Prague has been my most fun trip thus far, mainly because of the cool people I met. The Czech Republic was the last leg of a two week trip that took me through Hungary and Austria. I arrived with no expectations or a solid plan but that didn’t curtail the fun that insued.
It all started when I decided to use Couchsurfing app to meet people. One feature of the app is that it allows you to connect and hang out with other travelers in the area. Once on the app, I communicated with a traveler named Mohamed, who was organizing a meet-up. An hour later I walked to the meeting point, which was the Astronomical Clock, and was greeted by Mohamed, Elyssa, Caesar, and Matias. There were more of us but this was the consistent core of our group. None of us were from the same place. Mohamed is a doctor in Egypt. He’s highly intelligent and has a great deal of empathy for the world. Elyssa and Ceasar work for military police in Kuwait but are from the USA, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Elyssa has a great heart and is the most physically tough woman I’ve ever met. Ceasar is the life of the party and is always dressed like he's going on a job interview. I’m not sure what Matias does but he’s from the nation of Chile. He was the prankster and comedian in the group. He offered me a sip of water on one occasion, which I quickly found out was actually vodka. Our personalities were different but from the moment we met we instantly gelled. We explored the city of Prague together laughing and cracking jokes the entire time. It was like we‘ve been friends for years even though we just met. We enjoyed the medieval vibe along with the plethora of beer options that were literally cheaper than water. The street food was incredible too. My favorite was Trdelnik. I couldn’t get enough of it.
I was having a good time until I realized my debit card was missing. Apparently I forgot it in the atm when I was withdrawing money. I felt like an idiot. My only other access to money was a Discover credit card, which isn’t accepted anywhere outside of the USA. I was freaking out on the inside because I didn’t withdraw enough money to last me the rest of my trip. My happiness turned into immense stress but I tried not to show it. As time passed I became very hungry and was wary of spending money but had too much pride to ask any of my new friends to help me out. Without asking, Mattias bought a meal and gave me half of it. I devoured it like it was the best meal in the world. He had no idea the effect that small gesture had on me that day. I learned my lesson from that experience and now only bring my Capital One cards with me. The benefits are twofold, widely accepted all over the world and no foreign transaction fees.
Later that night we explored the nightlife. First stop was an Ice Pub. Yes, it was a pub made 100% out of ice. It was a cool experience, ha. Later we walked to Karlovy lazne, the largest nightclub in Central Europe. This is when things got interesting. Elyssa kept buying me drinks and a different side of me came out. The moment the liquor hit me I thought it was a good idea to do pull ups. There were bars elevated above me which were holding up a glass cage with a dancer performing in it. I grabbed onto the bars and did as many pull ups as possible. I remember the crowd counting as I did each one, encouraging my audacious behavior. I then spotted a beautiful woman across the room so I approached and attempted to flirt with her in Hungarian, not exactly sure if I was speaking coherently. I must have said something right because she gave me her contact info and took me by the hand to meet her friends. I mingled with them for a few minutes and headed back to the dance floor. Anything that happened in the club after that was a blur. Hours later my squad decided it was time to go. We got outside and I instantly vomited on a tree. It wasn’t my proudest moment. Allegedly I was also singing and rapping in the streets but I have no recollection of this. I waved goodbye to my friends and walked to my light rail stop to commute back to my hostel. I sat leaned against a pole, still intoxicated, waiting for the train’s arrival. Minutes later a woman approached me, grabbed my arm, and pulled me to my feet. I was confused by this but she seemed nice enough. We were having a good conversation and I suddenly felt a hand grabbing my crotch while she whispered in my ear “30 euros for sex”. I politely declined as my train approached and I hopped on back to my hostel.
The next day was more laid back. I woke with soreness in my back, arms, and shoulders but I was feeling great otherwise. I met up with Mohamed and Matias. The rest of the group was still in recovery mode from the night before. The three of us must have walked through the entire city. We explored churches and castles and watched street performances. At about sunset we trekked up to Latenske Park. It’s a beer garden with amazing views. We sat and talked for hours about traveling, politics, and life in general. It was a relaxing time on a beautiful summer day in Prague, Czech Republic.
It’s been two years but I still keep in contact with this group through social media. I hope we can one day meet up again to create more fun moments together. I arrived at Prague alone but left with new friendships. Mohamed, Ellysa, Matias, and Caesar, I will never forget you.
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