Falling in love again

I left Ireland this morning.  I was excited to see Prague again, and also I would be meeting my cousin Sabrina there.  When I caught up with her in Calabria, she hatched the plan to meet me there because she hadn't been and had always wanted to go.  It was fortuitous that my itinerary meant that I was in Prague over a weekend too.

So I got out of the customs gate, and there she was.  What a weird thing to have someone you know waiting for you in a strange city.  I had pre-arranged a transfer to the Apartment, and so there was a young lad waiting for us with a sign with my name on it.  That was a nice change too.

I have been to Prague once before.  In my younger day, on one of those fleeting Contiki tours.  I fell in love with the place back then, and I vowed to return.  Driving into Prague you see it is just like any other city with all its urban spread, and not so attractive houses.  But the nearer we got to the city, and the more 'older' the buildings got and I really started to excited.  Butterflies in the belly excited.

We got to the Apartment and I was disappointed how tiny the 'Apartment' was.  It was as small as any hotel room, except the bathroom was smaller.  Oh well.  Lucky I had emailed them to say that there were now two of us, because at least they moved me to a 'Double'.  Would hate to have seen the size of the single.

Sabrina and I just dumped our stuff, and started walking towards the centre of town.  We walked unknowingly to Wenceslas Square.  I also have a distinct memory from my first visit to Prague, and when Lina and I turned the corner and saw this square, it literary took our breath away.  Today was no different.  At the square, Sabrina ate a kransky sausage that I had a bite of, and was delicious.

From the square we made our way to the old town square, and seeing the Astronomical Clock again was incredible.  (Although, my memory of it's location within the square was not accurate.)  I expected to see hoards of tourists, so that expectation was met, but thank goodness it is mid September and we're coming out of season...

We spent a bit of time in the square before moving on, and we happened upon Frank Kafka's monument.  Way cool.  (I am very much looking forward to seeing some of David Cerny's work, although I don't think this one is one of his.)

From there we made our way towards the river and happened upon an orchestral outdoor event.  We found a spot on the kerb to listen for a while.  Sitting next to me was a cute little boy and his sister and mum and he was playing with a little toy of a VW van.  I tried communicating with him, and he started talking to me and showing me the van but I didn't understand shit before his mother said something to him and he moved away again.  Not long after that the orchestra finished playing and they left, but I didn't realise that he left his van behind.  Then a teenage girl saw it and picked it up and took it away.  I was so disappointed, but then, thankfully, she brought it back and left it where she found it.  I picked it up and went looking for the little boy to give it to him but I couldn't see him anywhere.  I was so upset for him, but then Sabrina called me and I turned around and the family had come back for the van.  I took great pleasure in handing it back to the little cutie.   Awww happy ending.

We then made our way along the river to the Charles Bridge.  It was as beautiful and as big as I remember it.  And there were hundreds of tourists.  I simply have to get my arse out of bed VERY early one morning to try and get there when there is no one else around.

A strange thing Sabrina and I have noticed is that the beggars here tend to beg as if they are in prayer, not dissimilar to the position a muslim takes in prayer when they are bowed down.  In fact, the first one I saw, I actually said to her "what's this guy doing, saying his prayers?".   They hold a cap in their hand for any coins.   I hardly know how they keep that position for any length of time.

We completed the walk across the bridge, by which time it was about 7.00pm so we decided to grab a bite to eat.  One of the first restaurants we saw, we sat down in and I ordered Goulash and Sabrina ordered the Czech version of Gnocchi which are made with Sauerkraut and bacon.  Both meals were very nice.  Another observations is that restaurants here leave blankets at outdoor tables in case customers get cold.  What an excellent excellent service!

After dinner we just made our way back to the apartment as we were both tired (Sabrina more so as she hadn't slept much last night - a funny story relates, but that's hers to tell.)

I still felt peckish (God help me... I think I have food issues...), so we stopped at a bakery where I ate a slice of cheesecake.  Now I'm full and feel I've eaten too much...

I can't tell you how happy I am that I put Prague on the itinerary even though I have been here before.