Best Spring Break EVER (Part 1)

Wow, I guess my titles have been getting a lot less clever lately, but whatever; the point of this blog is to tell it like I see it--any entertainment that anyone else derives out of it is a purely coincidental spillover effect. Anyway, speaking of telling it like I see it, the past few days in Prague have really constituted one of the best vacations I've ever had. So... Here's the play-by-play:


Thursday, April 9th:

My official Spring Break at Sciences Po didn't actually being until Saturday, but in terms of flights, my own enjoyment, etc., I decided to take mine a few days early. However, I still had both a presentation AND a dissertation for my French class (which is on Thursdays), so I definitely had to attend that. The presentation went incredibly well (thanks largely due to my new Dalhia-inspired strategy of spicing up Sciences Po presentations with a bit of dynamism and charisma) and at the end of my class at 2:30 on the dot, I BUM RUSHED the Sciences Po exit to catch my 4:30 flight. I literally ran to the Metro, then to a bus, and I'm sure all of the French people thought I was really cool.

Finally, after a delayed flight, I got into Prague around 7:00PM, and headed towards the cab line outside of the airport. However, as soon as I got there, I immediatley realized that I didn't know ANY Czech whatsoever. This was a huge culture shock for me because (aside from a family trip to Mexico when I was a kid) I've never been to a country and not known the language. It was very strange, but the Czechs are very accommodating with English (which, although the Frenchies try to deny it, is totally Europe's new universal language), so I got by just fine.

One of my main reasons for going to Prague was that one of my closest friends from Berkeley, Allison Bagg (aka Baggy), is studying there for the semester, so I stayed with her in her fabulously large apartment. I even had my own room, owing to one absent roommate, and one who never showed in the beginning. After arriving at Baggy's, I met her FANTASTIC roomies, Julie, Kiernan, and Alyssa and then Baggy and I made a quick trip to Tulip, one of her favorite cafes. Next, Baggy, Alyssa, Julie, and I danced the night away at Radost, the nightclub featured in this music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsRWpK4pf90, which we then followed with some fried cheese sandwiches. (Yes, they are as simultaneously disgusting and amazing as they sound.)

Prague nightlife is totally different Paris nightlife, I think owing mostly to how cheap it is. In Paris, I've only been to a few night clubs, but I largely am forced to figure out other fun things to do thanks to the 15-20 euros their entrance requires. In Prague, however, entrance fees range from around 0 to 5 dollars, and drinks are equally cheap. They are totally fun too!


Friday, April 10th:

We woke up around noon and decided to take the day and go sight-seeing. Baggy and her roomie Alyssa took me across a bridge over Prague's Seine--the Vltava to an AMAZING and beautiful cafe, Cafe Savoy. I had a delicious gourmet Czech brunch, complete with Prague ham. In fact, the three of us had so much food, our waiter had to bring over a new table to fit it all. When we finally got the bill, I couldn't help but cringe at the fact that my meal would have been at least 10 euros more expensive at any comparable French cafe. Next, we strolled through a beautiful park where we ended up ascending a hill and had a fantastic view of the city. The weather was so great (perfect, actually) my entire time in Prague so it was wonderful to take advantage of such a sunny day. From the park, we headed over the "the Castle"--a bunch of really old buildings and cathedral that looked over all of Prague. There, we saw the gate where Baggy had seen Obama speak a few weeks earlier, which I noticed was surrounded by two graphically violent statues of Czech soldiers and their victims. Baggy commented that the setting juxtaposed Obama's speech about nuclear disarmament nicely.

We continued down the hill and stumbled upon a cool garden with a grotto/rock wall and a large cage full of owls. (Aparently we were just outside of the Prague Senate.) The grotto was one of the coolest architectural features I've seen so far, as it was a simulation of drooping rocks with a cave-like feel that had sculptures of snakes, monsters, etc. interspersed throughout. After that we headed over the the Lennon Wall (graffiti wall in tribute to John Lennon), where I took a handful of touristy photos and contributed my favorite Ben Harper quote from "Better Way". I also got to see Baggy's school which was really nice. We then headed over the Charles Bridge, which reminded me of Telegraph Avenue, thanks to all of its hippie merchants, to Old Town Square--totally the inspiration for the setting of Disney's Beauty and the Beast (Provincial France, my ass!) Here, we had a fun interaction with a worker in candy store, who informed us that his day was "infinity super". We topped off our day with a visit to a shoe store where I bought some fabulous yellow studded gladiator sandals.

