Anyway, the first story I'd like to share is one from Prague. Two years ago I did some travelling throughout Europe and had an unbelievable time. Met a lot of people, saw a lot of amazing places, and definitely had my share of fun. So, here were go.
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| Prague Castle -- I took and edited this photo |
Towards the middle of my "EuroTrip" I decided to go to Prague. I've always heard great things about this small city, tucked away in Eastern Europe; how beautiful the city is, how nice the people are, the historically architecture and bridges...I was really looking forward to it. So, one day, I believe I was in Rome, Italy, I booked a cheap flight and hostel and took-off for the sunny city in the Czech Republic.
I remember arriving confused as hell. The airport wasn't enormous, but I was pretty tired, didn't realize how different the language was (although, later I found it surprisingly similar to Serbian in some regard), and had no idea how to get to my hostel...or central Prague for that matter.
That is one thing I loved about travelling alone, however. There was never any rush, no panicing, I was in complete control. I ended up talking to some baggage handler, who incidentally lived in Boston for a while (go figure), and he advised to take public transport into the city. This ended up being really cheap, which was great since I was on a budget, and easy as hell! The bus/metro combo was fast and efficient, plus I met some other travelers on the way...even picked up a number from an Aussie (in all honesty, she wasn't very cute, but was friendly and seemed really cool), which didn't matter anyway since I didn't have a phone.
My hostel was conveniently located right in the center square of Prague. It was literally a 2-3 minute walk from the Prague Astronomical Clock. Not only was the location great, but the place itself was awesome! Great common room, furnished with cool, modern furniture, a big flatscreen, and enough movies to last you a lifetime (not that anyone came there to watch movies).
I made it up to my room and found my new roommates to be just as cool and interesting as the hostel. Most of them were Australian (they travel in bunches) and a couple Americans (really cool couple from L.A.). I found that most people in the hostel were very artsy, laid back, and heavy drinkers...I randomly stumbled upon a goldmine.
It was getting rather late, and I was somewhat tired from travelling that day, but still wanted to go out...I mean why not? Fortunately, EuroCup 2008 was going on, and the city set up a huge viewing area in the center square right next to the hostel. So, several of my new friends (and Australian vegan-female, another Australian creeper-male, and the couple from L.A.) and myself decided to go by some cheap beers at a local grocery store and head to the square to watch the game with the rest of the city.
It was amazing! I forgot who was playing, but it didn't matter. There were so many people out there from all over the world, it felt like one big party. We were knocking back Czech Budweiser (Budweiser Budvar) like it was Czech law, and for all we knew it was.
As the game was nearing an end, I was getting ready to extend the night. My new friends, however, were not. How fucking lame! It was a huge let down (the draw back of travelling alone, I guess). So, as I pleaded to them to stay out for just one more drink, we headed back to the hostel. As we were getting near, I could see that the night was going to end far earlier than I would have liked. But (there's always a but)...
...I was handed another golden opportunity! Some smashed Englishmen randomly approached us, asking if we knew any good bars/clubs nearby. They, like me, wanted to keep the party going! I quickly responded that I had no idea where to go or what places were good, but if they wouldn't mind, I'd like to join them. They gladly excepted my self-invite, thankfully.
Note: Before we go on, let me describe this group. They were all in their mid/late 30's, several of them had sleeve tattoos, and all of them were shaved bald. In other words, they resembled the stereotypically soccer hooligan group.
So, we all piled into a cab and headed off to God knows where. As the cabbie was weaving through Prague traffic (which there really wasn't much of), I found out these lads where here for a bachelor party. What fucking luck! I now knew I was in for a good night.
We reached our destination and from the looks of it, it didn't appear to be anything special. Fairly large building, no lights or windows, small bar next door, and a very large doorman at the entrence. We paid cover to get in and walked down a long hallway into what I though would eventually end at either a dance floor or bar. It never did. The hallway just keep going. As we walked through this maze, which now seemed more like a hotel, it finally hit me. We were in a whorehouse...
I didn't really know what to think at the moment. I just kept walking, cracking the occasional joke about a passing fat-whore, which there were a shockingly high number of. Anyway, after about 5 minutes, me and a couple of the other guys decided that this really wasn't for us, so we left to the bar next door.
As we chatted about what just transpired, the rest of the lot slowly trickled in. Damn, did they have some stories about the whorehouse. The common themes: quick, expensive, sloppy. Anyway, we continued to exchange pleasantries until the wee hours of the morning, pounding beers and shots with no pause. It came to a point where the other guys started paying the bartenders and dancers at the bar to come dance at/on our table. It really ended up being a great and very entertaining night!
At around 5AM, I decided it was probably in my best interest to leave. So, I thanked the guys for the drinks and the memorable night out and made my way out. As I left, I figured it would be best to grab a cab home. So, I walked to the closest ATM with the intention of picking up some money for cab fair. Nope. My debit card was repeatedly rejected. What I failed to realize was, I never notified my bank that I would be travelling to the Czech Republic. My EuroTrip wasn't planned very thoroughly (or at all), so I basically decided on the fly where I would be going. Apparently, I didn't think I would be going to Prague.
So, where does that leave me...stranded somewhere in Prague, no bones (read: money), tired as hell, and no idea how to get back to my hostel (although I did have a good point of reference, the Astronomical Clock). So, after wandering around for a couple hours, crossing several bridges, and failing to find a city map, I started weighing other options. My first thought was to find a bench, lay down and rest for a while, wait until the morning and then find my way home. I quickly realized how retarded that sounded. Not only was that dangerous, more importantly it would have been uncomfortable as fuck to sleep on a bench. So, I walked around a little longer...and guess what I stumbled upon...a fucking city map! Damn, was I relieved.
After surveying the map for a couple seconds, I realized something very quickly. I was about 10 minutes from the Astronomical Clock...no more than 12 minutes from my hostel. I was frustrated at first, but after some thought, more relieved than anything. I made the walk back, and was lucky enough to see a beautiful sunrise over this majestic city. The streets were still empty and quite, so it actually turned out to be a great way to cap off a crazy evening.
As I walked into the hostel, I couldn't help but laugh to myself a little...fucking Prague.
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