Into The Heart of Prague

Feb. 9, 2013 (continued)
We raced out of the terminal. Ivana explained that we were going to catch a bus, and then a train, and then the tram.

“How you call train underground? ‘Metro’ or ‘Subway’?” she asked.

“We’d probably say Subway,” I said.

“Very good.”

The site of the seven of us (3 czech students, 3 Americans, and 1 Canadian) running after a bus had to be a site to see. All of us piling into the bus with our luggage had to be annoying to everyone else on the bus. We totally fit the stereotype of loud, clumsy Americans as we blocked every aisle and seat in our section of the bus.

We all got formally introduced on the bus. Ivana was my buddy. Marquetta was assigned to Britney. Laura’s buddy had emailed her that she was on vacation to Egypt. Lad’ka was assigned to a young man from Vancouver, Canada. His name was Kevin.

As we road along, Ivana asked me about other words in English. I asked her about the few Czech words I knew and she was pleased with the couple I had learned. “I like your accent,” she said which I found funny. It was the first time in my life that I was aware of how different my voice sounded.

“I like your accent too,” I said.

She laughed, “I do not have accent.”

All the announcements on the bus were in Czech. All the signs on the bus were in Czech. All of the street signs, buildboards, buildings, etc. were in Czech. In America I’ve grown accustom to seeing English listed first, as the native language, followed by a translation into several other languages. This was not the case. Everything was strictly in Czech.

After nearly thirty minutes on the bus, we got off. This was followed by more rushed walking to the subway. When we got to the stairs leading down into the subway we all paused. Well, we Americans all paused. We were trying to figure out how we were going to get down the fairly long and steep stair way with our luggage. It must have been yet another sight and annoyance, but we pulled it off.

We crammed into the train. Many of the passengers around us rolled their eyes and exchanged annoyed looks. We were only on it for a few minutes, and then got off.

“Now we catch tram,” Marquetta explained.

We got one of the tram stations and looked at the schedule (which was in Czech.) “Tram 9,” Ivana explained to me. When it came we got on and road it for another 15 minutes or so. As we went, Ivana tried to point out a few landmarks to me but it was so dark it was hard to see anything. The buildings I could make out seemed to look like any building we had downtown. In fact, I’d liken the are we were staying in to San Fransisco. The roads were steep and narrow, with a tram running down either side. The buildings appeared tall and business-like. Aside from the lack of any English anywhere to be heard, it could have been just another US metropolitan town.

We eventually got to the dorms. Kevin and I were in one building while Britney and Laura were in another. The buildings are actually co-ed; we were just separated based on the type of program we are enrolled in and how the credits transfer back to our home universities.

The women that staff the dorm buildings are elderly and—as appears to be true with most of the population—do not speak English. They were very demanding as we checked, asking to see passports, ID cards, school papers, etc. Ivana translated for me and helped me fill out the lease. We then went to the room to do an inspection.

The dorm buildings are located in the outskirts of Prague and were build by the communists after WWII. They are not real big, but very functional (I hope to post a video at some point.) There is a small kitchenette with a stove, mini-fridge, sink and table. There is a water-closet which only has a toilet in it. The sink is in the wash room. There are actually two sinks and a shower in this room. The two bed rooms are on one side of the dorm with two beds, a desk and a small shelf in each. There is limited drawer space under the beds, with a wardrobe in the main entry way for additional storage.

Again, the inspection was all done in Czech so I relied on Ivana to do most of the reading and translating. It dawned on me as we went through the process that I was now trusting and signing binding contracts on the recommendations of someone I’d met only hours ago. Back in the states, I never would have done something like this. I’m not sure I know anyone who would have, but I also didn’t have any other options. I couldn’t ask questions, and I couldn't refuse. I had to trust that she meant me no harm and was doing her best to help me. It was a leap I wasn’t so comfortable with, but an important one for me to make.

We met the first of my suitemates (in Europe they are called “Flatmates.”) His name is Ante and he is from Finland. He is staying in the room next to mine. The other two—Ante’s roommate and mine—had already moved in as well but were both out partying for the night.

After we were checked into the room, Ivana asked me, “You want to go into town or you are too tired?”

