Spring Break, Part 2!
Liane and I had an uneventful flight from Munich to Prague. The plane was very small and there were only a few other people on board, but I guess that makes sense as I can't imagine flying to Prague on a Tuesday evening is a very popular thing to do. Getting to the hostel was a bit of a pain (bus to subway then a long walk up a hill then a long walk down a hill) but we arrived in one piece. My first impressions of Prague were quite contrary to what I had been hearing about it from other people for the past weeks. It seemed dirty, empty, and full of graffiti. Basically, as though it hadn't quite recovered from that whole communism blip.
The hostel more than made up for these impressions. This was by far the nicest hostel in Europe. It was nicer than a lot of hotels, I'd be willing to bet. It was very modern, very clean, very fancy, and nice and quiet. The staff were wicked helpful and it was overall quite cheap. The best part was that we payed for a room with 10 beds, but alas, it was 1/2 empty the entire time we were there which was conducive to sleeping well. Overall, I was extremely impressed and if you ever go to Prague on a budget, go there. It's slightly out of the way, but worth every extra minute on the tram. Score one for Prague. The best part about it, though, was that it was called the Czech Inn. I'm daft and it took me awhile to get it, but I'll leave it to my dutiful readers to see if they can figure it out.
We took it easy that night due to our raucous evening the night before and just went out to grab a bite to eat. The next morning we were up vaguely bright and early and hit the town. My impressions of Prague were much changed in the day light hours and even more so when we got into the main part of the city. It was indeed a breathtaking place and except for some smattering of graffiti, no one would have ever guessed this place had such a tumultuous recent history. The Czech people either know how to really get their act together, or in the 4 years of CR being in the EU, there has been a lot of progress. I opt for both.
Of course, the first order of business for the day was to find the tucked away museum of communism. It was wonderful. Busts of Lenin and Stalin abounded as well as extolling the many horrors of life under communism and how the big bad Russians invaded and almost broke the will of a proud people with an impressive history. It couldn't have been more anti-Communist, and I loved it. Not only that, but the whole place also had a very anti-Russian tinge to it. Can't blame them, obviously. It also did the transition from Russians as heroes that liberated Czechoslovakia from the Nazi evils to villains that once more forced the Czech people to bear the yoke of a foreign regime. "Twice the Russians tanks were greeted with tears in the streets of Prague. Both times the tanks were the same, but the tears were not." There was also a video detailing the history of the attempted revolts in Prague from 1968 to the Velvet Revolution in 1989 which was touching and sad. Gave one a "damn the man" feeling.
Fun fact: Prague spent millions on a 3+ story and some inordinate tonnage statue of Stalin following his death (you know, because the people weren't hungry or poor or anything), and it was only standing for a few years when Kruschev presided over The Thaw and de-Stalinization and the Prague people promptly blew the statue up. Oh the efficiencies of the system.
I also got some killer postcards and affirmed my belief in the capitalist democratic system (like I needed it).
Following that, we trekked down the famous St. Wencelas square (where all the famous Prague Spring and Velvet Revolution footage is from) up to the infamous "MUZEUM" Well, yes, it may have it's own subway stop and may be an overarching feature in the main city landscape but I must say, this museum was a trip, to say the least. Even though it boasted on its facade to be the Museum of Bohemian History, it indeed was a natural history museum and by Bohemian history, they meant rocks and pottery. It did have a redeeming quality of having a "walk a mile in someone else's shoes" exhibit that basically included shoes from all over the world from all different periods mingled amongst a pirate ship, a prehistoric landscape, outer space, the Olympics, and a World War 2 setup. I can't really explain this any better, but believe me, it was bizarre and wonderful all at once.
