Prague
Svea, the actress, and i said our goodbyes in Dresden, and i had a couple of hours before my train to Prague. i went outside, had a smoke, and coughed violently the whole time. i looked around, almost blinded by the cloudless sky, and i was apprehensive. after the next train, i will be in a place where i don't know a soul. i don't know more than a word or two of the language. and i'm travelling alone. i wanted to go home with Svea and hang out with her and her family, i was so lonely... but that ship sailed. i decided my lozenges were much better for me than my smokes, and i went to find my train's platform.
on the bench next to me were a man, a woman, and their son. when our train arrived, they got on, but left behind a bag. i got on the train and told them, in German, that they forgot their bag (i was so proud of myself for knowing how to say such a thing). but they didn't understand German so well. based on their accent (in English), i think they were Americans, except for the beautiful woman who had a Russian/Slavic accent. ahh, yes... such strange memories. i sat near them on the train. "dad" kept telling his son to shut up, even though he wasn't bothering anyone.
the train trip between Dresden and Prague is fucking GORGEOUS! it's like, you're going through a canyon, but you've got Bavarian-style homes and castles along the cliffs. but this train's seats are super-uncomfortable... you're sitting on a very firm springboard. at least... the train i was on.
once we got into Czech Republic, the other trains we passed looked fucking pathetic (i was on a German train that originated in Berlin). yep, i'm in the former Eastern Bloc now. Czech trains... you can stick your head out the window if you want to and have a limb ripped off.
i was warned about the taxis in Prague by my Lonely Planet book, but when i got to the taxi area of the trainstation, i had second thoughts. my hotel was slightly over a mile away. i can walk this, but the streets and the sidewalks are cobblestone, not good for my wheeled luggage... and i don't know what kind of neighbourhoods are in between me and my hotel. i decided a cab would be nice.
all i had were Euros, but the cabby only wanted crowns. so we first went to an exchange place in Wenceslas Square. the cabby was there while i made my transaction, so he knew how much money i had. we got back in the car, and he asked me if it's my first time to Prague. and, like a dumbass, i told him yes. so he took me around the city... in a spiral, so he could run up the meter, before we got to the hotel. and yes, i did complain very loudly. the fare was roughly 6800 crowns. but i only had 4800 (what i got for the 200€). so, to make up the difference, he took me to a filling station so i could buy him a tank of fuel, a carton of smokes, and a rose (of all things) with my credit card! but, just after we left the filling station, he got pulled over by the cops. after a few minutes, he got back in the car, complaining he just got fined 5000 crowns. i can only guess it was for giving me such a grand tour of the city.
looking back, i should've whipped out my map, pointed to the trainstation and pointed to the hotel location, and said, "2 kilometres. how much?"
but the fucker did get me to the hotel. my room was a fucking PALACE compared to my place back home in the States. this was a super-apartment! REALLY high ceilings, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen, a dining room, and a living room with a huge widescreen satellite TV! i wondered if there was a mistake... i reserved a just single room, and this was built for a family of 4!
i opened my luggage. the American salad dressing that i got in Germany (i was curious about it) slipped out, and hit the tiled floor. glass and dressing everywhere! but with all the ammenities, there wasn't a broom or mop to be found. the hotel took care of it the next day, leaving stains in between the tiles.
the TV was really cool, but i couldn't get half of the 1800+ channels. the really cool stuff, like Hustler, was blocked with a dollar sign next to it. willing to pay, i talked to reception about it, but they didn't know how to make it work. they offered a technician to come in on Monday (it was Saturday, by that time), but i'm leaving Monday... so i was stuck watching the train channel, where you get to watch out the front window of a German train for hours on end.
the night i arrived, i went to a local bar and had a couple of beers to relieve my mind of the horrible taxi ride. i didn't meet anyone, and no one talked to me... aside from the guy next to me who asked me, in Czech, to watch his stuff (i'm guessing). i found out, later, that many of the Czechs think i look Czech... just as some Germans think i look German.
in that bar, there was something that really stood out. at the beginning, they give you a blank ticket... then, when you order something, they write on your ticket. it's like a tab that you keep with you, and (i assume) you can't leave the place without it being settled with a stamp that says you paid.
i slept really well that first night. mainly, because i hadn't slept but an hour in the past 34. the room was nice and quiet.
