Day 3 , 22 July 2019
Prague
Never been so excited for a Monday !!!
Not that I hate Mondays but this one was special.We three got ready and left the house. The couple dropped me at a familiar place from yesterday and continued for their office. Oh well, I have a bus tonight to the next country,so my time is limited.
Now, I'm supposed to take a tram to reach the city centre from here. I thought of a taking a stroll instead, as the city was comparatively calmer at this hour.
I'm walking without any direction ,just following my gaze and voices I hear. In a while I see a flee market. The owners are just setting up their shops. There is this good morning vibe for a new start after a weekend .
I then spotted a cute truck cafe and there I got my morning espresso .
It was almost 10.30 AM. The sun began to show up now. Soon there were more people on the road. I was glad to have taken that stroll on the empty streets.
I had a city map which showed some famous places in vicinity. I started walking following the map. First on the list was the The Prague Astronomical Clock which has designed mechanism to display astronomical information to show the relative positions of the Sun, Moon, Zodiac constellations and, sometimes, other planets. There was so much rush at this place, I decided to avoid every famous place on the map and just go wherever my mind takes me, lol.
I wasn't interested in the famous places much but wanted to explore more of people, culture,food which differentiated me from them. Everything gave me a new perspective which I may have never encountered in my own country.
Good thing about the European cities, there are always trams, trains, buses moving around. You hop in one and explore. The day was getting hotter, I was carrying a water bottle ofcourse (Because Mommy says never leave the house without your own bottle ).Since I was tired of walking, I got in a tram, thinking it would take me closer to Charles bridge, because yesterday I saw everything was at a walking distance from there. Settling down as I sipped water , I saw myself going away from the city. Haha, I had gotten into a wrong tram and it was too late when I realized . Yeah now I panicked and got down at the very next station and took another tram in the reverse direction and this time I thought would be more careful and get down at some known place from yesterday. I got down just outside a mall .I wanted to use the restroom, so I went in.
And guess what?? SALE ,SALE SALE !!! That is what I saw everywhere around me. Mind it, it was Day 3. I’d shopped in India for this trip, there was no reason for me to go and check the stores in the mall, but I did. And within an hour I had my shopping bag with everything possible (tee, shorts, dress, footwear,glasses). Yeah, judge me all you want. I'm woman after all ,lol.
It was around 1 PM now, I was on the streets again. I needed food !! A friend had suggested Lokal, that’s famous for food and beer. It had a long queue but since I was alone, I got in soon. I ordered the house specialty. And Boy that came with a huge pitcher ! I’m not a beer person ,but I had made up my mind to try all kinds of beer in Europe .
I’m alone with this huge pitcher in front me and food. I finished the food because I was super hungry. After finishing quarter of my beer I felt tipsy (imagine my capacity ). But there was more to go. There was this guy sitting on a table in front of me in a formals, with his back facing me. I assumed he wasn’t expecting anyone to join him as he was eating alone.Initially I thought to not bother him but after the beer, I was like, What the heck !!
So, I went to him and asked if I can join him at his table since we are both alone. Like a gentleman, he welcomed me (I was prepared for a NO , but I took my chance which turned out positive).
I told him this was my first day alone on my solo trip and I had no one to drink beer with and so I asked him. He was surprised (to see an Indian girl alone all the way there )and with a smile said he would have loved to show me around but he was on his lunch break from work. That gesture made me happy. We had a chit chat while I finished my beer and then he said a good bye wishing me safe travels.
Now, I was both tipsy and happy. I somehow managed to reach the Charles bridge, YAY . I went to see the great John Lennon Wall just close to the bridge.The kind of art I saw on the wall was fascinating. It was filled with colors and ideas.One thing I learnt on this very first day was, don’t shy away from asking strangers to click your pictures. I asked someone to click a picture in front of the wall, with my shopping bag. It made the pic funny.
Later I again went around the bridge, watching street artists performing, musicians, dancers,painters. As I walked watching people, I realized what a different world this is from ours. It was something way out of my imagination. The city is so cheerful and has beautiful architecture. I was left spellbound after every few minutes. Pictures from today added at the end.
I was supposed to meet my friends in the evening after their office. I had some time to kill, so I went to one fancy café . It felt so different, never in India I had coffee alone in a cafe . I relaxed sipping my coffee, absorbing all the awesomeness of the city as the time to leave was nearing.
An hour later I met Kunal and Priya at the same place they had left me in the morning. We got back home, had dinner. I packed my bag because two nights in Prague were done and I was leaving for my next destination, Budapest.
Kunal dropped me at the bus station, I boarded the bus. And it was time to say good-bye to the fairytale city called Prague. Trust me, it is as beautiful as shown in the movies.One place off my bucket list. I was happy with the first lap of my trip.
Now the actual solo trip has begun. I was on my own from now. No Indian around, for the first time in my life.I got comfortable in my seat, penned down all the beautiful memories of Prague in my diary and slept.
That ended my Day 3, with added excitement for Day 4.
Learning from the day : Remember, if you don’t ask, the answer is always no.
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