So I know that's the corniest title for a blog entry EVER, but I honestly could not resist.
Prague is, in a word, totally enchanting. It's just what I think of when I think of Europe. Old cobblestoned streets, this castle up on a hill, great old architecture, dark and windy streets... it's awesome. I am loving it. I can't believe I have to go to CLASS on Tuesday! Ugh.
So I got in on Thursday night, kind of too late to really do anything except go out. Agostina was meeting up with some of her friends from Argentina here, and they all took me under their wing and have become my friends. I literally cannot thank these people enough. This hostel is about the nicest hostel I've ever seen. It's honestly more like a hotel than a hostel. It's... awesome. I honestly can't think of another word to describe it. The downside, though, to it being kind of hotel-y is that it would have been a LOT more difficult to meet people than it was in my hostels in Munich and Berlin. Thank goodness, though, I don't have to! I can't get over how nice these people have been to me. They go out of their way to speak English to and around me (even though it's obviously none of their first language, and one guy in particular clearly really struggles with it, but he persists in speaking it in group settings when I'm around), they include me in everything they do, etc. When I was waiting in the hostel bar with Agostina for her friends and they showed up, I kind of hung around for about 15 minutes and was like, "okay, see you guys later." I didn't want to impose on them since they had all just been reunited (they all traveled with each other for awhile but then they all wanted to do their own thing, so they were split up for about 2 weeks and reunited here in Prague). They were all like, "What? Where are you going? You don't want to hang out with us?" I was like, "I don't want to impose..." and one girl got up from the table, did the thing were you kiss someone on both cheeks (very Latin, I feel) and was like, "you are very welcome here with us." They've been so great.
So ANYWAY by the time they all came in it was about 8, so we just ate dinner at the hostel and went out. We went to the club that virtually every visitor to Prague under the age of 30 goes to... THE LARGEST MUSIC CLUB IN CENTRAL EUROPE! I don't even remember the name, but I know EVERYONE goes here. If anyone who is reading this has been to Prague, I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about. Anyway, it was sort of an obligatory thing. The club has five levels and each does a different type of music... it's actually a really weird place. But now I can say I've been there.
So Friday we got up and did a walking tour of Prague, with that same New Europe tour company. Again... it was really cool. We hit all the main sights... Old Town, the astronomical clock, the Charles Bridge, etc. Then in the afternoon, I did a walking tour of Prague Castle, which is apparently the largest castle complex in the world. It. Was. Incredible. ALSO I SAW THE CZECH PRESIDENT THERE!!! His offices are there and he was in his car driving away from the building! The tour guide confirmed it for us (mostly because, in the words of Derrick Testa, "If I saw the Czech president, he'd have to be holding a sign that said, 'Czech President' in English for me to know who it was.") Regardless. So cool.
Today I went to legitimately two of the coolest museums I have ever been to in my life. First, the Museum of Communism was incredible. It had all this Soviet memorabilia and exhibits on life under Soviet rule... it was really, really cool. Then I went to the Kafka Museum, which I'm still sort of trying to process. It... I sort of can't explain it. That sounds so stupid. But the museum was one long...path, I guess, and you go through the Prague of Kafka's imagination. That sounds weird, but I legitimately can't think of another way to explain it. It was... wow. It was really good.
Tonight I'm going to a performance of The Nutcracker with my new Argentinean friends. For the equivalent of seven dollars. I. Love. Central. Europe.
Ugh. I have to leave tomorrow. Gross.
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