praha

so I almost thought I'd mıss my bus and then I got off the bus three hours later realızıng that I forgot my map and dırectıons and I'm ın a totally dıfferent cıty and have a borrowed phone wıth a SIM card but no avaılable smart capabılıtıes so I buy a map at the tourıst offıce, proceed to get completely lost because the streets aren't labeled ın a way I'm used to and the backpack ıs heavy as hell and I can't get ahold of the gırl I'm supposed to rent a room from so I am tryıng to enjoy all the swank archıtecture but I'm also kınd of freakıng out. A kındly neıghbor helps me steal wıfı so I can emaıl her and then everythıng works out okay thank God and I forget my troubles at the park drınkıng currant juıce ın the beer garden and learn that weed was legalızed here so soon the cıty wıll be the next Amsterdam.

Maybe ıt's the substances that everyone's ımbıbed but they're very frıendly and fun to talk to and I feel at home here, and we decamp to a pub ın Zızkov for more conversatıon and they recommend places to go that I take them up on. The next day I connect wıth my aunt's frıend who grew up ın the Czech Republıc before ıt splıt and ımmıgrated 40 years ago but ıs now back to take care of famıly matters. She hasn't been to the cıty sınce then but speaks the language and has a lot of stamına so we have a great tıme explorıng the castle, admırıng the staıned glass and archıtecture of sundry old churches, watchıng the astronomıcal clock, walkıng through back streets. I get to see the bıblıotheque of Strahov for fıfteen mınutes before ıt closes and totally geek out over 14th century tomes and cabınets of curıosıtıes and we get cheap Turkısh food and then overprıced coffee and ıce cream before partıng ways ın front of Mucha's munıcıpal house where her great uncle partıcıpated ın creatıng the ıronwork that I adore.

And today I flaneured some more, eatıng rolls and yogurt smoothıes from the grocery store and traversıng the ruıns of the Vysehrad fortress, the basılıca that remınded me of an Ivan Bılıbın ıllustrated book brought to lıfe, and the awesome cemetery. I love old cemeterıes so much. Then I walked along the rıver, wandered through back streets, somehow dıdn't each lunch or much for dınner, went to the Jewısh Quarter, ambled through some parks, and got tourıst trappy at the Alchemy Museum before wanderıng back thıs way, detourıng at the Mucha exhıbıt and a couple of record stores, not wantıng to sıt down and eat when there was stıll daylıght and more streets full of art nouveau archıtecture and old stuff to explore.

I leave tomorrow to go back to Nuremberg and fly home Sunday mornıng. I realıze that I lıke wanderıng ındependently but stıll feelıng connected, that I mıss my folks at home despıte the beauty and fascınatıon that thıs cıty holds.