Prague Continued

Pictures will be up soon...

Well, the next day I ventured back into Prague with Graham and Annie. After crossing the river, we stumbled on to the Czech Senate, which had a really cool garden and a creepy-looking wall.

We pretty much agreed that we were going to spend the majority of the day checking out Prague Castle, which has been around for thousands and thousands of years. We splurged on the "all inclusive ticket" which included the crown jewels, the crypt and the movie. Guess what was closed? The crown jewels, the crypt, and the movie. We did get to walk around St. Vitus Cathedral, which is possibly the most impressive cathedral I have ever seen. We wanted to go up into one of the towers, but we were warned about the 283 steps it would take to get there. We didnt think it would be that bad, and it was pretty terrible. The stench of greasy adolescents on field-trips was wafting through the crammed spiraling staircase the entire time, and walking in a circle up the stairs for ten minutes in the heat can be dizzying. The top did provide for some excellent views of Prague city though.

We looked through a few museums too, one of which had a picture of Maximillian the Thirds first and second wife. I think he downgraded with the second, what do you think?

The three of us decided we would eat lunch somewhere close to the castle, and decided upon some little restuarant with pretzels hanging all around the outside. When we walked in, we asked for a menu, which promptly got us soup and bread instead. We asked again for a menu, and this time he brough it out. Now I had read about how waiters will bring you food that you think is free, and then when you eat it, they charge you a huge price. So I was naturally cautious and asked in Czech how much everything cost. The waiter all of a sudden acted extremeley offended, and shoved three fingers in front of me and said three words in Czech. This didnt help. After he left, we figured that when we said "menu", he thought we meant the main course. When you ask for the menu in the Czech Republic, it is often times another word for the main course (soup, goulash and something else - usually a desert). So we figured that the bread and soup were the first two parts of the meal, and that they would be safe to eat.

When we received the dessert, I got a little worried. I knew something was going to cost us. After we finished, he gave us the bill: 1,000 crowns. About $65. I asked him what cost 220, and he again said something in Czech I didnt understand, and pointed to the menu. We figured out that it was 75 for the beer, 585 for the "menu", about 170 for tax (we think?) and 220 for the dry friggin´ bread I didnt even eat. 220 is about $17. We eventually knew that we had lost, and we left pretty upset we had just wasted that much money.

It was curious that the signs outside were all bi-lingual, but inside no one spoke a word of English. I dont expect them to, but it seemed fishy - Especially when I heard another waiter (although we were the only ones in there) speak English very well. The whole place gave us a weird vibe, and we thought that any second it would turn into a Czech butchers market (not really, but it was funny to imagine it).

At the very least, the "no smoking opium" signs and the whole experience with the two of them made for a good story. We all agreed on that.

Graham and Annie were both headed to Vienna, and I had to go there too in order to get to Hallstatt. We just made the train to Brno, and then took the train to Vienna. They had a friend they were staying with in Vienna, so I took a train to Attnang-Pucheim.

While on that train I met a girl named Suzannah. A lot of you think I am crazy for taking months off at a time and travelling Europe, but she really puts me to shame. She graduated high school, got into Stanford, but then took a year off to travel and work in Europe. Through a series of odd jobs, she now works teaching English to the Princess of Austria`s children. She`s been travelling and living in Europe by herself for almost a year now. Don`t ask me how she did that. I got off at Attnang while she continued on to Salzburg to join the kids on a mini-vacation.

My last train ride was from Attnang to Hallstatt. The ride is nearly two hours, but once I entered to Salzgammergut region, the terrain made the last two of the tweleve hour journey bearable. I just stood up and stuck my head out the window for the majority of the ride. With all that mountain air, it was great to be back in the Alps.

I´ll tell you about Hallstatt next time. My hour is almost up....