A Confederacy of Dunces

It's still raining here, but at least it has cooled off! I'm back in my red shoes and still trying to locate some baking soda. I think I need to start over with new socks or just soak them in bleach for a couple of hours. Good times...

Yesterday, I was sitting here in Bohemia Bagel, the first proper internet cafe I have found, when Otto appeared out of no where with a book! We had been talking about this book over lunch and it was so highly recommended by people back home before I left but I balked at the idea because I didn't want to carry a book around. So, this little gem, this magical offering kept me up all night and I have been reading ever since. Should be done in time for the footy match to start in a couple of hours so I can return it, but if any of you get the chance, please read it. It's "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole and it will have you in absolute stitches for hours. Thanks Otto, you're a peach!

I sprang for a good meal last night, Timo and Gary let me have the last steak and it was marinating in merlot and garlic all day. A few yukon gold potatoes and cucumber tomato salad and I was in heaven. I haven't had red meat since I left, well not in less you count the endless streams of kebabs, which may not even qualify as "The Other White Meat" but it's a dream nonetheless. Why don't we have kebabs in San Francisco? If we do, I've been missing them because I will once again live on them when I get to Berlin. (Sorry Prague, your kebabs are absolute crap!) I definitely miss cooking, I am pining for a good cooking session, with fresh ingredients, etc, but there is no kitchen at the A & O so I just settle for soup and rice, and once in a while splurge on Chinese noodles or a meal downstairs, which is kind of spendy in comparison, but worth it. My hangar steak cost me 160 krown, which is roughly $8.00 US dollars. Not bad. It's not CHOW, but it will do. I do miss the food at CHOW. I would try to cook at Otto's place, but I am scared of his kitchen. Really, I'm certain things are growing in there, but I can't be sure because I refuse to even go in there. Anyway, nights back at the hostel are a comfort and I can cook when I get back to Murphy's in 2 weeks.

Off to Chateau to meet up with Otto and friends to watch Germany/Argentina and to be honest, I know my English friends will hate this, but I hope Germany wins because Argentina are 1) Cocky, dirty, cheaters and I am sick of them and Diego Maradonna. And, B) If Germany wins this one, they have a chance against Italy or Ukraine and the party in Berlin will be so much better if Germany can pull it off. Of course, I am going for the Dark Horse Ukraine, because I like underdogs and they are hot!

I'm staving off my laundry until the last minute, but washing my knickers in the sink is getting old and frankly, I need a better sink! I also blew it by not packing a laundry line and I have lost another one of my travel locks but there is a TESCO here and desperate times call for desperate measures. I am going to have to walk into that evil empire and make a few purchases! Baking soda, batteries, new socks, travel gear and well, a belt because, despite my grotesque beer habit, my pants are all falling off due to the fact that I am also walking everywhere and losing a bit of weight. I bought a belt in Munich which was absolute crap, it started crumbling into dust about 5 days after I bought it. I guess that is what $5 Euro will get you.

I guess that's all for now, please go pick up "Confederacy" and laugh out loud! There is more footy tomorrow then a few days break so I am actually going to try and get to either the Bone Church, or just visit another section of the city. Hope it stops raining, but beggars can't be picky.

LATERS!

PIVO...Proshim!

BEER...please.
These words go along way in my world at the moment. But, when you consider that a beer costs about .85 cents US, it's just hard to pass up! I have managed to make friends with a few locals here, the barmaid at the Sports Bar next to the hostel loves me, I tip her about 5 crown with each pivo and she loves me. I have also been at Chateau most evenings to watch the footy, but there was no match on last night so I ended up meeting Otto and some friends of his for a rousing hour of live Cuban music. Haven't really done much the last couple of days, it's finally cooled down because of the rain and now my new challenge is to get rid of the swamp foot invading my coveted red shoes. I need some baking soda but I am here to testify that there isn't a single box in the entire Czech Republic. My clothes smell like a combination of old socks and cigarettes and to get to the laundry mat is 5 metro stops and 4 blocks which normally would be fine but then there is the dragging of the laundry bag so I am going to have to schedule a whole day for that. Remember, in Prague...one errand a day is a huge accomplishment. Today my one errand has been to find a good internet cafe and post a blog. Wow, it's exhausting! Hehehehe.