the next day, i went a-walkin' towards Charles Bridge. Wenceslas Square was about a kilometer away, where i exchanged money the night before... where i had a mediocre Chinese meal that afternoon. i went on towards the city centre, but lost my berrings. i came upon 3 Anglophones, and i asked them directions to the Clock. 2 of them were in a band, and they invited me to see their show later on that evening. it wasn't far from my hotel, so i decided to go.
i saw the Astonomical Clock do its thing by chiming. and i took a stroll across the Charles Bridge and back. seeing all the other tourists... i was frustrated that i had no one to share this with.
later that night, i walked up steep hills to the bar where the band was supposed to play. they played really well... kind of a Ska thing. it was there, i met Daniel - a self-described comedian from Budapest. we got along well enough, and i was happy that i had someone to talk to. after many drinks, we stumbled back to my hotel where he made use of one of my other 2 beds after watching the Deutsche Bahn channel. Daniel woke me up early the next day, late for work and looking for his jacket. he didn't realise i was wearing it. nor did i until a few minutes after waking up. sometime during the night, i sleepwalked (sleptwalked?) and put on his jacket for some reason. feeling like an idiot, i gave it back to him and said goodbye. we exchanged contact info the night before... maybe i'll see him again in Budapest. he's supposed to arrive the day after i do.
that day, i didn't feel like doing much of anything. i felt lethargic, and a bit embarrassed about the jacket thing. still, i forced myself to go to an internet café, make an LJ post, and recharge my iPod for a bit. i also walked to the trainstation to buy my ticket to Budapest for the next day (leaving from a different trainstation than i arrived in... the whole ticket-purchasing thing was an extremely confusing endeavour), and on the way back to the hotel, i went to a local Oriental-run store and bought a tasty ramen thingy along with some beers. it was a crime that i spent that day doing virtually nothing in such a touristy destination. but i felt shitty, apprehensive and self-conscious. what else can you do but curl into a little ball and wish it all away?
my hotel wasn't a typical hotel. there was no bellhop, no concierge... no room service... no expensive mini-bar. i was basically *renting* an apartment for a few days. the reception, charming lassies as they were, was only there from 7am till 10pm. "we're your home away from home" the brochures say. anyway... my last day... i had stayed up all night to check out before the noon deadline. i got downstairs at 07:00, but the receptionist had yet to arrive. a woman with a basket full of cleaning supplies noticed me waiting around 7:30, and started using her cell phone. after some Czech conversation, she handed me her phone, without a word... obviously not knowing any English. the person on the other line told me the receptionist was hurt in a terrible car wreck on her way to work... the cleaning lady with the cell phone doesn't know how to do the checking out procedure... she asked if i could just please please please wait another hour for a different receptionist to arrive. well, duh, yeah, of course. it's not like i have a choice. luckily, my train ticket to Budapest was good for all 8 trains leaving that day, so i've got time, i suppose.
i used that hour to buy a metro ticket to my trainstation, and got back to no receptionist. it was 8:10. i discovered the back lot of the hotel. it was shared by a daycare of sorts. i had fun watching the children do their children thing through the elevator shaft's window. i also discovered there were OTHER hotel guests, a fact i was unaware of during my entire stay. on the street, i watched as a woman parked her car in the daycare's driveway so she could dart into a local shoppe. this blocked someone from getting out, and when that someone looked at me... i could only but point in the shoppe's direction. shaking heads ensued.
about 9:30, the cleaning lady had finished up one of her rooms and noticed me again. and again, she got on her horn. it was about 10:30 when someone finally arrived to check me out. it was pretty funny... all she did was pull up my thing on the computer and swipe my card... something the cleaning lady couldn't have been instructed to do over the phone (for some odd reason). still, i couldn't help but feel humbled and worried about the original receptionist. i hope she pulled through okay.
just before i got to the door to leave, they offered another night for free... for my "troubles". but my heart was already set for Budapest. looking back, i probably should've taken their offer.
no one checked my ticket on my way to the smaller trainstation using Prague's bus/tram/metro system, all the way on the north end of town. if they had, though, i was prepared. i learned my lesson last year in Hamburg with sedentarysarah. i even had my "extra ticket" for my luggage.
