Arrival in Prague

I don’t know where to begin.

Photos are here.

First off, leaving Germany. You know that movie Toys with Robin Williams? With all the green rolling hills with a road going through it? That’s what Germany looks like around Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Seriously. With the little roads going through the grass and everything.

I have to say, I was a little bit torn about staying with Vaclav (pronounced Vahts-lahv) and Vera (pronounced Veh-dah, a single-tap “r”) in Prague. On one hand, I was having a fabulous time exploring the continent by myself, and I’m so stubbornly independent that having two people telling me what we will be doing when was not the best thought. On the other hand, the two Czechs and their families have become good friends with my parents and my mother and father gave them a glowing recommendation for hospitality. And I wanted to save some money by staying in their flat.

Any misgiving I had was quickly shorn away by their warmth and humor. These are people that are constantly laughing and really seem to love each other deeply. The only negative I can see about it is that staying so far outside the centrum took a little of the romance out of the city, but I still found it to be impressive and awesome (as in striking the awe chord within me, not as in rad, though it was that, too).

The next several posts are run-downs of my time in CZ.

Photos are here.

Day 1

The train ride to Dresden was nice, but it got nuts after Dresden. We followed the Elbe River through a valley that was ridiculously gorgeous. It was the kind of scenery that would make my mother go right out of her mind. My father would then give my mother a hard time for getting so excited, but secretly, he’d love it, too.

Vaclav and Vera picked me up at the train station and took me to Vaclav’s flat. It’s a four-storey building with a big spiral staircase (not in the romantic sense) going up one side, with each floor having a living space separated from the stairs by walls and doors. I had the second floor all to myself (though in Europe, this is the first floor, as the ground floor is the 0 floor). My own little Czech apartment.

After a snack, they took me on a drive around the city and my jaw dropped at every building we saw. We ended up at a monastery on top of a hill near Prague Castle and we looked at the view. Vera asked me what the word for palm was in English. She then told me to hold my hand out ahead of my eyes with the palm up. “There,” she said. “All of Prague in palm of your hand.”

We then had a beer at the monastery brewery. This is, I think, when the reputation began. I told Vaclav that I really like beer. This would haunt me for the rest of my stay.

We went to the local grocery store and Vaclav proceeded to buy two of almost every kind they had. “We must sample,” he said with kind of a half wink. “You must taste all.”

They paid for all of the groceries. I offered the 500 Koruna bill I had (about $20), but he tapped my hand kindly and said, “Later, later.” They paid for EVERYTHING. I wouldn’t let Vera pay for my souvenirs, so I stopped at a bankomat (ATM) and got money out. I paid for my city transportation ticket (we took busses and trams and subways almost everywhere the first two days), but that was all. Vaclav always said, “Later,” and Vera always said, “When we in Oregon.” All my meals (and there were a lot), all my beers (and there were a LOT), two books, a DVD, attraction entry fees, postcards from attractions, everything else, they paid for. I wasn’t too comfortable with this, but you can bet they’re going to be paid back in spades if they’re ever in Portland.

We went back to their flat (more like a communist era condo), and ate again. It was at this time that Vera asked me, “what month you were born in?”

“September,” I said.

Then she said (I shit you not), “You are virgin?”

And I almost spit my beer out. It took me several moments to realize that she was asking if I was a Virgo. And I was very relieved to tell her that I am a Libra. I was so confused for a second. Almost had a classic spit take. For real.

I was tired. I went to bed.