prague

Gray skies shaded the muted colors lighter, but it stayed light until well after nine, the moon rising long before the sun set. On our first night we wanted to sleep at five in the afternoon; we stuck it out through dinner and slept at 9. The second night there was no sleep; there was absinthe dancing and a stage (earlier in the day: absinthe ice cream is good, though it burned Allison's throat and my stomach). Walking in the quiet mid-morning, it was strangely bright without any obvious sun. Saw the sun rise sitting atop a rooftop with an arm around my waist, that I let slip as easily as I let it rest there. The sun appeared suddenly as a gleaming disk, I mistook it for the moon until I remembered. It made a patch of sky blinding, and promptly disappeared into cloud with its ascent. The light stayed behind a while. In the morning, having checked out of our hostel, we stumbled our way around town searching for places to sleep. At one point we catnapped on a bench; upon feeling like bums we went inside to a coffeeshop where only one could sleep at a time. Allison opened her eyes and said, Let's go to the cinema. I was confused, then understood that a theater offered the luxury of letting us both close our eyes. Brilliant--but we stuck it out. After some more napping at an outdoors McDonald's.

All the streets I can remember were cobblestone. The Charles Bridge was crowded, and loveliest from afar. The castle sprawls. Upon huffing and puffing up a grassy park, red roofs abounded. Walking through the city to our bus, came across gorgeous vantage points like surprises. Buildings in the square seemed to press flat against the sky like a movie set. They were boxy in the middle, with lots of curls and odd corners at the edges.

Czech food is warm, meaty and good with beer (very cheap). Attractive waiters with sincere charm. Roast duck was particularly memorable, with savory sauce mopped up by bread dumplings. Allison had "the best croutons ever" in her garlic soup, and I enjoyed a good steak at a slightly medieval former-prison-turned-restaurant where bear hides clung to the walls and a group of burly men befriended a lone Asian traveler, the one guffawing with every sentence uttered by the other. A seafood lunch by the river in Cesky Krumlov, with another castle in view, a full trout with teeny bones and much flavor, laced with lemon juice. Home-made Korean food welcomed us in the mornings and evenings: kimchee, slices of pork wrapped in lettuce and unbelievable sauce, breakfasts of sushi and soup, fish and spring rolls. A welcoming pair of parents who reacted to our presence with smiles, always. Narae's energy kept us walking, eating, looking. We watched Star Trek (it was super cheap to watch movies and the movie was so good!) and rested at the worst Burger King in the world. Saw the castle at night, the lights more subtle than I anticipated; the river reflecting light without taking it all.

The bus station was chaotic; we went back and forth and maneuvered times and routes and stations, but after several trips became expert (kind of) navigators. The bus ride to Cesky Krumlov was filled with stops and locals, and a lot of green. Our hostel was a homey cave with walls painted yellow, lived-in kitchen and common room, and comforting to wake up in. Walked a straight road into town, with nonchalant viewpoints along the way, overlooking a small quaint town, loudly splendorous but humble. We perched on a bench to watch it grow dark (it takes a long time), the pink castle maintaining its pink from the day and gaining white light to define it against night, and talked for some time, getting cold. We talked a lot, falling asleep or staying up, in transit, during meals. Narae and I hiked our way to a hiking trail, and went back, stopping at points and consuming the afternoon in another yellow cafe, with mediocre food and drinks but glad to be sitting. The escalators in Prague are the fastest we'd ever seen; they are scary. Other -ests: biggest breakfast, cheapest (good) beers, most castles, more that I can't recall at the moment (should've recorded).

The ride to Vienna: vineyards, red flowers peppering grass every so often and then in bursts; mustard flowers showering large patches of fields. The ride back: the sky changed every few moments, like the way a movie flashes scenes one after another to show the passing of time. In Vienna, the escalators are normal, the castles and churches darker, in coloring or feel or both. Favorite was a thin white one with a jagged pattern, felt like an icicle piercing the surroundings. Fell asleep in a spot amidst much grass, trios of boys playing soccer, couples, people by themselves reading or watching or listening to music. A glorious nap, on the one day I wore a skirt. Night light brings everything to a glow, the rows of windows individually alight. Had a long dinner with appetizer, main course, and dessert. Walked by many stores, none of which were ever open (night, Sunday, etc). Tried schnitzel (once is enough). We sat outside the opera house, watching people walk out after the performance of My Fair Lady. Allison brought me breakfast in bed: strawberries and bread with prosciutto (I LOVE PROSCIUTTO) and cream cheese. Frolicked in rose gardens, posing by the flowers and decided our route by sight ("let's go toward THAT"). The next afternoon we spent in a pretty clean-cut coffeeshop and had a melange. The gelato in Vienna was especially good (Prague was also very good: a delicious raspberry; in Vienna, strawberry yogurt and kiwi and mango that tasted like biting into all of those things).

We had ice cream every day. Sometimes twice.