One of my best friends from Toronto, Claire DesBrisay, had been in Tanzania on a semester-long service/co-op programme. She was there to work with women's empowerment groups and to teach English at a school in the city of Arusha. Her term ended at the start of April, so she and I had made plans to meet up for my Easter break and travel together. On April 16th, I took a train to Paris where she had already been staying for a few days. Her hostel was in the Montmartre neighbourhood, a great spot for young tourists. We had a few minutes of panic as we attempted to figure out where in Châtelet - Les Halles (Paris' largest metro station and an enormous shopping centre) we would meet up. Foolishly I had thought that a meeting place would be more evident, but thanks to our cell phones and some sheer dumb luck, we found each other. She looked fabulous - a bronzed goddess wearing a sundress made of a traditional African cloth.
We spent the early afternoon perusing the quartier (district) and eating a nice lunch. Our flight to our first destination, Prague, wasn't until much later that day. Eventually we collected Claire's luggage (poor thing had already been dragging around for two weeks all that she'd brought to Africa) and went to the airport. Our gate was quite likely the farthest possible gate from security. Even once you've checked your bags, it is such a colossal pain to lug around your 500 pound carry-on bags. I had finally learned to be a clever packer, and had put all that I needed for 12 days into one carry-on suitcase and a backpack. My friend Jason (another CIDEF student) and his friend Eddie were starting their trip in Prague as well, so we spent several comfortable hours together at the airport. Our flight was uneventful unless you count the landing, the roughest I remember experiencing. Our plane didn't land on the runway, it bounced. Welcome to the Czech Republic!
It was late night when we arrived in Prague. Once our bags were in order, we set about to figure out how to get to our hostel. We had no Czech money (the Koruna, approx. 18 = $1 CDN). I had sketchy instructions from our hostel which advised us to take a bus. Claire, Jason, Eddie, and I hopped on what we were pretty sure was the correct one and crossed our fingers. Seeing no place to buy tickets, I crossed my toes too that we weren't kicked off at the side of the highway for not having paid. Luckily we made the trip to our suggested stop at the metro. A Spanish girl named Tanya got off the bus as well and turned out to be staying at the same place. The boys were CouchSurfing and set off for to meet their host (more on that later), but the three of us descended down into the subway. It was past midnight, and no one was in the ticket booth. Hoping for equal good luck, we hopped ticketless onto the next train.
Our hostel was not as straightforward to find as one might have liked, but we reached it without too much struggle. We pressed the buzzer outside a small graffitied door under the sign saying The Clown and Bard. We were led down a short set of stairs into the smoky lobby/hang-out of the hostel. The front desk doubled as a bar, and the "concierge" (a quiet young Scot with an unplaceable accent) was pouring beers for people even as he took our money. There are no smoking bans in bars in the Czech Republic, so a heavy cloud hung thick in the air. Gross as it was, I suppose it added to the feel of the hostel as a retro stopover for wandering youth. Our room was on the fourth floor, so up we thumped our suitcases up the stairs and collapsed into bed.
It's been so long since I made the trip now that I can't remember all the details. Luckily for you, or this post would be a hundred pages longer than it's already setting up to be!
Claire and I stepped out into the colourful streets of Prague armed with cameras, some Czech money, but not enough warm clothing. The day began beautifully, and we enjoyed the contrast of the stunning architecture of the upper stories of all buildings contrasted with the run-down ground floors. I was surprised to note that the Czechs looked much less distinctly Eastern European than I had imagined. Technically, it's a very central country and rather westernised. I think I'd expected to see the sharp facial characteristics of Russians. The hostel had given us an entertaining city map that made bizarre commentary on many of the labelled sights. We took in a traditional meal of cheesy potato, cabbage, and sausage, wandered around the Easter market in the main square, and signed up for a walking tour. We saw many lovely and interesting parts of the city, notably the impressive glockenspiel, the Jewish quarter, and the old town centre. That night, Claire and I met up with Jason and Eddie for dinner at a restaurant that brought your drinks to the table in the carts of Thomas the Tank Engine trains. Then we had a lovely walk through the streets at night before heading to bed.
The next few days consisted of the Prague Castle, the main bridge, a choral concert in a stunning Baroque church, and more beautiful churches. The Prague Castle is, I believe, the largest in the world, each successive ruler having stuck on a new addition. The Cathedral inside the castle grounds was worth the visit, as were the royal gardens where we had a sunny picnic. The view from the castle heights gave us a beautiful overlook of the red roofs of the city. On the second night, I leaned out of the window of our room and chatted with some hilarious Germans staying in our hostel. We had a great couple of evenings hanging out with them.
... to be continued.
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