After such a great Prague-esque day, we decided some traditional Czech food was in order, so all the roomies, Baggy and I headed over to a restaurant called Kalich. We had a slightly awkward and very Czech waiter whom I found very amusing, listened to some excellent European techno music, and ate some serious Czech food. I ordered salmon because I was so stuffed from Savoy, but that was apparently a mistake, as my meal was pretty dry and terrible while the people who ordered more traditional Czech meals really enjoyed theirs. However, I tried some of Kiernan's beef tar tar which was DELICIOUS (mmmmmmm raw beef and raw eggs....) and we all had some great gelato for dessert. I found the whole experience delightful and hilarious and I think I got a sense of what it means to be "so Czech".

That night, Baggy, Alyssa, and I headed over to the nightclub Lucerna, where we split our time dancing to the great 80's and 90's music and warding off odd Czech men. Naturally, Baggy befriended a man wearing a long blond pony-tailed wig. The night ended with an excellent hot dog and we all headed home.


Saturday, April 11th:

Alyssa, Baggy, and I had enjoyed the sun so much the day before that we decided a picnic was in order for Saturday. Accordingly, we grabbed some treats at Bake Shop, an AMAZING bakery (and that's coming from a girl who's in the bakery capital of the world) in between Old Town Square and Prague's Jewish quarter. We then headed across the river and ended up stumbling upon another secret garden, which had willow trees cherry blossoms, a bond, and abundant grass which we promptly parked on. We picnicked in the sun for a few hours and I made everyone daisy chains which we all wore for the rest of the day. I think we fit in well with all the Bohemian hippies in Prague. I contend that in any city, the places you stumble upon are the most special, so I was glad to be with two companions who felt the same way. We then wondered around and ended up having a great chat with an adorable Czech man about rugs, and later I found a great (/cheap) Spring trench.

Next on the agenda: paddle-boating, an activity Kiernan had suggested to us that we all agreed would be perfect for the beautiful weather. So the three of us headed over to a little island on the Vltava and rented a boat for an hour. We had grabbed some guacamole at Bake Shop and chaps at a market near by, and they were the perfect compliment to our journey. We paddled around for an hour, chased a swan at one point, and decided that this was the most perfect activity ever. While on our boat, we saw an outdoor cafe on a peninsula and decided that we needed to head over there and Czech it out. I'm so glad we did too; the sunset, water, Pilsner (Czech beer), picnic benches, people-watching, and live music (covers of Bob Marley and other favorites) worked harmoniously together and I was in heaven. Nothing could be better, except maybe the wine and cheese night Baggy and I enjoyed in her apartment after.


Sunday, April 11th:

The next day, Baggy and I headed over to the middle of Old Town Square for lunch, which was the perfect spot for people watching and getting some vitamin D (have I mentioned the glorious weather in Prague yet...?). Easter was probably the best time for my visit, too, as Old Town Square was funn of decorations, a petting zoo, and Easter vendors. The city was really lively and vibrant throughout my stay. Next, considering that a) I haven't been shopping in Paris thanks to the absurd prices, b) I wanted some long skirts for my upcoming visit to Cairo, and c) Baggy is one of my favorite shopping buddies, we decided a little retail therapy was in order and I got some great items.

That night, Baggy's dad and his girlfriend got into town and they took the two of us to Cafe Louvre--a favorite of Baggy's and Albert Einstein's Czech stomping grounds. Baggy's dad is always a hoot and he is totally the source of her great humor. After dinner, Baggy, Alyssa, Julie and I headed to a neighborhood bar, Usudo, which I decided is their Piano Vache. Of course the night ended in fast food, which in my case was my second fried cheese.


