Behind the Iron Curtain

In week two, things started to settle down. I’d done most of what I was meant to for uni, and had found some friends to hang around with. It was some time late during this second week that my roommate (yes, roommate) arrived. I was quite excited about this, and still am. It’s great living with a Czech person, because it means that I can actually practice my Czech without being limited to ‘hello’, ‘how much is this’ and ‘my name is Nick’. It’s also quite good because, as I forget if I’ve mentioned, the people in the office of our dorm don’t speak English. None. The one who does is over in the MAIN office, which is open some days, 9-5. The result: a very grateful Nick that when the proverbial hits the fan and my little translation dictionary isn’t holding up, there’s somebody to put out the fires. I swear it was only through his help that I got to wash my clothes. I think I had been insulting someone’s mother before that.

Prague is definitely a beautiful city. However, I haven’t really seen that many of the touristy sites. Charles Bridge was noteworthy of course, but packed with people from 8am – 10pm. Prague Castle looks amazing but, like so many other places, I haven’t yet been inside. There is also a Salvador Dali (my favourite artist) exhibition on Old Town Square, which I noticed on my first day but still haven’t been to. But I’ve rationalised all of this. It seems there will soon be an almost constant stream of Australian friends and family, including Emily, coming through Prague over the next few months. So, I can tell myself that it’s not because I’m lazy, but that I’m waiting to see it with my old friends. Good excuse, huh?

But, consistent with the phrase that you never do the things in your own backyard first, I have been on a couple of other trips. Two weeks ago, a group of friends and I ventured off to Berlin for the weekend. This heightened my envy of Europeans. To get to Berlin, ground zero of 20th century political struggles, was a mere 5 hour bus ride. And that was considered a slow bus. A five hour bus ride from Brisbane would take you to somewhere near Tenterfield. Now, I’m not casting any aspersions on Tenterfield, but let’s just say I remain jealous of Europeans.

Berlin was a strange city. Given that 90% of it was destroyed in WW2, you raise your eyebrow at its ‘old’ buildings, though they have been fantastically rebuilt. It also has a much different feel to Brisbane or, for that matter, Prague. In a city of 3.5 million people, there are only a handful of skyscrapers. The streets are wide, the demeanour calm and the city sprawling. It was unusual to be in a city with no discernable centre, and it wasn’t until we spent a few hours wandering on foot that we started to get a bit of a feel for the place. It seemed the sort of city that grows on you. That said, we saw some amazing things. To be at the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie, standing atop the Reichstag or reflecting at the Holocaust Memorial stirs strange emotions. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable long weekend, but even German efficiency has nothing on the Prague public transport system.

The second trip was markedly different. Tucked away in the very south of the Czech Republic is Cesky Krumlov. It will forever have a place in my memory as the first place I saw it snowing. It was worth the frostbite. The town is dominated by a huge castle built on a cliff. Walking around it was beautiful. Every street was cobbled, the houses must all be over two centuries old, and its food was sensational. While not going in for the bear paw, I availed myself of the venison, rabbit and pheasant. Delicious. The photo attached gives some indication of the vibe of the place.

Which just about brings us up to today. Uni’s starting to take up some time, and I’m eagerly anticipating friends staring to trickle in soon. This weekend I’m going to Budapest (in Hungary), so there will be more to report back on shortly. I’ve probably forgotten something important, but I have no doubt that someone will point out what it is.

Nashledanou!