That night we had big plans to go out and about but somehow somewhere along the line they fell by the wayside. Liane wanted to nap so Steve and I went down to the bar to hang out and Steve had every intention of working on his Mock Trial packet for his summer job, which I thought was cute. We got some beers and at some point i mentioned to Steve that he ought to try Absinthe at some point while we were there (it's illegal in most of the rest of Europe, although the stuff they have there is not real Absinthe, it's a watered down version of its hallucinogenic cousin) and despite his every intention of doing his work, he promptly got up to the bar and ordered a B52 (1/3 absinthe, 1/3 Baileys, and 1/3 Kahlua, I think). The bartender (who was seriously bordering on bat-poop crazy) insisted that I have one too, and even poured one out which pissed me off. I firmly abstained. No absinthe for me, thank you very much. Steve had his shot or whatever it was (which the crazy bartender tried failingly to light on fire to really make it badass) and then amazingly continued to his work. With equal randomness as his first trek to the bar, he got up randomly again and had the already poured second drink. This was a mistake. Within minutes I think it would be safe to say that Steve was drunk. And yet he valiantly continued working on his trial packet. That's dedication folks. I don't know how productive he was, though... Anyway, we also got into a nice little chat with our Northern Irish roommates who were quite amusing. He was kind enough to buy us a BMW (a drink consisting of baileys, Malibu, and....?) As the night wore on, an Aussie became interested in Steve and I (more me, obviously) and we had drinks I don't remember the name of and Steve got progressively more and more drunk and I remained on a surprisingly even keel. The Aussie turned out to be a dick (the Aussies, as it turns out are surpassed in uncouthness only by the English. Say what you will, but the Irish have consistently proven to be genial, nice, and friendly people without nasty side effects-- besides liver disease), but on an upside, he did have his drinks put on our tab and payed me 500 crowns, which was about 400 more than his drinks were worth. This, happily, ended up paying for most of our tab, which turned out to be quite expensive. Happy coincidence! Anyway, blah blah blah, an interesting and multicultural night in.
The next morning, I passed on following the agenda of the other two for the day because my ankle was in bad shape and I didn't feel like doing an inordinate amount of walking. I struck out on my own and had a very pleasant day seeing all the sights of Prague. I went up first to the castle which was not exactly what I was expecting. I suppose I was expecting more of a palace, which is what it looks like from afar, but it is indeed more of a castle. But not even that really. It's more of a castle grounds with a bunch of different buildings from different eras stuck together. There were two different churches, a row of quaint old shops, a tower that was once a jail, some random buildings used as museums, all of which collectively created a facade that looked like a castle / palace. I did learn a lot about the history of Bohemia there and was surprised (yes, this is rather ignorant of me) to find that Prague and the surrounding area actually has a very vibrant and lengthy history that goes back hundreds of years. Bohemia was actually the center of a lot going on in Europe (Prague was actually the capital of the Holy Roman Empire for years) and other interesting things. I guess because of the recent history of the country, I just as soon assume that it was always a bit downtrodden. Serves me right I guess.
Basically, what I've learned about Europe is that no matter where you go, big or small, everything is old and has an amazing history. This is so far from how things are in the US it's mind boggling. If you were to go to Philadelphia, yes, you would find a lot of history, but it would only be focusing on the United States and stretch roughly back to the 1700s. This is not the case for a place like, say, Des Moines, or Helena. Anywhere you go in Europe, you can find hundreds of years of history and in any given place there are bound to be multiple famous, well accomplished people hailing from that area. It's amazing sometimes and I often find that I don't even know where to begin. It's a shame really because I feel that unless I live in a place for a very extended period of time, I will never be able to really truly grasp all that has happened there. This is contrary to a place again like Philadelphia where a few class field trips just about covered it.
I digress. Following Prague Castle (which was actually up a very very big hill, which I was not expecting at all... maps don't show hills), I went a bit to St. Nicholas's Church, the other very famous building in Prague. I have to admit, my many different trips to Europe and the travelling that I have so far done here have somewhat dulled me to churches and cathedrals and I can't count below 1000000 how many figures/paintings/statues/sculptures I have seen of Jesus on the cross. I know this sounds spoiled and it probably is, but it's the truth. However, St. Nick's was an exception. Breathtaking probably doesn't even begin to describe it. The place is modest in size but big on beauty. So much shiny stuff a crow would just go mad! I put pictures up of it, but they're not that great. I wanted to see it with my own eyes not through a camera lens. (i've found, anyway, that all the nicest stuff can't be captured in pictures anyway, or, you're not allowed to have flash photography and it's all in semi-darkness and the pictures turn out terribly). It was definitely a great thing to see. It definitely gave a boost to the cathedral viewing experience.
Following St. Nick's (no, no santa), I walked through a bit of the town and over the Charles Bridge. This was not just a regular bridge. Like everything else in Prague, it was old, fancy, and well taken care of. There were people all over it and lots of touristy stands with paintings you might find along Central Park. The views were fantastic though and it was just another one of those things that one would normally take for granted (it's just a bridge), but on second look, I just had to think, man, it's so great that a city like this with such regular fancy things exists.
I was getting a little tired post bridge so I sat down in front of the Symphony Hall that was playing over loud speakers situated out front some classical music. The sun was shining brightly and it was a generally pleasant day (more nice weather!) and it was nice to just have a sit and check the scene out. The classical music added a very nice touch. Prague definitely knows how to present itself.