the trainstation i was leaving from was run down and communist. there was what looked like a single fat American mom, toting her 3 annoying kids around. needlesstosay, i didn't share their car. THIS train was quite comfy. the cars had 4-passenger cabins, and mine stayed empty most of the time. there was a time that it was full... Slovakians getting from one place to another within Slovakia... but that was it. i wanted to spend a few minutes off the train in Slovakia, but the schedule was such that the train would only be stopped for a minute at each stop. no more, no less. ahh well. Slovakia's probably boring anyway.
on the bench next to me were a man, a woman, and their son. when our train arrived, they got on, but left behind a bag. i got on the train and told them, in German, that they forgot their bag (i was so proud of myself for knowing how to say such a thing). but they didn't understand German so well. based on their accent (in English), i think they were Americans, except for the beautiful woman who had a Russian/Slavic accent. ahh, yes... such strange memories. i sat near them on the train. "dad" kept telling his son to shut up, even though he wasn't bothering anyone.
the train trip between Dresden and Prague is fucking GORGEOUS! it's like, you're going through a canyon, but you've got Bavarian-style homes and castles along the cliffs. but this train's seats are super-uncomfortable... you're sitting on a very firm springboard. at least... the train i was on.
once we got into Czech Republic, the other trains we passed looked fucking pathetic (i was on a German train that originated in Berlin). yep, i'm in the former Eastern Bloc now. Czech trains... you can stick your head out the window if you want to and have a limb ripped off.
i was warned about the taxis in Prague by my Lonely Planet book, but when i got to the taxi area of the trainstation, i had second thoughts. my hotel was slightly over a mile away. i can walk this, but the streets and the sidewalks are cobblestone, not good for my wheeled luggage... and i don't know what kind of neighbourhoods are in between me and my hotel. i decided a cab would be nice.
all i had were Euros, but the cabby only wanted crowns. so we first went to an exchange place in Wenceslas Square. the cabby was there while i made my transaction, so he knew how much money i had. we got back in the car, and he asked me if it's my first time to Prague. and, like a dumbass, i told him yes. so he took me around the city... in a spiral, so he could run up the meter, before we got to the hotel. and yes, i did complain very loudly. the fare was roughly 6800 crowns. but i only had 4800 (what i got for the 200€). so, to make up the difference, he took me to a filling station so i could buy him a tank of fuel, a carton of smokes, and a rose (of all things) with my credit card! but, just after we left the filling station, he got pulled over by the cops. after a few minutes, he got back in the car, complaining he just got fined 5000 crowns. i can only guess it was for giving me such a grand tour of the city.
looking back, i should've whipped out my map, pointed to the trainstation and pointed to the hotel location, and said, "2 kilometres. how much?"
but the fucker did get me to the hotel. my room was a fucking PALACE compared to my place back home in the States. this was a super-apartment! REALLY high ceilings, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen, a dining room, and a living room with a huge widescreen satellite TV! i wondered if there was a mistake... i reserved a just single room, and this was built for a family of 4!
i opened my luggage. the American salad dressing that i got in Germany (i was curious about it) slipped out, and hit the tiled floor. glass and dressing everywhere! but with all the ammenities, there wasn't a broom or mop to be found. the hotel took care of it the next day, leaving stains in between the tiles.
the TV was really cool, but i couldn't get half of the 1800+ channels. the really cool stuff, like Hustler, was blocked with a dollar sign next to it. willing to pay, i talked to reception about it, but they didn't know how to make it work. they offered a technician to come in on Monday (it was Saturday, by that time), but i'm leaving Monday... so i was stuck watching the train channel, where you get to watch out the front window of a German train for hours on end.
the night i arrived, i went to a local bar and had a couple of beers to relieve my mind of the horrible taxi ride. i didn't meet anyone, and no one talked to me... aside from the guy next to me who asked me, in Czech, to watch his stuff (i'm guessing). i found out, later, that many of the Czechs think i look Czech... just as some Germans think i look German.
in that bar, there was something that really stood out. at the beginning, they give you a blank ticket... then, when you order something, they write on your ticket. it's like a tab that you keep with you, and (i assume) you can't leave the place without it being settled with a stamp that says you paid.
i slept really well that first night. mainly, because i hadn't slept but an hour in the past 34. the room was nice and quiet.
the next day, i went a-walkin' towards Charles Bridge. Wenceslas Square was about a kilometer away, where i exchanged money the night before... where i had a mediocre Chinese meal that afternoon. i went on towards the city centre, but lost my berrings. i came upon 3 Anglophones, and i asked them directions to the Clock. 2 of them were in a band, and they invited me to see their show later on that evening. it wasn't far from my hotel, so i decided to go.
