Exploring Prague

Looking back, I don’t think I did an adequate job in my last post in describing how unsettled I was in my brief Prague encounter when trying to get from the train station to my hostel. Not only did I not really have a clear understanding about where I was going, but I felt more paranoid about my safety than I have at any point previously. To be fair, I think that had less to do with Prague specifically than the fact that I was walking around an unknown city late at night while carrying all my European possessions on my person. Visions of what would happen if I got mugged ran through my head. In addition to my own paranoia though, the city did seem oddly deserted, and so the occasional passersby stuck out as much more spooky and menacing than they really were. By the time I finally arrived at my hostel, I was already wary of Prague. This is all to say that my initial impressions of the city were completely wrong and that after exploring on my own today, in the daylight, I’ve come to find Prague pretty fascinating.

Jordan, Jane and I woke up pretty early due to the sweltering temperature of our room. We grabbed a bit of breakfast in the hostel (I was pleased, the two of them, perhaps not so much). After that we went our separate ways but made plans to meet up again at 6pm for dinner. After a bit of blogging, I set out on foot to see the city. Almost at once everything appeared friendly than I remembered it. The neighborhood surrounding my hostel seemed nicer, and their were people about, giving the area an alive quality it had lacked the night before. I first walked to Prague Castle and spent a bit of time there, walking around, snapping pictures, the usual touristy things. From there, it was across the Charles Bridge and into the city’s Jewish Quarter. Rick Steves had recommended visiting the Old Jewish graveyard, and I was looking forward to seeing it, but when I arrived I realized I would have to pay to go inside, so I passed. From there, it was on to the Old Town Square to see the Astronomical Clock. I arrived at the clock right at the hour, so there was a big crowd gathered around to see moving sculptures that signified a new hour. After the hour changed, the crowd cleared and I got in a bit closer to take pictures. Tired and hungry, I stopped in a fairly Americanized cafe called, I believe, the Culinaria. It got a tasty (and reasonably priced) california wrap, along with a Pilser Urquell (I think that’s what it was called), which is apparently the oldest pilsner beer in the world, and was created in nearby Plzen, through which my train passed the day before.

After lunch, I continued on to Wenceslas Square. I stopped in a bookstore located on the square and bought a copy of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I had been worried that The Yiddish Policemen’s Union wouldn’t last me through my plane trip back to the U.S. so I decided I had better stock up on more reading material. I had hoped to find Wonder Boys to continue my current Michael Chabon kick, but I think it’s a little old to find a place on the small English language shelves in foreign bookstores. Anyway, I snapped a few pictures of the square, and since I couldn’t quite bring myself to walk back to the hostel, I hopped on a tram. I am now a master of the Prague tram system, although I still don’t know the rules regarding paying/not paying for rides.

After meeting Jordan and Jane in the hostel lobby, we went out to a pizza place they had heard about. They had decided to treat me to dinner for being such a good guy the night before, and I wasn’t about to pass up pizza when the alternative was another night of bread and cheese. I ordered a margherita pizzas, Jordan ordered two margherita pizzas and a plate of wings, and Jane ordered some sort of pesto spaghetti. Apparently they hadn’t eaten all day since they hadn’t left their room all day, so they were pretty hungry. The food eventually came, and while I thought it was perfectly fine, all Jordan could say about the pizza was how bland and dry it was, and how the food in Seattle is so much better. Jane took a few bites of her spaghetti before abandoning it and eating pizza as well, which she agreed was bland. I think Jordan liked his wings though, for the most part.

After dinner I set up shop in the hostel lobby and uploaded every single picture waiting to be uploaded. I am now up to date with my photos. And my blog (well, except for a couple larger, broader themed posts I’m going to write, but I think those are better suited to be written in Amsterdam, as the trip draws to a close). Now it’s time for me to sleep, in order to rest for a trip tomorrow that is mostly inspired by an offhand remark in the Charlie Kaufman magnum opus Adaptation.