Monday, April 13th:

Monday I decided it was time to do a little exploring on my own, so I let Baggy entertain her dad and Pam as I hit up Prague's museums. First, I decided to get my bearings and walk around Old Town for an hour, and I noted that Prague-proper is very small--much smaller than Paris, which I even think of as a small city. On my way, I got whipped by an old man with a glorified twig who shouted something at me in Czech. Never fear though, Mom and Dad, he was just acting upon the day after Easter tradition in these parts where the men whip good-looking women with "whipping sticks" (braided twigs with ribbon/crepe paper at the end) before noon and then the women throw water on the men after noon. (Yeah, I have no idea either...) After this, I ended up at Bake Shop again for Lunch. Next: Museum time. I went to:

1. A Dali Much double exhibit, which was small, but accessible and great because I love them both. It also juxtaposed a lot of Mucha's ads with his noncommercial works, which I found fascinating due to my interest in the cross-pollination of art and advertising.
2. The Sex Machine Museum, which was all at once hilarious, disturbing, and historical. Mostly disturbing, but sill an interesting experience.
3. A Laudek exhibit, featuring the work of Jan Laudek, an amazing Czech photographer with a twisted and often ironic yet always compassionate portrayal of his subjects.
   
4. The Communist Museum, which I LOVED because apparently I am a HUGE history buff. It was really cool to see some of the stuff linking Prague Spring and the Velvet Revolution to Rock music, something I've researched a bit in both my European history class last semester and my current History of Rock Music Course at Sciences Po.

The nice thing about Prague's museums/exhibits is that they're all small and thus bite-sized/digestible, unlike places like the Louvre which inevitably make my brain hurt.

When I was finally all museum'ed out, I decided to head towards the river and wait for Baggy's call as I enjoyed a walk on the bank. On my way, I ran into first Alyssa, then Baggy--who apparently had tried to call me two times right before seeing me. Both run-ins were quite magical and I think Prague must have some Parisian-style surrealism in it too. Baggy and I took a lovely walk along the Vltava, shared stories about our days, and then headed home to get ready for the ballet that Baggy had bought tickets for earlier. Alyssa, Julie, Baggy, Gerald (Baggy's Dad), Pam, and I all then headed over to see Swan Lake at Prague's State Opera House and the whole experience was quite lovely--from the graceful lead to the interior of the theater. This rendition was a bit different from the all-male version I'd seen in NYC when I was 10, but it was still quite world-class.

Baggy, Gerald, Pam, and I then went to Pravda, a restaurant known to be the best in the city. Pravda definitely lived up to its reputation; between the ambiance (live Norah Jones-esque singer), the service (which up to that point had ranged from nonexistent to very poor in this country), and the food, I was really impressed. Baggy and I both had tuna tartar followed by an excellent salmon dished and topped off with some Hungarian dessert wine that our waiter insisted upon. We were quite pleased and I am so grateful that Baggy's dad took me to two exceptional meals! Baggy and I went home and immediately conked out in magnificent food comas.


Tuesday, April 14th:

Today, I woke up around 10:15 in order to grab breakfast and catch my 2:10 flight. Baggy and I met Alyssa at Bohemian Bagel, near their school, where I had the most delicious eggs scramble ever per Baggy's suggestion. Baggy and Alyssa invited me to be their sixth roommate, and while the offer was tempting based on the few days I'd spent with them, I decided that my Paris friends would hate me too much for leaving them, and declined. Seriously though, I was REALLY (REALLY, REALLY) sad to leave because I had the most amazing time. I think I left at the top of the parabola, one which started off crossing the Y-axis at a really high point anyway! All in all, I was so happy to experience Czech culture, visit the city I've been learning about in various history courses, enjoy the sunshine, and of course, hang out with my WONDERFUL friend and her AWESOME roommates.

Now I'm back in Paris for a short spell before heading off to Cairo tomorrow, and I'm excited to see what the rest of break has in store!