It was almost 9pm (1pm in Denver.) I’d been on the road for 19 hours with only 2 hours of sleep. In all honesty I was too tired, but a small voice in my head said, “Four months from now you are going to wish you had more time.” So I said, “No I’d love to go to town.”

As we walked out of the building, we ran into Kevin and Lad’ka. Lad’ka was on her way home so Kevin came with us. Heading back to the tram station, we met up with Marquetta, Britney, and Laura. The six of us road the tram into the Town Center.

As the train rumbled down the hills, it eventually came to more level ground. Gradually the asphault turned to cobblestone and the concrete buildings transformed to marble structures. By the time we got off the train, we were surrounded with sculpted cathedrals, quaint homes and shops, castles, and architecture as far as the eye could see.  Everywhere I turned, there was another street I wanted to go down.  Everywhere I looked there was a tower more incredible than the last.

“You like it?” Ivana asked.

“I like it a lot,” I said.

We walked through the town square. People were still out late and there was music on the streets. The music was not the sound that caught my ear though (at least not at first.) I again couldn’t help but notice that NO ONE was speaking English. I had been lead to believe that most people could speak English. Ivana said that most people know some English but the reality is they are not very good at speaking it.

Ivana and Marquetta asked us what we wanted to do. The others said they didn’t care, but I admitted I was hungry. They took us down a winding cobblestone road with shops that had ruby red roofs. The sound of opera music echoed all around—interrupted by the occasional hip-hop song meant to lure in tourists. We eventually arrived at a small restaurant called Lorat.

We pushed through the curtains that served as a door. Inside, the overwhelming stench of cigarette smoke barreled out of the restaurant. “You do not mind smoke, do you?” Ivana asked.  We all agreed it was okay; it didn’t look like we really had other options.

“Yes, is too bad,” Marquetta said as we sat down. “So many peoples in the Czech Republic smoke and is very bad for you.”

The menu, the waiter, and the conversations around us were all in Czech. Ivana and Marquetta asked us what we wanted, when we said Czech food, they asked if we were sure. We were, so they ordered some appetizers. While they have told us how to pronounce them, I have no idea how to spell them.  I will try to describe them the best I can

~One was a beef sausage that wave very crumbly and served with incredibly spicy mustard and cheddar cheese.

~There was a spicy cheese that was the consistency of brie and we spread it on dark rye like bread.

~There was a pork-like meat that was very stringy.

~Beef tartar, which is apparently a very popular dish here.

For dinner they ordered us a dish that was absolutely amazing. Again, I can pronounce it, but have no idea how to spell it. I have asked Ivana to write a few of them down for me so I can share the names with you. This one was a piece of roast beef covered in gravy and served with dumplings (3 made of bread and 3 made of potatoes.)

Midway through dinner, Marquetta’s boyfriend joined us. He gave us some useful information on Prague including manners for making a toast and proper tipping procedure. The tipping advice came after we had all apparently stiffed the waiter, but he told us not to worry about it and just tip a little extra next time. What had confused us was the waiter did not present us a bill. He simply asked us what we had, and then told us how much it was and we gave him the cash. If we had wanted to tip him, we were supposed to give it to him then.  Her boyfriend explained that this was so the waiter could politely thank us for the tip. The entire meal cost us less than $10 USD each (the conversion rate right now is fluctuating around 1 USD:20 Koruna.)

After dinner, Ivana headed home to her dorm on the opposite side of town. Marquetta and her boyfriend took us into Wenceslas square which was equally beautiful. They cautioned us that while it was not particularly unsafe, it was not the best place for tourists to hang out at night. This was confirmed when I was propositioned less than a minute after Marquetta’s warning. While I at the time had no idea what the man was saying to me, Marquetta’s boyfriend said something back to him in Czech and explained he was selling women.

When we came to the end of the square, our tour guides put the four of us on the train and wished us luck telling us it would be about a 20 minute ride. That was when we realized they weren’t coming with us. We found the dorms without a problem and arrived back around midnight. I unpacked and stowed most of my stuff under my bed. Realizing how much my clothes smelled of smoke (not to mention airplane) I decided to take a shower. Afterwards, I climbed into bed and drifted fast to sleep.