Been hanging out with Otto a lot, he's a cool cat and is from here so it's nice to know a local because one turns into two and so on. Met his friend Uri today, they work in production doing TV, commercials and also movies. I'm going to see if I can make some contacts for them back in the states. If nothing else, I have a few new friends here in Prague for when I come back.

I'm definitely having footy withdrawl, but the matches are on tomorrow again so I can start to read "A Confederacy of Dunces" tonight and feel like I am accomplishing something quasai intellectual. I am in Old Town, Praha 1 right now, and it's a slight haul back to the hostel with this backpack, so I guess I'll just take my time and stroll or sit in a park and start my book.

Finally watched the damn clock in Old Town Square today, I kept wondering why all these people would gather at the hour and stare at the side of a building but this is a special clock which was made...uh, well, better google that, but anyway at the hour these windows open and figurines of the 12 Apostles sort of appear and scoot around, and then a skeleton bounces up and down and it clangs and bongs and well then it's over. It is actually quite beautiful and I'll bring the chicken and take a photo. I guess, legend has it that the king at the time put the clockmaker's eyes out so he could never reproduce the clock. Yikes, "hey thanks for that clock...clockmaker guy...now we put your eyes out!" I'm pretty sure it was done without anesthesia, but who knows.

Meeting Otto for footy tomorrow night and may scoot out of town this weekend, but then again it's two whole days away and i can't be bothered to figure it out yet!

Oh yeah, happy 70th to my Uncle Jerry from the porch clan in central Florida. Hope you all had a nice party.

Okay off to wander, possibly read my new book and probably have a beer. LATERS!

Postcards from Praha 7

I've never been so hot in my entire life. It's 100 degrees out and there isn't one air conditioner in the entire city! Alas, I am not only a smelly backpacker, but I am now a sweaty smelly backpacker. There is absolutely no way to look cute on the road and I have given up all hope of ever smelling pretty again. I am going to give myself a pedicure today maybe that will help.

Had a bit of a long one yesterday, I walked from my hostel, which is on the north end of town, to city center and old town...VIA...parks, the Castle, the Observation tower (which is like a cheesy Eiffel Tower) and down across the Charles Bridge into Old Town, where Italy beat Australia in the last minute on a penalty kick. It was fun, I was sitting with a bunch of Italians and I understood practically everything so I think I will do well there. I don't like team Italia at all, but at least I won't have to endure "OZZIE OZZIE OZZIE OY OY OY!" anymore. God, it's annoying. Almost as annoying as Aussie men who are getting on my nerves more and more with each passing day. I almost slugged one the other night because he was being stupid and blathering on about rediculous things but I thought better of it and just left. Ugh. Broke the "No Absynthe" oath the night before last but only because it was Gary's 30th and it's just wrong to say no to a birthday. Then, I ended up sitting up all night with Christian while he worked reception and talked about why I don't have a boyfriend. That was rich...until some Aussie guy told us to shut up, and I almost slugged him too because Aussie guys have been keeping me up since i left and I was happy to return the favor!


Pee is for Prague.

Yes, while this is a beautiful city, it smells like urine all over and the heat doesn't help. I got into a phone booth last night to call someone here and almost hurled because of the stench.

Finished up in Old Town with a plate of carbonara and glass of Chianti. Jumped on the 17 tram and thought I would dive into the local bar around the corner for a 12 cent beer and the end of the Ukraine/Swiss match and just as Ukraine won on a penalty shoot out, these Ukranian guys next to me started trying to chat I of course my Russian is a bit rusty...so, they order shots of Vodka to celebrate the win and I think "fair enough...don't want to insult them" and they keep ordering more Vodka and beer and offering me cigarettes and I don't even smoke but don't want to insult them so I am smoking Russian cigarettes and drinking Russian vokda and sitting with two Russian guys laughing at things I can't understand and I finally kissed both cheeks and got the hell out of there! Thank goodness my hostel is a two minute walk otherwise it would have been a bad scene!

