We left Kaja's house pretty late after bumming around all day in our pjs. It was awfully nice to just chill though, recharge and feel at home for a little while. Hostels are great, but it can be tiring meeting new people all the time and having to keep track of all of your things - even for me! We kept pushing back our time of departure and still had to run for the train when we finally set off. Kaja came on the next one into Prague and we met her after dropping our gear at Sir Toby's and buying our tickets for Bratislava.
She took us to Upinkasu, a restaurant in the downtown area that boasts having served the first pilsner in Prague in the year 1843. The Czechs are incredibly proud of their pilsner beer, and year after year international beer competitions continue to hail it as the finest the world has to offer. Of course I was unable to partake, but I enjoyed a nice light white wine and watched everyone else sip on history. The other downside to this gluten allergy (among the multitudes) is that I was totally unable to try the traditional Czech food we had come to sample - because everything has flour! Delicious looking dumplings went all round the table, but I was marginally consoled. I ordered a Czech fish, and it arrived fully whole and wonderfully cooked on a bed of veggies! Success! Kaja presented me with a gift as well, from her sister Josephina who I had spoken to at length during my stay: a braise bracelet! I haven't worn one since my days at camp, and gladly donned the gift. What a great way to remember the hospitality and welcome I experience there. |
| me and my new bracelet. |
Our walk around the Old City at night was beautiful. It has a totally different feel to it, and seems even more magical than during the day. The fairytale architecture, the surreal clock, the gold accents and the many cobblestone streets add up to a picturesque mirage. Add in the romantic legends that Prague associates with every piece of history, and you've got me hooked. I would say that so far, as far as cities to, it's incredibly hard to beat Prague. I'm really quite sad to be headed out.
We trammed back to Sir Toby's to grab Harry for a drink at Cross Club. David hasn't seen the steampunkesque decor yet, so he was pretty stoked on it when we arrived. We grabbed a table (made of bus seats, many gears and some pipes) and chilled until Kaja had to catch the train back to Stratov. It was really sad to see her go, she's been such a good friend to me and an incredible host and guide. I tried to convince her to follow us to Budapest, but alas the studies won out... Guess not everyone can be as irresponsible as me! (Kidding! I did my school!) That's one of the sadder things about backpacking - you're always moving on and you can't take everyone with you.
We chilled with a few other guests in the bar at the hostel before I called it quits and headed to bed. Harry and David went out with the new crew, and the next morning I had a few tired soldiers on my hands as we went to th Vietnamese market again where I stocked up on socks. Winter weather sure presents me with the opportunity to accumulate more stuff!
We checked out and grabbed our packs, deciding to lug 'em around downtown to see the one monument we had missed so far: the Lennon Wall. An artful bit of map reading led us to the spot, a large expanse of wall free for spray painting and writing on. There were a few really neat pieces, and a few being created as well. Honestly though, don't ask me why a tribute to John Lennon exists in Prague. Not a clue! Along the way I grabbed another badge for the backpack and snagged some amazing artwork by Alfons Mucha, just adding to my collection of things from abroad!
With only an hour to spare we started trying to figure out our route to the station. The metro did the trick nicely, and is very similar to the one in Montreal - actually most metro systems are... When we arrived and had bought some water and, in my case, chocolate (what? Girl's gotta have it sometimes!), we went to catch our 3:00 bus, only to be stopped by someone grabbing my pack!!! I whirled around not knowing what to think and spotted Kaja! She and Harry had made the trip to see us off at the station, and it was such a sweet gesture! She's so hard working, taking two years worth of courses in one in order to complete her master's degree in half the time. That girl is going places! We climbed aboard the bus and sadly waves goodbye to some great friends and a great city. The disappointment was compounded by the promised wifi's refusal to work. I watched movies though, so the time to Bratislava went pretty quickly.
At the bus station we followed the hostel's instructions on how to reach our destination. A short tram ride led is almost to the door and check in was smooth. After a short mental debate, factoring in the early wake-up tomorrow for my day trip to Vienna, I ruled against hitting any kind of nightlife, and instead showered and wrote you all this lovely blogpost!Tomorrow promises to be an action packed day, so I'm turning in for now. I managed to wrangle a bottom bunk (for once!) and I plan to enjoy the hell outta it! Why do I always seem to get stuck with the top?
Until next time!
Sending love from Bratislava!
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