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Hi mom!
Have you ever had one of those weeks that just culminated into the realization that your really busy? I've got a lot going on here, and I don't even know where to start with the web entry today.
But we'll get back to that one, lets stay closer to the immediate future.
You wouldn't think that you could end up at a reggae bar/cellar in suburban Praha, however I've made a good stab at dissolving most peoples preconceptions, so why should this be any different. We didn't exactly begin their either though. One other anomaly was found here before the cellar scene. In the district of Zizkov there is a bar, and in this bar is another cellar, and in this cellar there is along with about six long tables of rowdy college kids, and the booming of Metalica's "black" album, chicken wings. Now as with everything else here it's a little askew from what we know, but it was really close this time. So sitting in the din of the crowd and eating wings Martin, Craig, Kia, and I had a dam fine start to the evening. It was reviewed the plans for the coming weeks travels, as the student discounts are out on Monday, and the destinati
on is: We thought that a little where I the world might be fun to play with all the folks back home, so be on the look out for post cards! In fact I'd encourage a little pool, where to you think I'm gonna end up? Martin asked of us last night, as a Czech, what we thought of the republic. He wanted to know our honest opinions of the place, the worst things about it is....? That sort of thing was the basic topic, however we really couldn't find anything. Service was one thing, but we all know that we are here because we wanted something different than the Americas. The only thing that was missing for me was the people in my life. So between all of us we couldn't find anything bad about this place. In thinking about it, it makes staying on here more of an option for me, or even going further.
So after a few more rounds Craig and Kia hit the bricks toward home, and Martin and I however were just starting this pub crawl. Zizkov is a hilly part of town here, and we already climbed one to get to this bar, so on coming out onto the street the downhill was preferred. And so we coasted down the hill and made a right onto a new street. Seeing some strangely painted sign Martin stopped me and we headed down in to another cellar. This place was like some old wine cellar that was more rough finished. They had a DJ and he was spinning the rastamon, most of the people were our age, and it was a cool scene. I'll surely go back. Well I say I'll go back, but I'm only here for another few months, so the odds are that I'll still be scooping out the scene. After that one we wandered for blocks and blocks, and only after some walking and a few pit stops realized that we were on the other side of town! We were a long ways from where we started and sort of had to pick a heading and go with it to get more toward the center of town again. Praha is a city that is just as interesting in the light as it is in the dark. Maybe more so in the dark, as all of the fairy tale streets are still like a fantasy world in looks compared to the North American city, but it's the darker, and perhaps sinister appeal of it. Winding streets, cobblestones, castle's and cathedrals all have a feel in the light of the day that is almost fluffy, that in the dark of the late night are Brahm Stoker times 10 when your a little lost. I don't know that it's a feeling for everyone, but I'd want everyone to feel it at least once. My friend Jason use to talk many late night walks, and I may have developed this fascination from hanging out and walking with him so much. If that were the case, I'm in his debt. And so by some small miracle we made it back to our hotel, with relative ease. Lucking out with the trams that we did find, and just walking when we didn't. And getting back to the hotel brings me back to the desk staff that we've all come to know so well.
I've never, ever, had to function with more people that apparently don't hate their jobs, but only the most important parts of it. The hotel staff, the desk clerks, sigh, and moan about doing their job like children. As if they were being punished and that the third ring of hell for a Czech is to work the desk at the Hotel Krystal. I seem to be on the good list, I can never get any stamps form them. Each time I ask they are sold out. But this is a minor nuisance, one girl received a letter in the mail here. And knowing that it was something important inquired each day before it had arrived. This angering the gods of the reception, when it came the one we all call "Mr. Personality" handed it over with a grin saying "maybe it's a plane ticket". Not a good way to build customer satisfaction if you asked me. Then after my refrigerator broke down, Craig and John lost theirs and the less than prompt service led to a loss of food, spoiled. When we know that it could have taken then a day to replace it. Strange, strange people, and none of us expected North American service, but come on.
If there is one conciliation to this it's that our floor maids are great. They treat us well, and don't even seem to mind that we are in direct violation of the hotel rules with our W.W.I vintage hotplate. "Betsy" as we've come to call her has been the indirect reason that our floor has had much more wear of late. Yes Craig, who could juggle a soccer ball in a chandelier shop, can't seem to keep condiments in his hands. That and a slight error with some shoe polish have made Craig the number one scoring player against our carpet.
But like my buddy Schweik said,
"to je klid!" It's all good
And now for some cultural notes. It seems to me that I've been using the page lately for less of a cultural observation and journalistic paper than I should be. However it's not been all that exciting here. No great riots anymore that's all done with unless I end up in Israel. Winter is coming to the Czech republic, slowly but surly. Days have been pleasant, nights however have been cold.
It seems that more and more of Praha's elderly have been out and about of late. The trams being dominated by them, you really don't get seat at all these days. It's a common practice that you yield your seat to the elderly here, not that it shouldn't be everywhere, but if you don't see that old lady get on the tram and your sitting, she's gonna hit you with her purse to let you know your being rude. That and lots of ladies with prams. They always get the open section at the rear, and it's not uncommon to help them on and off with the kid and it's stroller. Same with the old ladies that ride, but they are either yes please help me down the steps, or stay the hell away from me all of you!
Food stuffs haven't really surprised me to much, but something's aren't the same. They don't know that you eat chicken wings, nor that you do it with your hands. I've never been served a place setting with an order of wings in my life. Same with pizza here, it always comes, kinda like at pizza hut with a fork and a knife. However it's note really as good as the pizza we have at home. There are always standing places here at the eateries. Like at a cukerna the sweets shop. They will always have like three skinny bar like tables to stand at and eat what ever it is that you bought, and drink your drink. They have some Kure, chicken, places, where you order a quarter, half, or hole bird. Then you just stand, no seats and eat at the bar tables. Another thing with them is that you get no napkins, and if you try to explain this to the Czechs they just don't understand. They have a sink and a towel in the corner of the shop, you just eat, wash, and go. That I think being the main idea of Czech fast food.
Drugs here are not as regulated, and someone is always smoking dope somewhere. That is something that takes getting use to, but at the clubs it's normal to smell it wafting around in the air. I've been told by some of my friends that they do a lot of ecstasy here too, that it seems to be the drug of choice. But other people have also seen the heroin junkies down by the river. So to say that a society that is less strict about it's drug abuse curbs it isn't true. But I've not had any problems in relation to any of these people either. They are just eye sores, basically, so it makes me question (and not that I didn't always question) the "War of Drugs" in the United States.
Lately Nuclear power has been an issue, with the Austrian boarder and Temalin power station. The Austrians closed the Czech boarders in protest to the station. They claim that it's unsafe, but the nuclear power authority is an Austrian biased organization, and they gave them the go ahead to operate Temaline. So it seems to most of us that the reasoning is more an economic one for the Austrians than an environmental one. The fact is that they would lose out on money if this new reactor fired up. Czech would have no need to buy outside or Austrian power, and as a hole it would lower the price of energy for this sector of Europe. So some special interests have stirred up a lot of people in the cloak of environmental defense, but for most of us here in the Czech republic, and anyone with any understanding of how strictly modern nuclear facilities are run. This is not Chernobyl, this is Europe and as sad as it is to say about Russia, here in Europe they have standards, and in Czech they care about the people.