Abby and I decided to make a video compilation of our trip to Prague, which I am editing now.. very slowly. Its probably going to look like one of those cliché traveling videos that young adults make with GoPros.. because it is but I'll try hard to make it interesting.
After a bus ride that, again, gave me slight PTSD because of accident traffic that we sat for half an hour in, we reached Prague and Abby managed to find us a very authentic Prague dinner at 10pm. It wasn't one of those tourist-oriented bars that has all the classics a foreigner is looking for that you find on a "top ten things to try in Prague" list online. It was a butcher in the front, and when you walk through to the back it's cafeteria-style seating, and a lot of people standing. I guess in the Czech Republic that is a common thing to do. Makes sense why I'm part Czechoslovakian, as my roommates can attest....
Anyways, they hand you a slip of paper that is mostly blank except a few side dishes listed. You order whatever you want that is behind the counter (not always knowing what it is), they take it and weigh it all on one tray and write it down on your slip. You pay at the end of the night before walking out. Cool concept that I've heard of before and I think should become more prevalent in the US. We ordered meat, meat,... and beer. Haha just kidding we also had some roasted veggies and a delish potato pancake but the meat at this restaurant/butcher/bar was obviously the focus.
Our first full day was spent in a small spa town two hours outside of Prague, known for the thermal springs there and healing qualities of the water. We had booked a small spa package at one of the day spas there, consisting of a salt cave, herbal bath, and partial aromatherapy massage. The only spa I had to compare it to were those back home like the Woodstock Inn and Quechee Club, which are both very high end. I shouldn't have - its not that my sights were set too high but that we just didn't realize how the system worked in this country. I guess I expected changing rooms and a person kind of guiding us through the few hours we were there, but it was much more self-directed. Sitting in the salt cave for 45 minutes was supposed to align the ions in your body or expel the negative ones? I'm not sure... just that it was ionized from all the Himalayan salt and I fell half asleep around the four other old Czech women in there. The last time I took a real bath I was probably five, so this one was very soothing, in a private room for twenty minutes filled with lavender aroma. The massage was also a relaxing twenty minutes, just a different... setting than I am used to, listening to a Czech radio station consisting of mostly early 2000's American pop rock music. I learned very quickly how little they care about you stripping down completely naked in front of them, and realized that they've probably seen so many body types that I should not feel awkward. Definitely a worthwhile cultural experience. We spent the afternoon doing a little hike to a viewpoint (which felt heartwarmingly close to annual Easter hike up Mt. Tom in Woodstock we would always do with our family) and walking around the picturesque town decked out for spring.
Prague on Easter weekend is absolutely swamped with tourists... Abby and I contributing to that, so we can't really complain. We did all the normal things like touring Prague castle, walking through all the Easter markets, running to John Lennon's wall, seeking out the various Kafka statues in the city. Of course we had to search for a few thrift stores, and ate as much food as my stomach could bear, finding quite a few gem eating spots. We were also able to find a church service in english for Easter Sunday, pastored by a couple from Texas. The Museum of Communism was honestly one of my highlights, because since I'm learning so much history about Germany in my classes, it makes going to museums in other cities a lot more relevant and interesting. The Czech Republic (and Slovakia) have some crazy history.
We said a bittersweet farewell on Monday morning, sending Abby to Vienna. We'll see each other again at home in a short three weeks time :))
