Greetings from Prague and other musings (with a hefty update!)

My wanderlust has gotten the best of me. I am in Prague.

I have completed my month long study in Perugia. Leaving was kind of bittersweet because, usually I feel like there is always more things I could have done. Yes, I am totally the Let's-go-on-that-8hour-walking-tour kind of gal. Life is in the details. (I just got back from the 8 hour walking tour, by the way. Serious!) I've met people literally from all over the world while in Perugia and the funniest thing for me was to see them correct each other's English grammar with more botched grammar and uncommonalities. And apparently, all the non-Americans love to hear me swear when I talk. Finally, my truck driver mouth gets some f%£"in' appreciation!

So. Prague is just marvelous. Took loads of amazing pics today, will add some later tonight, tomorrow at the latest. I think it is the most beautiful city I have ever seen. For one, the architecture is to die for.

Marchi gave me a huge preamptive guide to the city (map and all...thank you!) so I could do loads of things in 3 days. Monday I take the train north to Berlin (a 4.5 hour train ride, running along and then crossing the River Elbe...)

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The hefty update:

Sorry I took this long to update it. I've been delightfully busy. And for some reason I cannot seem to upload pictures onto this site, so I've linked instead. So don't forget to click!

Last note from Perugia: on my last day of class, a street kitten hops up on my lap and falls asleep. When I have to get up and go to class, she follows me into the classroom and does the same thing. How. Cute.

On the way to Prague: God, the world is too darn small. At Rome's Fiumicino airport, I wait on a line that seems deftly similar to what Purgatory would be like. Three passport controls and 500+ people. Only in Italy. So naturally, I hear some American accents alongside me. I look over and see one of their teenage offspring wearing a t-shirt that says 'Prudential - Ridgefield, NJ'. Hah, that's practically the town next to where I live. So I mention that I also live in Jersey and that one of our good family friends owns a Prudential in my town. The mother mentions she works for Prudential and knows that family friend (who is obviously Aldo Meredino). Too. Much. Their plane had left 20 minutes ago and they didn't have the gall to cut to the front of the line but me, eager to get back at all those Italians who cut me in the 15 odd times I've been to Italy, I was revving to go.

I had to quell a potentially loud outburst of laughter when I hopped into the shuttle from the airport to the city because the very first song I hear on Czech radio is Peter Gabriel - Salisbury Hill....followed by Taylor Dane - Tell It To My Heart. Just not exactly the soundtrack I'd imagined to hear upon my arrival in the Czech Republic.

More on Prague: My first impression of Prague wasn't the greatest, although Marki warned me that going to the main train station would be seedy. Within the first 5 minutes, two people beg for money. Then suddenly I hear screaming and running across the station, followed by a big thud. Two men were chasing another man and began to beat him senselessly with no police in sight. All happening around 8pm, still plain daylight. Luckily, this was the only sketchy situation I witnessed during my short stay.

Of course, I did a bunch of sightseeing and walked around the Old City about 10 times back and forth. I couldn't get enough. In fact, I was so happy I decided to take a jumping pic on the side of St. Vitus Cathedral. That's the building everyone actually thinks is the 'castle' in Prague Castle. The Prague Castle is actually a huge complex (the biggest complex in the world, in fact) of 16th century buildings, none of which actually resemble a stereotypical castle, save the cathedral. Here's the view from stop one of the towers (287 steps) of the Cathedral.

And this is the famous Astronomical Clock (Orloj in Czech), the only one of its kind in the world. Legend has it that after it was made in the 15th century, people from Prague blinded the clockmaker in order to prevent him from ever making such a beautiful clock anywhere else in the world. Shocking little tale, isn't it? I learned it on the Ghost Trail Tour of Prague (How much of a dork am I, seriously?) But it's not true.


Other Shtuff:

• Backpacking: I'm too old (and high maintenance though, shhh) to do the whole 'backpacking' thing or something like Interrailing it through Europe, even if I had 20 of my closest friends with me. I get tired too easily. (Hey, I'm pushing towards the downside of my 20s!) Plus, backpackers are usually smelly. And sometimes inconsiderate. Like taking up an extra train seat for their big ass backpack while others are standing. I also nearly got thrown into a wall at Ludicrous speed (yes, that's an official measurement of velocity, after Crazy and then Absurd Speed) after a backpack spun around 90°. And you know what? If you have a backpack on your back that's bigger and heavier than you'll ever be, maybe you should reconsider 'backpacking' in general.
• Fast Food: In Europe, American companies (and disgraces) such as McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts, Burger King, and even 7-11 (!) all have lounges in them. I'm talking Starbucks style couches and big, fluffy club chairs that make you wanna eat Big Mac after Big Mac while slouching away. Talk about Euro-style. We invent them, they just make it better.
• Don't haggle with Czech street vendors. (Oops.)
• Czech Republic does not use Euros ....even though they are part of the EU (they have to build up their economy some more or else they'll end up like Sicily did after they made the switch.) Anyway, their currency drives me insane, having not been able to keep track of my spending without doing extreme long division in my head at every stop I made. Let me explain: Every 1 USD is approximately 23 Czech Koruna and 1 Euro is 28 CZK. So The price of a pair of shoes in a given store is 1,379 CZK. Your mission: to convert the above-stated amount into Euros or Dollars in under 3 minutes while the shopgirl is waiting for you to make a decision on those shoes.
• The Czech language is even crazier. A Czech woman even told me that more than 30% of the Czech people cannot even pronounce certain sounds correctly in their own language. (I personally will never understand how to pronounce a word that has 12 letters in it, none of which are vowels.)
• CR is really known for their marionettes (puppets, for you lay people). Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to check out a performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni. Well, next time.
• Must Do: If you ever go to Prague and decide to not be a tourist for one night, you must go to a vegetarian restaurant called Lehka Hlava (Clear Head), right off the Charles Bridge. Amazing, cheap veggie food with some of the coolest decor I've ever seen. Here, check it out. The tables glow from inside out. And one more for the road. They put on chill out CDs like Cafe Del Mar and even have crazy visuals on the wall all night long. Sweet. (Get the coconut milk by the way..!)
• Good King Wenceslas was neither good nor a king. Discuss.