I headed over to the Jewish Quarter afterwards which wasn't all that spectacular. It, like the rest of the city, was very pretty with great architecture and it's unique Prague style, but I don't really understand the jewish part of it. It had a few synagogues, but barring that, it really wasn't much different from the rest of the city. It is interesting in that it is apparently the one wholly Jewish place that Hitler left more or less untouched. No one really knows why. Ok, I'm sure there are plenty of people who know why, but I am not one of them.
Luckily, after a walk down a little side street, I ended up where I intended which was the Old Town Square. Of course, on the way, I passed something that wildly piqued my interest called the "Sex Machine Museum" I did not go in, but did pick up a brochure in case anyone doubted me that such a place existed. Basically it was a museum dedicated to collecting sex toys / machines from the past couple centuries. There were a few examples in the brochure and I can only imagine what the rest of the place was like. Only in Europe.
Old Town Square was nice and it had the famous astronomical clock (which I didn't really understand, but it looked complicated and important) and Old Tyn Church. I headed into the church and I must say, after St. Nicks, it was a little lacking. Still quite nice obviously, but could have been better.
Travelling for the day by myself was a very nice change of pace. I took how long I wanted at places, went down whatever street I fancied, sat whenever I felt like it, and didn't have to have polite discussions about conceding to go wherever the other person wanted. Furthermore, and most importantly, I didn't spend an unnecessary amount on food. Why they insisted on doing this every day all day I don't understand. I got by on breakfast and dinner that day. I did not starve, I was not that hungry. 3 meals a day at 10+ a pop just isn't necessary. Being on vacation is not an excuse for lavish behaviour. It is an excuse to see and do, not eat. Maybe I'm just a far more seasoned traveler (yes, indeed, I am) to have realized this. Yes, I am being prissy, but this pissed me off.
Following that, I hung out at the hostel for a bit chatting with the Irish lad while I waited for Steve and Liane (who were quite late). We then just had a little dinner there and hung out for a bit. We decided that we should actually go out that night and our friend from BU who had previously done a semester in Dresden and had been to Prague suggested this 5 story club to us in the centre of town. We went there, and annoyingly got there 10 minutes after the entrance price went up about 4 dollars (which, needless to say, the other two just shrugged off). Inters tingly, coat check was free, but she did put a tip jar right in front of us before we walked away and basically told us to leave a tip. This also happened at the bar. It was extremely obnoxious.
As a side note, I've noticed that Prague is all about nickel and diming. Steve was ridiculously excited when he found out what the exchange rate into Czech Crowns was and how much food, etc was there. What he didn't realize is that (like the rest of Europe), it's impossible to get a free glass of water, they bring bread to the table without asking then charge you for it, service is terrible, and tips still expected. Furthermore, yes, on paper, the exchange rate is great. 17 Crowns to one dollar. But everything there is in the 100s of Crowns. Exchanging things mentally to figure out the price was a severe pain in the ass and it quickly became evident that no, things really weren't all that cheaper. Cheaper than the Euro and pound, but definitely no less (and in some cases more expensive) than anything in the US. Although, it did lead to a great joke about "dropping crowns like King Edward VIII" by Steve that had me giggling for a good 20 minutes and periodically throughout the trip.
Anyway, so we finally went out and we notice that the place was fairly empty, which made sense for the early hour, but the place in general was fairly cool. First, I should mention that throughout the day, there was apparently a large tour group of high schoolers from Italy in Prague that were all over the city. Welllll, they all found their way into the same club we were in. The over 18s were in a serious minority that night (unless, of course, you count the chaperons) and we were one of few people with actual drinks in our hand. They were everywhere. Another bizarre night of clubbing in Central Europe. Such is our luck. We did just hang out on our own and we had a nice little heart to heart amongst the disgusting haze of cigarette smoke prevalent all over Prague. (you never know how much you appreciate smoke free areas until you aren't in one)
Unfortunately, Liane and I had to get up at 4 am to check out and get out. That was crap to say the least, but we managed. The flight back from Munich to London was a bit of an adventure. It started off alright, but apparently Stansted (the airport we flew into) was experiencing 50mph winds which obviously led to a bit bumpy landing. It made Steve and Liane rather pale and Steve had to get out his barf bag and Liane looked like she was on the verge. I wasn't enjoying it either, more because I feared for my safety as opposed to my stomach. We landed fine, and I actually found myself thinking "hehe, that was kind of fun" My compatriots did not share my sentiment.
Overall, I'm extremely glad I made it to Prague. It was definitely worth checking out and different enough from the rest of Europe to feel like I was really going places. Furthermore, it was the first country I had gone to on this trip that I hadn't already been to, which is always exciting.
