I awoke early to pack my things and to catch a train at the HBF station for Prague. I felt quite sad about leaving Berlin and wanted to stay longer. But I'll be back one day. At the station, I wandered around for quite some time, lost again and confused by the signs. Where was platform 1? It was also chilly in the station so I visited some shops to warm up. I started to hear chanting and a loud boom. I looked outside and it was filled with a crowd, many wearing bright blue shirts and scarves, chanting for their football team and creating a real rowdy racket. The station was filled with police officers on high alert. Finally, I found my platform and waited with the other chilly and anxious passengers for the train to arrive.
I boarded the train and sat in a compartment with a German woman that was ready for a hike but was fanning herself, looking overheated and anxious. The other woman was prepared for her four hour journey to Prague. She ate two sandwiches and an apple. It made me feel quite hungry, so I stepped out of the compartment to enjoy the scenery and to get some air. I spoke to a young woman who boarded the train at Dresden. She spoke to me in German at first and then in English, "It's beautiful, isn't it?" We were looking at the houses and hilly landscape around the Elbe River, which started in Dresden. I considered stopping in Dresden for a bike ride along the Elbe. Maybe I'll come back and try this one day. There were many cyclists and hikers on the Elbe.
When I arrived in Prague, I found my long time friend Sharise and her two dogs, Helmut and Jessie. I was so glad to see her. She was wearing a tank top and jeans. It was warm and bright outside, a perfect day. We hiked up the road towards her flat. I felt so alien in this place, I wasn't sure what to expect from Prague, it felt so "Eastern European" and I'm not sure what that means. Then I noticed how colorful and beautiful the buildings in her neighborhood looked. She lives about a fifteen minute walk from the main train station. It was a little hike, but didn't require taking the tram. The sidewalks weren't concrete, but cobbled. The buildings are all over a century old and each are a unique color with decorative embellishments. One building has a most unusual entrance, with what resembles Babylonian statues on each side of the door, and a sphinx like creature above the doorway.
When we entered Sharise's building, I was immediately impressed with the unique woodwork and designs on the doors and in the hallway. I couldn't believe she was living in such a gorgeous building that seemed like it would be so expensive to rent in a city like Paris or London. We took a tiny, closet-like elevator to the fifth floor, the top floor of the building. When she opened the door to her flat, I was impressed with how clean and modern it looked, parquet floors in the entrance, tile floors in the living room and a modern kitchen, two bedrooms, a guest and full bathroom. It was a really nice airy flat and I immediately felt comfortable and at home in her place.
I told Sharise I needed a drink, like a refreshing cold beer and something to eat. She said, "Well you'll need Crowns in Prague, we don't use Euros. Let's go to the local beer garden at the park and I'll get your food and beer." So Sharise took her two dogs and we walked across the street to the park. She lets her dogs go unleashed, mother and son. They run and play, they're really sweet and a joy to be around. We entered a large enclosed area with a couple of booths, one serving food, another drinks. There picnic tables filled with people, children and pets are welcome. A large projector displays the latest football game and the guys cheer when their team makes a score. We both order a bratwurst, which comes with two yummy pieces of bread on the side. I squeeze a kind of dijon mustard on my sausage and take it to the table. Sharise asks what kind of beer I want and I ask for a pilsner or whatever the local brew is. The Czech Republic is supposed to be famous for their pilsner beers. Sharise brings me a pilsner and a dark beer for herself. She said eating meat was something she wasn't used to doing lately since she's trying to eat healthy wholesome food, but she would enjoy it while I'm visiting. She bit into her sausage and said, "Oh, so good!" I tried the sausage and then understood, it was juicy and rich, a delicious sausage. I ate bread with my sausage but couldn't finish all of it. Sharise gave the rest of my sausage to Helmet who was sitting next to her on the bench. I hope he enjoyed that treat. We had a really good time laughing and catching up on what was going on in our lives.
Sharise took the dogs back to her flat and we decided to set out for Old Town Prague. She tried to help me get oriented with the area, showing me where the trams were and how to get to the "touristy" part of the city. We passed a museum, a bronze statue of some historical figure on a horse and walked down a street full of shops. I was bewildered. We came to a large church with an astronomical clock, a real tourist attraction, and the main square. Various artists perform in the square, a man singing cover songs and playing a guitar was surrounded by a crowd. His songs were in English and all were recognizable. I bought a beer and Sharise bought a warm mulled wine from the street vendor.
We walked down some streets and came to the Vltava River that runs through Prague, absolutely breathtaking. This river appeared to be the life blood and gem of Prague. By the time we reached the famous Charles Bridge, it was twilight and I was going to try to take a photo of the castle and church on the other side of the river. I believe I took some surprisingly nice shots of the illuminated buildings in the distance. We went to Slavia Cafe, for a dessert. I ordered a delicious cake with berries and a hot pear tea. Then we walked to the tram and headed back to Sharise's flat. I was exhausted, my feet ached and I knew I would sleep well and did.