More news from old Prague

I like Prague.

There, you've had the ever important judgement of Phil. Truly you need never think of Prague again, except to know that Yes, Phil likes Prague.



Sorry.
Too much solo time?




Anyway...

It is a fun city to walk around in. The old part of town is well preserved, though there are too many souvenir shops and restos geared to tourists. There is still a bit of an off the beaten path, but not much. I'll say this though: Prague is a beautiful city with an incredible history. Thats another reason why I enjoy this place. It is incredible to hike up to Prague Castle, go to the Vitus Church, walk across the Charles Bridge, sit in the Old Town Square. All pondering the history of the Hussites and Bohemians and what all.
The Jewish Quarter, Josefov, is incredible and includes the oldest synagogue in Europe and an old cemetary dating to the 15th century. The graves are piled on top of each other with 12,000 souls filling perhaps 2 acres.
The recent history of the end of communism still marks the city. I vistited a the Museum of Communism, which was in the same building as a casino and right above a McDonalds. It had a very amusing pro-capitalist bent. It was also incredible to sit in Wenseclas Square, stare at the national museum and ponder the Velvet Revolution. I'd been meaning to read Vaclav Havel's Disturbing the Peace for a few years but haven't gotten around to it. I was inspired sitting there, and proceeded to a book shop on the square and picked it up. I also got two other books I've been meaning to read: Collapse by Jared Diamond and No Logo by Naomi Kline. Nice uplifting and light vacation reading, eh?

I sometimes joke that I can tell how much I'll like a city based on how often I get offered hash. And it is here! Walking around the tourist drag one night I got three offers. Last night it appeared at my hostel. I ended up going out last night, deals were fairly open in the club we went to. In part of the club folks openly rolled their sticks and lit up right there.

Besides seeing a bit of hash, last night I also saw a shadier side of Prague. I met up with two English girls I'd met and befriended in Vienna. We went to this club in Old Town called Chateau. I liked the place decent, besides it being filled with tourist types and a disproportianite amount of sausage. Soon after we arrived one of ladies I was with became violently ill. After getting her out of the bar we hoped a taxi to a hospital. We suspected she'd been sliped something, but not sure. There'd been a strange shady dude hanging around us a bit, couldn't qutie figure him out. Paranoia?
She'd been out last night, but hadn't partied to hard. Poor planning had her eat only one meal that day. She had a couple drinks and most of a spliff on her own (but word was she smoked plenty at home, though a different grade). I went with the ladies to the hospital, of course. They didn't do much for her there, except advise a night of sleep for her and a friend to keep a watch on her to ensure she didn't asphxyiate (too lazy to look up spelling). So, I ended up back at their hostel. I stayed up an early shift with coffee and a borrowed book. Bill Bryson's A Brief History of Everything, but I didn't take to it. Pop-science short on ideas and long on prose. I was able to crash there for free, thankfully. It was a disappointing evening, not only because a friend became ill, but also because I hadn't really had a single big night out on this trip. I've had a few beers here and there, but its not really me to hit up a scene solo. The folks I've met haven't had schedules conducive with mine for partying. Last night was gonna be big night out, and was gonna top what was by far my best day of travel.

Other news: my cold cleared! thank fucking god!

I had my first ever Vodka Red Bull! It was gross and tasted like cough syrup. Why would anyone drink that trash? especially here in Czech, home of the Pilsner and some of the finest brews on the continent?

I start heading home tomorrow. boo. Plane to copenhagen, hang out for afternoon and evening, night bus to Oslo. I've done bits of work related business here and there. I'm not looking forward to returning, even though this trek hasn't been all that I'd hoped.