Czech Mate - 7/3/09

"welcome to prague. guaranteed one week won't be enough." - brian, our program assistant

It’s been a long 24 hours. Right after work, I headed home to pick up my luggage to head to the airport. The subway ride is less than an hour and it only costs me $2.25, so I shouldn’t be complaining too much. My flight from JFK to Paris wasn’t too bad. I’ll be the first to admit I’ve been struggling with the idea of flying recently – with all the plane accidents that have been occurring. Plus, I booked my ticket with Air France. But, it went well. We had some pretty bad turbulence during the first part of the flight. But, I had a few glasses of wine and then passed out. (Air France serves free alcohol! Woot woot!)

I had a long layover in Paris before my flight to Prague. I bought some food and a few cocktails and decided to make the best of my time in Paris. I slept the entire way from Paris to Prague.

I got into the Ruzyne Airport and it was dead. Seriously. It’s an international airport, but there was nobody there, on a Friday afternoon, no less. I walked right through customs. Nobody said anything to me about checking my luggage, or asking if I wanted to claim anything. Nada! I was kind of hoping to get a stamp on my passport, but… no luck.

I decided to take a taxi from the airport. I have a HUGE bag with me on this trip, so I didn’t want to be concerned with figuring out the metro. Plus, the taxi ride was around $20 – not too shabby. So I arrived at my hostel safe and sound. The man working at the front desk was quite pleasant. I was so exhausted and wanted to nap for a few hours. But, I knew my body would be in horrible condition the next day if I went to bed for 5 or 6 hours, so I pushed through and walked around town for several hours. I grabbed a bite to eat and then came back before it started to get dark and took care of some housekeeping items.

I was soooo relieved when it wasn’t raining when I got in. It’s been over three years since I was last in Prague – but, it’s just as I remember it. It’s absolutely gorgeous. My hostel (Hostel Advantage) is located in Vinohrady, a very beautiful quarter located within walking distance of historic Prague.

(my hostel)

This morning, I got up early and had breakfast with some other people staying at my hostel – very pleasant people. Two of them were from Croatia and one was from the Sussex. Luckily, we were all English speakers, so that made conversation much easier. However, it was quite refreshing to sit on the patio of my hostel and listen to several other languages bubbling around me. Whenever I first arrive in a foreign city (alone), I always struggle a little bit. I think – “Wow, you might be kind of crazy to travel abroad… By yourself…” But, it takes just a few minutes to be reminded of why trips like this are so special. All of my trips have been very insightful, and I can tell this will certainly follow suit.

I start my program tomorrow! Dozens of students from all over the world will be meeting at Machova 7 (the site for the Summer School on Crime, Law, and Psychology). This should be exciting!! J

A few things to note:

- It was definitely a good idea to pick up Czech (Koruns) currency before getting to Prague.

- I will never again underestimate my navigation skills. I dominated sans map!

- The metro in Prague is pretty wicked. However, they seem to operate on the “honor system.” You don’t have to swipe a ticket before getting on. More to come on this, I’m sure.

- Beer is cheaper than water. And water is dirt cheap.

- The tap water tastes bad.

- I blew my hairdryer.

- And my straightener.