I'm so glad i CZECHED out Prague!

Alright! So i woke up and got myself ready for an adventure to Prague! With some time to spare before my train, i decided to grab some breakfast at one of the few markets that was actually open because it was Sunday and head for the parliament, really pretty gardens, insanely large and old museum area so i could take some photos. Of course it was raining so i ended up taking the metro which was probably a better idea than walking. Luckily, the metro in Vienna is quite small (only 3 lines) so getting around wasn't too difficult. I soaked in the sights, literally because it was raining (ah! Kfo joke!), and was really impressed by the rose garden. They probably had at least 100 different varieties of roses and it was nice to see them as an actual plant, rather than some man on the street trying to sell you them while you are trying to eat dinner. Anyway, i made it to my train and I actually had a really enjoyable ride. It was another of one those compartment type deals, but the lady and younger girl i sat with were so incredibly nice. They were from Norway and had been traveling for a little over a week. We talked a lot about scandanavia and they definitely convinced me i have to go. I mean, when i went to Denmark with my soccer team almost 10 years ago (wow, that made me cringe) I absolutely loved it. The landscape was just my type and it was definitely a place for the nature lover like myself. They also filled me in on what happened in Oslo a few weeks ago. I had only heard that something happened, but hadn't had the time to really read about it. It was devastating to hear about the tragedy and they kept saying, "things like that just don't happen in Norway. We are peaceful and nonviolent people. It is horrible." hearing their perspectives was definitely eye opening and I'm glad that i had that opportunity to do so. On the other hand, the scenery we passed was again beautiful. Despite the long hours I spend on trains i would never be able to see such remote and beautiful parts of the countries i visit on an airplane. So I guess it makes it worthwhile... Especially because we passed by TONS of fields of sunflowers! My favorite, of course! After about a 5 hours trek, we finally got to Praha! I did my routine of getting my train ticket to the next place, money, and then figuring out how to get to the hostel. By this point, I have it all mastered. I will say, the metro in prague was a little tricky. The ticket machine was so terribly confusing and i frankly just guessed at what i needed and didn't even end up using it because you can just kind of walk through... Which is probably NOT what you are supposed to do, but hey I don't know! I even made it seem like i knew exactly what i was doing because this chinese couple asked how to buy a ticket and I honestly admitted I had no idea and guessed. Oh well. I managed to figure it out enough, though, and got to the hostel. I'm SO glad this is my last hostel. I stayed at chili hostel and its, well, not very clean. They give you towels and sheets that have probably been used over and over for the past 2 years, and i also didn't find their staff overly enthusiastic. When i got to my room, it wasn't much better. The pillow was pretty nasty and looked like it had years of drool stains piled on it and it just had an interesting odor. I told myself, "it's okay. Only 2 nights and that's it for hostels!" and proceeded to go find dinner. My indecisiveness was at it's worst, and as many of you know, this happens quite often. Trying to find dinner took probably an hour because i just couldn't decide what restaurant to choose. I did however come to the conclusion. Despite my "I need to try the local food" rule i soon realized that wasn't going to happen in Prague because every traditional Czech dish seems to compete with the other to see which can put the most types of meat on one plate and I just wasn't up for that. I can blame part of my indecision on the fact that prague is absolutely beautiful, though. I honestly felt like i was in this movie set like place because all the buildings have so much detail to them as well as great color. Each building is a piece of art and none of them really look the same. Since I was in the old town area, I also came across the square where the anatomical clock is and a few churches... And a lot of people and shops. Eventually, I did fid a restaurant and i decided to treat myself to a good meal for making it this far. They weren't kidding when they said Prague was cheap. I got a beer, water, onion rings (craving, I guess), a delicious smoked trout salad, a crepe-like dessert, and espresso for the equivalent of $20! I was shocked! And, even better, everything was super good! With a full stomach, I managed to find my way home (in the rain, of course) and when i got back I met 2 of my roommates, who i cant remember their names! But heres the important part: one of them is from stow, massachusetts! It was such an awesome moment. We all talked about our travels and where we came from, all that, it was quite nice. Then it was late so i decided to go to bed, despite theses 2 italian boys who were also staying in our room making a ton of noise because they were giggling like school girls... Seriously. In the morning, i woke up to more rain and started thinking i must have made a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in seattle. Regardless, I made my way out to start on my walking