Speaking of bad scenes, I'm off to Berlin next Wednesday for the Cup Final and Love Parade. I'm in deep doo doo. Wish me luck!

I had the plan to get all these things done yesterday, but in Prague getting things done means take a whole day to walk around and make a list of the things you need to get done and then maybe get one or two done. I am here for a long while so it's great to just putter around and sit and think about getting things done...I do that a lot here. Today I am going to buy my ticket for Berlin and tonight I have a dinner date with a guy named Otto. He speaks perfect English and works in the movie industry here which apparently is booming. I just want to learn about Prague from a local. Seems really nice. (Yes, mom and dad, I'll be careful) Of course, I had to stipulate that we would watch Brasil play Ghana first and I hope that an upset ensues.


LATERS!

Life in Prague

It's been a week now that I am back in Prague and it definitely has it's hooks in me. It's big enough to be interesting but small enough that I keep running into the same people all the time. The staff here at the A & O Hostel have become like family, and I have met some wonderful locals as well. I also met the coolest guy from Montreal of all places and he has been a great help in guiding me through the city and making sure I am looked after. Merci! I am taking it easy today, footy fever is at a high pitch and the town square becons daily. Tomorrow I am going to try and be responsible and buy my train ticket to Berlin, get a transport pass and start looking through my calendar to book the next leg of my tour.

I found a great bar/club in Old Town called the Chateau and have made a few friends, gotten into a few heated political discussions and guided some American students around to cool spots. (Of course, the political discussions usually mean that I am on the same side as those talking to me about things, but I just say "I have no choice, people! Sorry!")

What I love about the Footy is that there are literally 25 different languages being spoken around the Old Town Square, but everyone understands the game and it is a common denomonator that brings everyone together. I love it. It's making my Euro experience that much richer. For example, when Australia played Croatia, I was in a pub with about 100 mental Aussies and about 20 Croatian teenagers. As loud and obnoxious as the Aussies can be, the Croat kids had them hands down. As I looked at these kids, all were about 15-18 years of age, I realized that they were all born out of war and the passion with which they sang and cheered gave me goose bumps and made me realize how lucky we are and how resiliant human beings can me. I loved them and it was a moment I wish I had my camera! Crap, oh well. It's not really a good idea to run around with a camera when you are alone at night...just begging for trouble.

So, off to watch England play Equador, then Holland and Portugal after. Should be fun. Off to bed after that and up early to be a grown-up! (Hard as it is!) LATERS!

Chesky Solstice

Happy summer soltice from Prague. Things are a bit more mellow for me now that I am back here in The Czech Republic, back to my little hostel on the hill and back to my favorite new bohemian city. The staff here feel like old friends and treat me like one of the family, which is good because I am going to be here for about 2 more weeks so we don't want them getting too sick of me yet! I've been down for Timo's free hot breakfast every morning, which consists of scrambled eggs, bacon and then all kinds of cereals, tea, juice, etc. So, with the free breakfast, cheap accomodation and beers that go for about 25 Czech Krown, or around $1.80, I can live for about $15.00 a day here. This is good because I needed a place to chill and not spend so I can have fun in Berlin. They, of course, have footy in the town square so each day some crazy group of supporters gather there with face paint, jerseys and flags, singing songs and screaming. Day one I was with a bunch of mad Ukranians who went positively mental when Ukraine beat Saudi Arabia. Yesterday, around 2000 German teen agers sang German songs for 2 hours straight and screamed for literally an hour after Germany beat Equador. Back at the hostel, Tony the Englsh barman from Sheffield nearly popped a blood vessel when Sweden scored in the last minute to take the draw 2-2.

