After our ridiculous night of being stranded tramless and cold, we finally got into bed and fell fast asleep within seconds. Then next morning I woke up earlier than I would have expected after not going to bed until 2:30 AM. I have realized that whilst traveling, my body wakes me up prematurely. Perhaps it is my body's way of physically expressing my brain's desire to get out there and see the world. I ended up taking a shower before it was clogged with my newly awakened travelmates. Once we were all showered and dressed, we headed down to the free breakfast that the hostel offered (a free meal is always a plus!). The breakfast was pretty measly, just some sandwich makings (American cheese, ham, and white bread) a couple types of cereal (corn flakes and muesli) and coffee and tea, comparable to a hotel continental breakfast. But, I was not going to complain one bit, unlike some members of our group. The fact that it was free, and I had access to an unlimited supply of coffee in the morning, was fantastic.
After breakfast we hurried off to catch the tram to the metro
station, and then take the metro to Old Town Square where we were going to participate in a free tour put on by a company called New Europe. We were a little late, as is to be expected when dealing with a larger group of people, so we missed the tour. Luckily, there was another tour later in the afternoon, so, in the mean time, we decided to mill around Old Town Square. The square was bustling with life despite the cold, rainy conditions. Prague, one of the top twenty most visited cities in the world, was full of tourists. In that respect, it wasn't as enjoyable as Budapest. Everywhere I went I heard English, an
d while it is comforting to hear my native tongue when constantly surrounded by unfamiliar languages, it makes the entire experience feel too commercial. We wandered through the many booths that are set up in the square with Tyn Church and St. Nicholas Church towering above us, listening to the sounds of a band of old men playing encircled by oggling tourists. After a short wait, we made our way through the gradually thickening pack of people standing in front of the Astronomical Clo
ck in preparation for its hourly show. Staring up at the bizarre array of dials, symbols, and figures I tried to fathom what kind of crazy dance they would soon be doing. As the bell tolled and the audience watched in wonder, a small skeleton began ringing a bell, then doors opened and figures of the apostles made their appearance in front of the opening before the doors closed. That was it. I have to say that after all the hype I had heard about the amazing astronomical clock, I was a bit disappointed. Though, I have to give the architects of the clock a little credit. It was originally built in 1410, long before modern technology, and has been added to and repaired numerous times over its centuries of existence.After watching the clock spectacle, we decided to just wander wherever we felt like. We ended up outside the Spanish Synagogue and then continued on and stumbled upon the Convent of St. Agnes of Bohemia. We were able to go inside and look around. It was beautiful, and like any place of this sort, very quiet. I always feel like I am the loudest person when I am forced to be as silent as possible. The sound of every move I make seems to magnify by ten. After we had had our fill of the convent, our grumbling stomachs dictated our next destination.
Instead of wandering aimlessly trying to find a restaurant that was both cheap and authentic, I turned to Rick Steves' Eastern Europe that I had borrowed from a friend. While other members of the group suggested going to a place we passed that sold wings, I stubbornly insisted on finding a re
staurant that served authentic Czech cuisine. Call me a snob, but I didn't come to the Czech Republic to eat wings! There is always Buffalo Wild Wings when I get back to the states. I found a place located nearby that met both of my criteria, Czech and cheap. It was a traditional Czech cafeteria where you get a tray and a slip of paper and make your way through the lines selecting whatever you want. Once you've ordered an item, you hand the slip to the server who proceeds to write down the item and the price of the item you ordered. After you're done eating, you take the slip to the cashier and pay on your way out. I thought it was really cool.After lunch we headed back to Old Town Square to meet up with the other tour. We successfully got assigned to a tour guide and off we went. Our tour guide, Isaac, was an American who had been living in Prague for the past eight years. He was a history buff and gave us very brief, but entertaining history at various sights around Prague. At one point he paused for dramatic effect after confidently assuming that we wanted to hear about the Nazis in Prague's history. To this assumption Franky chimed in "Yeah, do it," in a mock enthusiastic child voice. Our tour guide, slightly thrown off by the addition of Franky's comment, responded "Pipe down Rub-A-Dub," which got laughs all around. He was very funny, if not a little crass. He liked to make fun of different nationalities, which sometimes was a little over the top, but otherwise he made what could have been a boring tour, very entertaining and engaging. At one point he picked me out of the crowd to play the Virgin Mary in a skit about how a severed hand wound up in a church.
Unfortunately, we had to leave the tour early so we could go back to our hostel and change before heading off to a piano concert at the beautiful Rudolfinium. Our tour guide was less than pleased that we were leaving early, but we explained to him that we had plans that required us to bail out before the three hour tour had been completed. He still got a bit pissed off, but after walking away, two of our group returned to tip him and then we traipsed off to our hostel.
After a quick rest for our feet (we had literally been walking or standing all day, including during lunch because there were no booths open) we were soon back on the metro and he
aded to the Rudolfinium. We walked around the block once because we didn't realize that the building that we had passed on more than one occasion during our trip thus far was the one we wanted. We finally came to the realization that we were fools and had indeed been right in front of the correct building without even noticing it. Upon our realization, we quickly bought cheap tickets and went in. The concert was lovely. I have no knowledge of composers or what pieces go well together, but the music was great. After a day on my feet as the lead navigator it was wonderful to sit back in a beautiful room and listen to the sounds of seasoned fingers stroking the ivory keys of a piano. Half the time I just let the music fill the back of my mind as I let my mind wander to whatever it so pleased. After the pianist was done and had walked on and off the stage countless times (as is apparently customary in these types of performances) and perform two encores the concert was finally over.Back out on the street (and our feet) we made dinner our next objective. Someone amongst us decided that we should go to a restaurant called The Crazy Cow (a name which is very close to mad cow, and whi
ch would have been unsettling if I ate beef). Upon arrival at the restaurant I took a quick look at the menu and realized there weren't many options for a non-mammal eater like myself, and even fewer for a vegetarian. I decided that I'd rather keep looking, but the others were perfectly happy with this selection, so the lone vegetarian in the group and I went off in search of something more appetizing. We found a nice place that had something appetizing to both of us. I ended up getting the cheapest thing on the menu, potato soup in a bread bowl. It was delicious, Czech, and cheap, an unbeatable combination. After dinner Gene and I met back up with the rest of the group and we all headed for our hostel.That night we made sure we were on the metro before it closed, so we wouldn't have a repeat of the previous night wandering around the streets of Prague looking for the right night tram. After another exhausting day we all fell fast asleep in minutes.
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