love for Tourists <3

Jana Dvmolvo Hostel
Prague, Czech Republic
Monday 27 May 2008
6:03 PM (USA)/ 12:03 AM (CR)



on my bed. again. in the hostel. buuuuuut, we did get new neighbors! replacing the Swedes are Hollanders? Hollandaise? Hollandisian? whatever, people from Holland moved in and they are super cool!!

This past weekend here in Prague showed me the city I've heard tale about, a place I didn't believe to exist. The sun came out, it was warm and I got good and lost by my self on Saturday. I ended up at the castle and on the hill behind it called, Petrin. On top there is a mini Eiffel tower that you can climb to the top of and see over all the land. I didn't actually go that far but I plan too :)

I did however just take my time and meander through the woods and the big sloping, green hills next to the castle. There were old people, young people, in between people and lots of dogs.

I loved every second of it.

It was so nice not to have any plans and just walk and walk, going where the needle of my internal compass pointed...

There wasn't any one moment that stuck out really, just the whole day was amazing and so, oh so, reviving. There was this one part when I was leaving the mountain and got behind a family group from Spain/Italy (not sure). They were all laughing, making jokes that I couldn't understand but humor is another universal emotion, therefore, it didn't matter that the punch line was lost in translation, I just enjoyed their laughter :)

Oh, and I found the Starbucks.

Let's see, oh and funny thing too. If you read the post that I wrote on Saturday at the Franz Kafka museum patio, you know that I got lost from Faran, but if you didn't well, I got lost from Faran, haha :) That night we talked and it turns out we went to the same place!! We both gave up the search for each other (we don't have cell phones here and internet is like a species on the endangered list) and took off. We both took off going where we pleased and went to the same place, just at different times. Funny huh? We hadn't even discussed this place, so it wasn't subconscious or anything.

aaaah, Serendipity at her finest :)

Anyway, that day I also noticed I was so much more comfortable, even though there were SO MANY bustling tourists; however, that's when I realized that the very fact there were tourists made my heart race. They were like me! They were outsiders, coming to a place unfamiliar and foreign. They were on school trips with their teachers, bringing back memories of field trips from the Outerbanks and the Asheboro zoo, to Washington, DC and San Francisco. I almost wept on the Charles Bridge I swear, because I saw EF Tour backpacks...okay, that is a bit of an exaggeration, but it did bring back memories of high school trips :)

Basically, the tourists actually personalized Prague for me, reminding me I wasn't totally and utterly alone. Their smiling faces and typical tourist costumes, fanny packs , sun visers and lesbian looking sandles, (haha, Faran has a pair of Tebos/Chocos so I can say that, hahaha) triggered more happy memories than I could stand, Cragmont, Carowinds, christmas tree searching and any other trip including suitcases.

We all had a common thread of connection, being guests in a different place. That in itself was wonderful, to feel apart of something versus before when all I had for company was distant Gloom. I tell ya, the sun is one special star :)

Okay, so anyway, I am about to hit the sack but one last thing. The castle was unbelievable, I can't honestly believe it was all real. Of course it was, just the architecture is unlike anything I've ever seen. Quite amazing.

Okay, for real this time, (my roommate is happily snoring in her sleep), good luck and good night ;)