For all my avid fans that are wondering about the Pepsi situation, I am here to tell you that all of Europe has been taken over by Coke. I saw various pepsi signs throughout my travels, but the product turned out to be elusive. And no, I'm not that into pepsi, and I've been fine without it, but it is a curiosity.
Being a tourist is hard. It's about a billion times more walking than I do in any other day and it's a lot of planning. I said outright to Liane and Steve that it makes me appreciate what my mom did when planning and executing these trips just so much more. She's a serious wonderwoman. Thanks, mom. :-)
On that tribute, I must conclude
-Kate
The next morning, I passed on following the agenda of the other two for the day because my ankle was in bad shape and I didn't feel like doing an inordinate amount of walking. I struck out on my own and had a very pleasant day seeing all the sights of Prague. I went up first to the castle which was not exactly what I was expecting. I suppose I was expecting more of a palace, which is what it looks like from afar, but it is indeed more of a castle. But not even that really. It's more of a castle grounds with a bunch of different buildings from different eras stuck together. There were two different churches, a row of quaint old shops, a tower that was once a jail, some random buildings used as museums, all of which collectively created a facade that looked like a castle / palace. I did learn a lot about the history of Bohemia there and was surprised (yes, this is rather ignorant of me) to find that Prague and the surrounding area actually has a very vibrant and lengthy history that goes back hundreds of years. Bohemia was actually the center of a lot going on in Europe (Prague was actually the capital of the Holy Roman Empire for years) and other interesting things. I guess because of the recent history of the country, I just as soon assume that it was always a bit downtrodden. Serves me right I guess.
Basically, what I've learned about Europe is that no matter where you go, big or small, everything is old and has an amazing history. This is so far from how things are in the US it's mind boggling. If you were to go to Philadelphia, yes, you would find a lot of history, but it would only be focusing on the United States and stretch roughly back to the 1700s. This is not the case for a place like, say, Des Moines, or Helena. Anywhere you go in Europe, you can find hundreds of years of history and in any given place there are bound to be multiple famous, well accomplished people hailing from that area. It's amazing sometimes and I often find that I don't even know where to begin. It's a shame really because I feel that unless I live in a place for a very extended period of time, I will never be able to really truly grasp all that has happened there. This is contrary to a place again like Philadelphia where a few class field trips just about covered it.
I digress. Following Prague Castle (which was actually up a very very big hill, which I was not expecting at all... maps don't show hills), I went a bit to St. Nicholas's Church, the other very famous building in Prague. I have to admit, my many different trips to Europe and the travelling that I have so far done here have somewhat dulled me to churches and cathedrals and I can't count below 1000000 how many figures/paintings/statues/sculptures I have seen of Jesus on the cross. I know this sounds spoiled and it probably is, but it's the truth. However, St. Nick's was an exception. Breathtaking probably doesn't even begin to describe it. The place is modest in size but big on beauty. So much shiny stuff a crow would just go mad! I put pictures up of it, but they're not that great. I wanted to see it with my own eyes not through a camera lens. (i've found, anyway, that all the nicest stuff can't be captured in pictures anyway, or, you're not allowed to have flash photography and it's all in semi-darkness and the pictures turn out terribly). It was definitely a great thing to see. It definitely gave a boost to the cathedral viewing experience.
Following St. Nick's (no, no santa), I walked through a bit of the town and over the Charles Bridge. This was not just a regular bridge. Like everything else in Prague, it was old, fancy, and well taken care of. There were people all over it and lots of touristy stands with paintings you might find along Central Park. The views were fantastic though and it was just another one of those things that one would normally take for granted (it's just a bridge), but on second look, I just had to think, man, it's so great that a city like this with such regular fancy things exists.
I was getting a little tired post bridge so I sat down in front of the Symphony Hall that was playing over loud speakers situated out front some classical music. The sun was shining brightly and it was a generally pleasant day (more nice weather!) and it was nice to just have a sit and check the scene out. The classical music added a very nice touch. Prague definitely knows how to present itself.
I headed over to the Jewish Quarter afterwards which wasn't all that spectacular. It, like the rest of the city, was very pretty with great architecture and it's unique Prague style, but I don't really understand the jewish part of it. It had a few synagogues, but barring that, it really wasn't much different from the rest of the city. It is interesting in that it is apparently the one wholly Jewish place that Hitler left more or less untouched. No one really knows why. Ok, I'm sure there are plenty of people who know why, but I am not one of them.
Luckily, after a walk down a little side street, I ended up where I intended which was the Old Town Square. Of course, on the way, I passed something that wildly piqued my interest called the "Sex Machine Museum" I did not go in, but did pick up a brochure in case anyone doubted me that such a place existed. Basically it was a museum dedicated to collecting sex toys / machines from the past couple centuries. There were a few examples in the brochure and I can only imagine what the rest of the place was like. Only in Europe.
