!

If only this were what trains were really like...