Last night after footy, I went down the street to a place called Club Cross, which used to be a scrapyard but a bunch of artists and musicians got together and created a multi-level space with DJ's, outdoor garden area, dungeons, music rooms and a few bars. The cool thing is that it constantly changes because artists and welders come in a add structures and lighting all the time. It's insane! After a while I met a couple of guys from Bradislava then Alex the ginger-bearded Welsh barman showed up with 4 girls from Finland and 3 Canadian guys so we had a good laugh until I noticed it was about 3 a.m. and decided to try to make the sunrise somewhere. So, I popped up and walked all the way down to the Charles Bridge just in time to watch the sun come up, right next to a perfect crescent moon. I was the only one on the street, except for the occasional night tram that would whizz by, full of weary and bleary-eyed passengers. Just as I looked down to notice the time, my watch read a perfect "4:20" and so it goes that at 420 on summer soltice, I watched the sun come up over the Charles Bridge in Prague and that is one more little item I could never find in a gift shop.

Tonight I am going to make it a perfect circle by climbing up the Prague Castle hill to the observation tower and watch the sunset. After that, who knows. Probably more footy, more town square and more beer. BUT NO MORE ABSYNTHE! (Stupid Alex and his stupid A-Bombs!) Every night, here in the underground bar, Alex lines up these little creatures called A-Bombs which consist of Absynthe and Red Bull. You drop the absynthe in the glass of red bull and skull (or chug) the little monster down and then you either have a heart attack or start hallucinating. He got me good last time but I have purposefully been absent during the midnight rendezvous to ensure that I don't run naked through the streets and... to save $4.00. I'm just enjoying watching the effects on other unsuspecting souls.

Will speak more on Prague later, but here is another place I could easily settle. The Czech people are passionate, intelligent and very sensitive. The landscape is amazing, there are castles everywhere, hills, little red roofs and thunder storms each night. It's been about 90 degrees and humid since I came back but I wouldn't be any place else right now. LATERS!

BEST DAY:::

Truly, i had one of the best days so far. Yesterday, i took the tram to the English Garden here in Munich and found the most amazing place! There is a nude "beach" right in the middle of town, where you can go and lay out naked by the river and i was in absolute heaven! I haven`t been to a nudie beach since I left Cali and I had no idea that I would find one in Germany! I love it here. So, I was at the nudie park from about noon until four and then I wandered back to the Chinese Tower and found a bunch of Aussies that were staying at the hostel and we drank huge steins of beautiful german beer and ate pretzels and watched the Cup and just had a ball. I`m off to Prague again today, taking the train and Czech play Ghana tonight and I will arrive just in time to catch the match in the town square. Footy fever has reached a high point and it`s only going to get better. Off to the train station, will post again in Prague. LATERS!

Munchen

Guten Tag from Munich! Wow, things are crazy here due to the cup, England are playing today, everyone is mental and Australia play Brasil on Sunday so accomdation is rare and the hostel reception crew is on edge. Travel day today, checking in was a pain but I'm in and about to wander. Got my train ticket for Prague and I leave on Saturday, arrive just in time to see the footy match against Ghana...then 5 days later Czech plays Italy so it should be GREAT! Had my first major loss, can't find my clip-on sunnies and it's a long story, but lost a contact lense and had a replacement, but I think the prescription is wrong and I can't see. Ugh. Also, need some sunscreen, it's impossible to find and very expensive here. Must run, LATERS!