Old Town Square was nice and it had the famous astronomical clock (which I didn't really understand, but it looked complicated and important) and Old Tyn Church. I headed into the church and I must say, after St. Nicks, it was a little lacking. Still quite nice obviously, but could have been better.
Travelling for the day by myself was a very nice change of pace. I took how long I wanted at places, went down whatever street I fancied, sat whenever I felt like it, and didn't have to have polite discussions about conceding to go wherever the other person wanted. Furthermore, and most importantly, I didn't spend an unnecessary amount on food. Why they insisted on doing this every day all day I don't understand. I got by on breakfast and dinner that day. I did not starve, I was not that hungry. 3 meals a day at 10+ a pop just isn't necessary. Being on vacation is not an excuse for lavish behaviour. It is an excuse to see and do, not eat. Maybe I'm just a far more seasoned traveler (yes, indeed, I am) to have realized this. Yes, I am being prissy, but this pissed me off.
Following that, I hung out at the hostel for a bit chatting with the Irish lad while I waited for Steve and Liane (who were quite late). We then just had a little dinner there and hung out for a bit. We decided that we should actually go out that night and our friend from BU who had previously done a semester in Dresden and had been to Prague suggested this 5 story club to us in the centre of town. We went there, and annoyingly got there 10 minutes after the entrance price went up about 4 dollars (which, needless to say, the other two just shrugged off). Inters tingly, coat check was free, but she did put a tip jar right in front of us before we walked away and basically told us to leave a tip. This also happened at the bar. It was extremely obnoxious.
As a side note, I've noticed that Prague is all about nickel and diming. Steve was ridiculously excited when he found out what the exchange rate into Czech Crowns was and how much food, etc was there. What he didn't realize is that (like the rest of Europe), it's impossible to get a free glass of water, they bring bread to the table without asking then charge you for it, service is terrible, and tips still expected. Furthermore, yes, on paper, the exchange rate is great. 17 Crowns to one dollar. But everything there is in the 100s of Crowns. Exchanging things mentally to figure out the price was a severe pain in the ass and it quickly became evident that no, things really weren't all that cheaper. Cheaper than the Euro and pound, but definitely no less (and in some cases more expensive) than anything in the US. Although, it did lead to a great joke about "dropping crowns like King Edward VIII" by Steve that had me giggling for a good 20 minutes and periodically throughout the trip.
Anyway, so we finally went out and we notice that the place was fairly empty, which made sense for the early hour, but the place in general was fairly cool. First, I should mention that throughout the day, there was apparently a large tour group of high schoolers from Italy in Prague that were all over the city. Welllll, they all found their way into the same club we were in. The over 18s were in a serious minority that night (unless, of course, you count the chaperons) and we were one of few people with actual drinks in our hand. They were everywhere. Another bizarre night of clubbing in Central Europe. Such is our luck. We did just hang out on our own and we had a nice little heart to heart amongst the disgusting haze of cigarette smoke prevalent all over Prague. (you never know how much you appreciate smoke free areas until you aren't in one)
Unfortunately, Liane and I had to get up at 4 am to check out and get out. That was crap to say the least, but we managed. The flight back from Munich to London was a bit of an adventure. It started off alright, but apparently Stansted (the airport we flew into) was experiencing 50mph winds which obviously led to a bit bumpy landing. It made Steve and Liane rather pale and Steve had to get out his barf bag and Liane looked like she was on the verge. I wasn't enjoying it either, more because I feared for my safety as opposed to my stomach. We landed fine, and I actually found myself thinking "hehe, that was kind of fun" My compatriots did not share my sentiment.
Overall, I'm extremely glad I made it to Prague. It was definitely worth checking out and different enough from the rest of Europe to feel like I was really going places. Furthermore, it was the first country I had gone to on this trip that I hadn't already been to, which is always exciting.
For all my avid fans that are wondering about the Pepsi situation, I am here to tell you that all of Europe has been taken over by Coke. I saw various pepsi signs throughout my travels, but the product turned out to be elusive. And no, I'm not that into pepsi, and I've been fine without it, but it is a curiosity.
Being a tourist is hard. It's about a billion times more walking than I do in any other day and it's a lot of planning. I said outright to Liane and Steve that it makes me appreciate what my mom did when planning and executing these trips just so much more. She's a serious wonderwoman. Thanks, mom. :-)
On that tribute, I must conclude
-Kate
No comments:
Post a Comment