Prague, Czech Republic

Morning

I think I've gotten to a point where I just don't care to do stuff any more. One of the worst things you have to contend with when you return from a trip, any trip, is the dreaded question, "So, how was it?" to which one can only answer, "It was good." Then the follow up, "So, what'd you do?" at which point you want to bludgeon the gentle and polite question asker with a leaden object.

I understand people ask because they want to hear, but I never know how to answer. My replies and condensed trip summaries usually come out sounding weak and uninteresting, which disappoints myself, more so than the listener. I suppose this is why I prefer making travelogues to show people my trip, over the more traditional method of talking about it.

After waking this morning, I wandered over to the Old Town square (about a 10 minute walk). On the way, I passed through Vaclavske, where I picked up something to eat. A spamburger and mulled wine for just over $2 CAD. Not quite a gourmet breakfast, but then again, I'm no gourmand.

I find myself in the square a lot because there's really nothing else to do. Actually, that's not true, it's just that I don't really care to find anything else to do because I like going to the square.

Today's gonna be a little different though. I'm planning to be at the Astronomical Clock on the hour to see the show.

The show

It's nearly noon and the show is about to begin. A crowd began to form in front of the clock about 10 minutes ago and where there used to be empty space around me, stands now a tourist, head cocked skyward, in eager anticipation.

I followed suit and this is what I saw.

You will have to tilt your head to the left, because I am an idiot.

City of 100 spires

Last night, during the tour, our guide pointed out the golden globes at the top of all the churches. Prague, in the old days, was prone to flooding. And we're not talking about leaking ceilings, rather buildings were wiped out and people were having a heck of a time rebuilding stuff. Enter the golden globes.

Inside the globes are the blue prints of the church (though they are probably more like old parchment, than the blueprints we all know and love). They are at the tops of the churches because they are traditionally the tallest points in the entire city, and hence, the least likely to be affected during a flood.

Another interesting tidbit about Prague: where the current ground level is today, is actually one storey above where it used to be when the city was originally built. It's funny, if you walk around the older parts of the city, you will see doorways that are missing the bottom half.

Shots from the Square and surrounding area

Such a pretty city, even the manhole covers are decorated.

The third photo from the right is a picture of the north side of the building that houses the Astronomical clock. You'll notice that it's more like half a building. This is because when the Germans were firebombing this place, they tried to destroy the clock, but missed and took out city hall (which was right behind the clock) and half a block around it.

The street I live on

Went back for a nap.

Pub crawl

Look at this. It's Budweiser, but I actually like it. The beer here is different than what we see at home.

I went on another walking tour, but this one was a pub tour. Three different pubs, plus dinner. The evening was chilly and damp yet again, but for some odd reason, there were 12 other people waiting at the foot of the Astronomical Clock with the tour guide. I joined up and the introductions began. Everyone was at least 10 years older than me and from England (though one of the ladies had moved to Australia). The tour guide was a young, blonde Czech girl of 23.

The last place we went was really more of a restaurant than it was a pub, but the food was decent and everyone was getting quite friendly. I was surprised that I got on with everyone as well as I did, despite the age difference. All the drinking probably had something to do with it.

After we finished eating, Eva (our guide) said that we could stay if we wanted. A few people left to get back to their hotels (early flights the next morning), but I stayed on. I don't really remember how it happened, but a few beers later, I found myself standing up and goading on a few rugby-sized British guys and Eva to drink absinthe with me. Never had it before, always wanted to try it.

When the shots arrived, almost everyone backed out - leaving only me, Lee (blonde hair, blue shirt) and Rob (dark hair, black shirt) to finish the drinks. Eva poured some sugar into our glasses and lit them on fire.

I knocked the first one back and for a moment, felt just fine. A moment later, I began looking around for a knife to cut off my ear with. That was round one.

As you can see from the photos, Lee and Rob are a fair bit bigger than me, but Rob was ready to bow out after two. Weak. Eventually the group dwindled down to just a few of us, and the restaurant was closing, so we had to end our night elsewhere.

Lee, Rob, Jane (Rob's wife) and I went to check out some of the other local establishments. A fun evening, though I would come to regret the absinthe the following morning.