Bye Bye Austria

It's is with great regret that I have to leave Austria! Heather and Kris Peterson with absolutely right when they said that it was heaven on earth! I have thought about those two every day since I arrived and I won't ever forget this wonderful paradise. Who would have thought I would get a sunburn in Vienna! This is also the place where I finally healed, and while I am still a little sore, I can walk with relative ease now and was able to see the city, climb the fortress and once again, venture to the town square and watch Germany beat Poland on the big screen. What a match! The best part of the evening was at the end. I was with my Aussie mates, Richard, Jo, Kate and Lee when right next to us this guy and his wife were freaking out because he got so excited that Germany won, he flung his wedding ring into the bleachers, never to be found again. She was crying, he was shattered and her sister was trying to find the ring. This is when I pulled out my little portable flashlight, which I carry with me everywhere, and we searched for about 15 minutes when lo and behold, we found the ring and I was the heroine of the night! They were so grateful that the offered to take me out for drinks and dinner and I made new friends and that is another experience that you cannot buy in a gift shop! Wow, it was rich I tell you! So, I have to make a confession right now that I was kind of making fun of Katy for buying me a stupid flashlight for my trip, but inside the package was a clip on mini flashlight and Joel told me to take it and it has been a lifeline for me throughout this trip. Thanks guys, sorry for making fun of you little sis. Wish you were here! One day. Anyway, off to Munich...this is a beer town so you might lose me but I will resurface in Prague and then who knows! I heard from Frau Simone Mueller today and she is meeting me in Amsterdam end of July! I can't wait, my first visitor from home! LATERS!

FOOTY!

I knew being in Europe during the World Cup was going to be fun, but I had NO IDEA how much fun! Ever place I go, there is a giant screen TV set up in the town square and hundreds of people show up to support their side or just revel in the game. Last night, I went to the main cathedral in old town here in Salzburg to watch Brasil and Croatia play their first match. Imagine, a medeival cathedral, a beautiful lit-up fountain about 30 feet high, an old helicopter (don't know?) a giant screen, full moon, 80 degree weather and hundreds of fans from all over the world! I mean, it was like a United Nations convention with a beer garten...In true form, the Brasilians showed up with drums, dancers and flags which pretty much happens everywhere they play. What I didn't expect is the Croatian contingency to blaze in with full face paint and red and white checkered jerseys, singing Croatian anthems at the top of their lungs. It was the kind of experience you can't buy in a gift shop or see on a sight-seeing tour. I can't wait until tonight, Germany is playing Poland so I have to get there early otherwise I will get lost in a sea of tall people.

Today I am off to explore more of the city, the hostel offers a tour of the ice caves which sounds very tempting, but I am trying not to push matters and I think a hike might not be the best idea. (Which is quite sad because hiking is literally one of my favorite things to do!) I guess they take you on a tram to the top of the Alps and then you go into these ice caves and hike through for about an hour. UGH. Oh well.

Looks like I will be going back to Prague after all, to lie low for a couple of weeks and save money. They also have the footy in the town square and The Czechs are doing well in their division, they just beat the crap out of the U.S. a couple of days ago so I didn't have to face that humiliation live and in person. They are in the same division, but won't play eachother again. I'm also toying with the idea of going to Krakow, Poland for a few days before Berlin, it's supposed to be amazing, and cheap which is on my agenda these days. I blew way too much in London and Scotland so I need to conserve so I can keep traveling throughout the summer and beyond.

Off to have a beautiful coffee in a beautiful outdoor cafe' and enjoy this beautiful day! LATERS!

Greetings From Vienna!

Hey all! Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted since Berlin. I spent a week in Prague and had some computer difficulties, but it was mostly the blur of that Bohemian city that sucked me in and left a hook in me that probably won't soon leave. It happens to a lot of people so I met a bunch of kindred spirits and promised to return before I leave Europe. Damn Absynthe! Anyway, Prague is like Amsterdam, only cleaner, better and cheaper. Can't really beat it.

Vienna is beautiful, went to the Opera last night and was mesmorized by the architecture. For about 2 Euro, you can stand up in the balcony and watch the whole experience. Pretty cool, although the show itself was modern and I kind of wanted costumes, etc.

I've met a cool dude here in Austria who is a web designer and he is going to help me download my photos so hopefully I will have some to show you hopefully soon and will be able to work on my blog in Stuttgart where I will be staying with some friends I met in Prague. The world up is on and it is a blast! Will be in Berlin for the final so for selfish reasons I'm supporting Germany! LATERS!