As I sit in Kiel and continue to catch up with my blog posts, I think of witty titles and try to plan out how exactly I'm going to include all of my adventures in Prague in one blog post without making it monotonous. You see, Prague was an adventure right from the start; twists and turns making the trip more memorable than any train ride I had taken so far.
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| Streetscape |
As I boarded the train to Prague in Vienna after a few hours of wait, I was well ready to get on my way and continue my journey. I had a 15 minute train ride to Wien Meidling; there I would change trains to my main train and continue to Prague for about 3 hours. All was well. I found my platform easily enough; dodging the smoke wafting out of the smokers square, waiting patiently as train after train passed through until mine arrived. I made my way into the compartments, finding many "reserved" signs and hoping fervently that I would chance upon a compartment that was not only unreserved but completely empty.
As luck would have it, I found a compartment with only one other occupant, a man who was at the time reading. I decided to take my chances. I was accompanied in by another older Australian man, but he soon left as he discovered that there were plenty of empty compartments further up. As I bid him "No worries" as he excused himself with a smile, I was asked by the other man "You wouldn't happen to be Australian would you? The 'No worries' gave it away". I laughed and said yes, I was, and, hearing his accent, asked where he was from in Australia. We somehow skipped introductions, instead carrying on chatting about work, travels, life and everything in between.
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| Museum |
About an hour into the trip we were joined by a young and (seemingly) quiet Czech woman. We continued chatting, but as we did the train started slowing down. We were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by farmland on all sides. Confused, we had no idea what was going on. People started moving out of the train to stand on the tracks, and a short while later the conductor came around saying that there had been an accident on the tracks, and that we would be delayed for about 60 minutes. Whether this was a Czech 60 minutes or a normal 60 minutes no-one knew.
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| Streetscape #2 |
We started talking to the young Czech woman and it turned out that not only was she in no way quiet (she was NOT short of a word), she was quite funny and lovely, and in a way she adopted myself and this other man, whose name I later found out was David. She became our translator and guide, as she explained that we were waiting for another train to come to take us to the next station, at which we would most likely have to change to another train.
As we rolled slowly into the station, we collected our bags and disembarked the train, moving to another train to take us to a station along a different route, where we would have to change again. According to Rana this was not standard train fare in the Czech Republic, and she declared this quite a few times as she warmly welcomed us to her country.
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| More streetscape |
After we changed trains, she explained to us that we would be taken to another station; out of two options we ended up at a place called Prubice. We once again disembarked the train, this time going and finding food and taking a small rest. The station was full of people all waiting for trains to Prague so we decided that we would buy food and then head to the platform to wait for a train.
After a short wait we boarded our final train and two hours later we arrived tired and jubilant in Prague. We made it in the end! Rana couldn't seem to believe that I was not only travelling on my own but that I had no map, only some (very detailed) written directions. I had studied the map the night before and knew where I needed to go; picturing in my mind the right turn out of the station, short walk and then the right turn taking me under the bridge and up into the suburb I needed to be. in. I bid both David and Rana adieu and started walking. 30 minutes later I was at my destination, the Clown and Bard Hostel.
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| Amazing clocks |
The hostel itself was really nice. The reception was actually in the basement at the bar and rooms above, so after walking up my two flights of stairs I dumped my things. I was alone in the room until two others walked in. Paisley and Dorian were two friends staying in Prague for a few days; she was from Canada but working in the UK, he from Australia working in Vienna. They invited me out with them to a club for the evening, and as such I got my first real look at Prague by night, catching the metro and walking around, finally arriving at this amazing looking club. The outside was covered in ship parts spray painted in different metallic colours and highlighted by the lights; surrounding a Nice and relaxed beer garden that you walked through the enter the club.
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| Parliament |
Now I'll be straight up here when I say that dubstep and drum-and-bass are not normally my scene. As in I don't listen to them, can't dance to them and sometimes find myself wondering as to what their purpose in the music scene is. HOWEVER. After a few drinks all this disappeared and I found myself losing myself to the thumping sub woofer and dancing djs. Something that I love about Europe is that the djs all without fail get into their own music and find themselves dancing along. It's great for atmosphere (and those who need to work out how to move to the music *coughs*).
The next day I awoke early, ready to make my way around Prague using my trusty "Mr Gordonskys Tourist Map" and see some beautiful sights. I had been told it was a beautiful city that I needed to see whilst in Europe, and as such had high expectations.
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| The Castle |
I was not disappointed. Prague was a city of both old and new and once I had walked through the newer part of the city, down a small hill and past the museum I reached the part of the city that I really wanted to see. Streets lined by four and five story buildings with intricate detailing over the outsides, standing on the side of the cobblestone streets. Architectural styles moving from Romanesque to Gothic to Renaissance to Baroque as well as many other styles originating between the 19th and 20th centuries. It was a pleasure just to walk through the city, soaking it all in.
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| View from the Castle |
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| Street performers |
As I was walking I found a small second hand English bookstore, and the next hour quickly passed by as I lost myself in a warm and inviting maze of books. I ended up buying one without a bag, and quickly felt like a complete and utter hipster as I walked around town in my RayBan-esq sunnies, skinny jeans and cardigan carrying my new purchase. I made the complete transition to hipster as I found a gorgeous little coffee shop and sat there reading for the next hour and a half as I drank my iced coffee.
After whiling away the afternoon in the sun reading I made my way back to the hostel to make dinner and have an early night, as the next morning I was to catch a bus to Berlin for the next part of my journey. As such, I will leave this post here!
Until next time,
Love Love!
Clem xx
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