Feel So Bohemian

Prague jumped right up into my favourite cities list. There were so many things that contributed to my appreciation for the city, that even after five months on the road, Prague made the travel seem fresh again.

I enjoyed the crowded commotion on the Charles Bridge: the professional buskers – one-man-band, Didgeridoo, bridge band; the many different types of tourists; the view of the castle and the view of the city skyline; the many, many jewellery stands just begging me to buy earrings, and; the stands with photos, with paintings adding even more colour to the already sunny days. And at night, black and white and yellow, lit by the old-fashioned street lamps and lined with the dark figures of the many saintly statues. I crossed that bridge quite a few times.

Across the Charles Bridge from the city, I found the Lennon Wall coloured with yellow submarines, peace signs, John Lennon’s face, scribbled names and Beatles lyrics. Though much less famous than Abbey Road, I still enjoyed spending time reading those scribbles, nodding to myself in agreeance that love is all you need.

The view of the castle from the city was wonderful. Sometimes I wonder if my treks up 287, 354, 422 spiralling stairs are necessary in every city, but without fail, every time I climb up those 287, 354, 422 spiralling stairs, I am pleased with the result. The view of the city from the Cathedral on the grounds was also wonderful.

View of the castle.

View from the Cathedral tower.

I discovered a "Shakespeare" bookstore that I enjoyed nearly as much as the one in Paris, if less for the ambiance and more for the giant used books section. I discovered a spot at the edge of the river where I could sit and read, sheltered from the wind and in view of the Charles Bridge. I bumped into Carnival celebrations and people dressed up as gorillas, horses, chiefs, and clowns. I visited the Pinkas Synagogue which had the names and lifespans of all the Czech victims of the Holocaust written on the walls. The Synagogue also housed a collection of artwork created by the children who had been living in the ghetto. I recognized a "colour spectrum" drawn by a child that I had also replicated as a child. It hit very close to home, and was a very moving visit. The Old Jewish Cemetery outside the Cathedral contains layered tombs with about 100 000 buried, but only 12 000 gravestones. I even took in a ballet at one of the many theatres. The Best of Swan Lake was playing, and I enjoyed seeing it after all the hype about Black Swan this year - even if I was disappointed by the lack of live orchestra. 

My favourite spot.

The old Jewish Cemetery.

I visited the nearby town of Kutna Hora to see the Sedlec Ossuary that is decorated with the bones of humans. Whereas the Catacombes in Paris were unique, purposeful and creepy, I found this cathedral to be a bit strange, and even gaudy. The architect even “signed” his name near the entrance with bones.

The bizarre signature.

I enjoyed the company of a couple of British guys and a girl from Seattle. And on my last day I met a Canadian girl on the street. We chatted for several minutes and she decided to meet me at the pub I was planning to visit to hear some jazz. Random meetings like that are one of my favourite things about travelling and we had a great evening listening to Stan the Man’s Bohemian Band play their blues in a tiny basement bar.

Stan the Man

Lauren (from Vancouver) and I.

And then I hopped on a bus to Vienna, where speaking of random meetings, I stayed with a lovely German couple whom I met in Bruges in February. Susie and Matthias opened their home to me without hesitation and I had a wonderful time both exploring Vienna and getting to know the two of them better.

The evening I arrived, Susie had lecture, but Matthias picked me up at the bus station and then relayed specific instructions from Susie that the “best gift you can give a backpacker is a bath.” It certainly was quite a treat, and then we prepared sushi for dinner while we waited for Susie to get home.

The weather was lovely the days I was in Vienna, and we did a lot of bike-riding and strolling through the city. I visited a couple of museums – The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and the Wien Museum. We ate delicious Pakistani food from a place where you “pay as you wish.” We drank coffee in fancy Viennese coffee houses and kitschy student coffee houses. We ordered pizza and watched a movie with their flatmates for a Friday night in. I tried a traditional Austrian cake that is cut into cubes and dunked in bright pink icing. And we wandered amongst the thousands of treasures at the Saturday morning flea market.

Town hall in the distance.

The fleamarket.

It was a very relaxing visit, at a time in my trip when I am down-shifting for home. It was certainly a happy experience meeting Susie and Mattias, and a neat addition to my trip to be able to visit them so quickly after our initial meeting.

I’ve been in Budapest for the past three days already, and I will be here until Thursday, the 17^th. From there, I’m going back to Copenhagen – “home sweet Rentemestervej” – where I started five months ago. Then come March 24^th, it’ll be "home sweet Makinak" when I arrive back in Winnipeg.

I have mixed feelings about this return, though I am certainly looking forward to having a home again, and to seeing my family and friends. However, I’ll save my reflections for another blog.

Sending love from Hungary!