i saw the Astonomical Clock do its thing by chiming. and i took a stroll across the Charles Bridge and back. seeing all the other tourists... i was frustrated that i had no one to share this with.
later that night, i walked up steep hills to the bar where the band was supposed to play. they played really well... kind of a Ska thing. it was there, i met Daniel - a self-described comedian from Budapest. we got along well enough, and i was happy that i had someone to talk to. after many drinks, we stumbled back to my hotel where he made use of one of my other 2 beds after watching the Deutsche Bahn channel. Daniel woke me up early the next day, late for work and looking for his jacket. he didn't realise i was wearing it. nor did i until a few minutes after waking up. sometime during the night, i sleepwalked (sleptwalked?) and put on his jacket for some reason. feeling like an idiot, i gave it back to him and said goodbye. we exchanged contact info the night before... maybe i'll see him again in Budapest. he's supposed to arrive the day after i do.
that day, i didn't feel like doing much of anything. i felt lethargic, and a bit embarrassed about the jacket thing. still, i forced myself to go to an internet café, make an LJ post, and recharge my iPod for a bit. i also walked to the trainstation to buy my ticket to Budapest for the next day (leaving from a different trainstation than i arrived in... the whole ticket-purchasing thing was an extremely confusing endeavour), and on the way back to the hotel, i went to a local Oriental-run store and bought a tasty ramen thingy along with some beers. it was a crime that i spent that day doing virtually nothing in such a touristy destination. but i felt shitty, apprehensive and self-conscious. what else can you do but curl into a little ball and wish it all away?
my hotel wasn't a typical hotel. there was no bellhop, no concierge... no room service... no expensive mini-bar. i was basically *renting* an apartment for a few days. the reception, charming lassies as they were, was only there from 7am till 10pm. "we're your home away from home" the brochures say. anyway... my last day... i had stayed up all night to check out before the noon deadline. i got downstairs at 07:00, but the receptionist had yet to arrive. a woman with a basket full of cleaning supplies noticed me waiting around 7:30, and started using her cell phone. after some Czech conversation, she handed me her phone, without a word... obviously not knowing any English. the person on the other line told me the receptionist was hurt in a terrible car wreck on her way to work... the cleaning lady with the cell phone doesn't know how to do the checking out procedure... she asked if i could just please please please wait another hour for a different receptionist to arrive. well, duh, yeah, of course. it's not like i have a choice. luckily, my train ticket to Budapest was good for all 8 trains leaving that day, so i've got time, i suppose.
i used that hour to buy a metro ticket to my trainstation, and got back to no receptionist. it was 8:10. i discovered the back lot of the hotel. it was shared by a daycare of sorts. i had fun watching the children do their children thing through the elevator shaft's window. i also discovered there were OTHER hotel guests, a fact i was unaware of during my entire stay. on the street, i watched as a woman parked her car in the daycare's driveway so she could dart into a local shoppe. this blocked someone from getting out, and when that someone looked at me... i could only but point in the shoppe's direction. shaking heads ensued.
about 9:30, the cleaning lady had finished up one of her rooms and noticed me again. and again, she got on her horn. it was about 10:30 when someone finally arrived to check me out. it was pretty funny... all she did was pull up my thing on the computer and swipe my card... something the cleaning lady couldn't have been instructed to do over the phone (for some odd reason). still, i couldn't help but feel humbled and worried about the original receptionist. i hope she pulled through okay.
just before i got to the door to leave, they offered another night for free... for my "troubles". but my heart was already set for Budapest. looking back, i probably should've taken their offer.
no one checked my ticket on my way to the smaller trainstation using Prague's bus/tram/metro system, all the way on the north end of town. if they had, though, i was prepared. i learned my lesson last year in Hamburg with sedentarysarah. i even had my "extra ticket" for my luggage.
the trainstation i was leaving from was run down and communist. there was what looked like a single fat American mom, toting her 3 annoying kids around. needlesstosay, i didn't share their car. THIS train was quite comfy. the cars had 4-passenger cabins, and mine stayed empty most of the time. there was a time that it was full... Slovakians getting from one place to another within Slovakia... but that was it. i wanted to spend a few minutes off the train in Slovakia, but the schedule was such that the train would only be stopped for a minute at each stop. no more, no less. ahh well. Slovakia's probably boring anyway.