adventure. I had a few places in mind i wanted to check out, but first priority was breakfast at Bohemian Bagels. Best suggestions for food.... EVER! Now, my friend Lindsey (aka beaver) always brings me to get what i thought were the best bagels in the world in new jersey. You know, the classic New York bagel. Right, the bagel i had here brought amazing to a whole new level. I couldn't have been more happy, especially because i also had my first cup of "american" coffee since i left the states. I forgot how much I missed it. After i indulged and took in the coffee shop atmosphere (one of my favorite pastimes is to spend hours at a coffee shops...), i headed for my first stop: the Charles bridge. Along the way, i walked through Old Town Square and there was a mass of people standing near the anatomical clock. Thinking something important was about to happen, i figurerd id stick around and see what the big deal was. It was about a minute later i put the pieces together and looked at the time. It was near 11 which meant that bells would start going off, things would move, and a guy on the top of the tower would start playing a trumpet. It was definitely worth the wait! Anyways, I eventually got to the bridge and it offered an incredible glimpse of the city. You could really put together the architecture and just how truly beautiful prague is. Except at this point, the tourists and tour groups had emerged and my level of grumpiness began to soar. Tired of listening to them and being tossed like a salad from one oblivious person to another, i put on my headphones and made for my next (and most important) stop: the John Lennon Peace Wall. Except, since the rain finally ceased, i shed some of my layers and in the process lost my map! I panicked and retraced my steps for a good 5 minutes. I thought, "okay, I know prague is a relatively clean city, but that's pretty quick for trash pick up! And really, who would steal my map? It was free at the hostel!" of course the last place i was, as in the place i realized i lost my map, turned out to be where my map was lying helpless on the ground. I picked it up, and hustled along. When i got to the wall, I was shocked, but please to see that there were NO people there... Well, okay, there were maybe 10, but compared to what I've been used to... Thats nothing! I stayed there for a long time reading the notes people had written on the wall, all sorts of words of peace and love. I took some time trying to think of what I was going to add to the wall and finally it came to me. I traced my hand, drew a peace sign, and wrote: "We can (tracing of my hand) -le (peace sign). Hahaha! I was sure to sign it kfo and was very pleased with my punny message of peace. Pictures will come when i get back so you can get the full effect! I moved on from the wall and i felt relaxed enough to dive into the crowds and made my way up to the mini-Eiffel tower at Petrin Park. It was a nice hike to the top and gave an absolutely amazing panorama of the city. All the red roofs and church steeples...  It was fantastic! I also climbed up that little Eiffel tower (I don't know if it has an actual name) which was slightly frightening. Unless I'm in my climbing harness and hooked to a rope with a trustworthy belayer, I'm not too found of heights. So i took my pictures, got my full of the view, and headed down to safety! The view was really beautiful and it was worth faking i still attended Endicott College so i could get a discounted ticket. But at this point I was sweating! The sun had finally showed up and after that uphill hike and anxiety inducing stair climb, i decided to change clothes then embark on some more walking. In much cooler attire, I decided to grab some lunch at another recommended restaurant called Le Casa Blu. It was a Mexican restaurant and the nachos were incredible! I think all the walking I've been doing in the past few weeks finally caught up to me because my legs were beat. I found a nice bench and people watched for a little bit, then grabbed a late supper and beer then headed for bed. Honestly, I wasn't too fond of the beer here. Sure it was cheap which was fantastic, but it was only alright for me. I guess the microbrews of the northwest have spoiled me. I didn't sleep that well due to my bed situation. It literally formed to my body and the there was a dent in the mattress where i laid... And I'm pretty sure it wasn't a temperapedic mattress! I woke up pretty early so i made one last trip to Bohemia Bagels which was an excellent life decision! Since it was early, there were no tourists milling about and the town was fairly empty besides the locals. Now, not to get ahead of myself because i still have a few more stops on my journey, but I have to say Prague is my favorite city of the trip and a place i would love to visit again. I really didn't see too much of it, but i liked what I did see. After i checked out i made my way to the train station to begin my trek to Dusseldorf, Germany to visit with my friend Kathy from high school. So far, the journey has been uneventful which seems kind of odd for me! Things have gone rather smoothly ever since I got out of Italy so I'm hoping it's smooth sailing until the end... Which is near! I'm officially done with hostels, only have one more train ride (except the metro), and 2 more countries with language barriers! I almost feel like just getting to London is a feat in-and-of itself!  Write more soon. Enjoy!