FINALS….yikes. I’m sure they went fine, but definitely put a
damper on the day. After the first, I found myself with 3 hours to kill before
the next. Julie and I decided to sneak in some fun, and it was awesome. First,
the John Lennon wall. I am so jealous of Julie’s idea and wish DC had something
fun and quirky (obviously not) that I
could have contributed. In Austin, there is a wall with graffiti “I love you so
much!” that is a popular place to take pictures. Julie decided to replicate
this on the John Lennon wall and it looked great. I had spent the past day
contemplating whether I wanted to write something or not. It had become a pet
peeve of mine when big groups of tourists all went and signed the wall. That is
not what it is about, and doing that just detracts from the true meaning and
powerful messages that belong there. Still, I felt after 6 weeks, I wanted to
add something. Everything seemed too
cheesy or selfish. As Julie painted, I walked along the wall, looking for
writings I liked. As I walked, it literally hit me. It was such a strange
feeling. As I was walking, thinking about my time in Prague and the backpacking
trip I had to come, I began to think of how my time in Prague had added extra
strength to my next journey. I knew that after everything that had happened
here, my trip would be further enhanced in a way that would not have occurred
had I just left directly from the U.S. without this incredible experience. I
thought of a quote I had read during
my time in Prague, adding even more meaning to me, and found someone with a
sharpie. Selecting a small spot between “Whisper words of wisdom, let it be…”
and “love is all you need” I added:
To move, to
breath, to fly, to float
To gain all
while you give
To roam the
roads of land remote
To travel
is to live
Thanks Hans Christian Andersen, this was exactly what I was
thinking at this moment, put into words more eloquent than I could ever
conjure. Julie then spray painted a giant J+D on the wall, cause obviously were
in love, and we laughed and continued walking. It is crazy how we had gone from
aimlessly walking everywhere, very confused, to navigating our way literally
across the city with ease. We went all the way to JzP for lunch, just because
we wanted to. Look at us! Moment Café was a vegan coffeeshop that was listed in
the CitySpy Prague map we had picked up when we met Chrissy, and surprisingly,
we had not heard of it before. It was fantastic to be able to fit that in, and
my salad hit the spot. The café itself was great, with interesting artwork, a
cozy atmosphere, and gooood food. I totally recommend the JzP area to anyone
visiting Prague. It is beautiful and has way more to offer than one might
suspect. We went all the way from Prague 3 to Prague 6 for class, and back to
Prague 3 again for naps(more on why later). That night, Bri, Claire, Julie and
I left the apartment to meet with ISA for the last time. We were “surprised” by
Daniela with a boat cruise! The weather was great and we all hung out as a
group for the last time.
Afterwards, Claire, Olivia, Steph, and I went to Black
Angels, which had become a “spot” for Claire and Olivia. This bar, located
below the Hotel U Prince in Old Town Square, is far from a tourist trap. With
no phones allowed, live piano, and INCREDIBLE
drinks, all in a little cave of an underground bar. Sitting at the bar, we
watched the bartenders concoct the craziest mixtures. They only as one
question, “what do you like?” Olivia responded with “tequila” and I followed
suit with “gin, something fresh”, as Steph went with “sweet” and Claire tried
out “vodka, slightly sweet”. Every drink was legitimately like a piece of art.
They were completely different, exactly to the request, and like nothing I had
tried before. The only way I could describe my particular drink was “like a
spa”. But seriously it was! The craziest part about this was that all of the
drinks were only 7 dollars. Lesson of the day: Skip the shots and the red bull and vodkas, Money is well spent at a
place like this. As ridiculous as it sounds, this actually felt like an
enriching experience and I was happy to have a last night out to spend time
with these friends for the last time.
Coming home, I chained myself to my desk, making a to do list of
everything that MUST be completed before I could leave. Finishing all of my
tasks promptly at 2:30 AM, I was impressed I had stayed awake and completed
everything before my trip! I immediately called Julie. In a wonderful
coincidence, she was going to be home soon. At 3:15, we started out for
downtown. Who am I?! Working until 3 am and then going out? But, with good
reason. We stopped at our favorite Dlouha spots, grabbed some Burrito Loco
tacos around 4:30, and headed for the bridge. Julie and I have been talking
about the Charles Bridge at sunrise for a longggg time. On our last possible
opportunity, we finally did it! It was just as beautiful as imagined, and a
perfect way to end our time in Prague. Lesson
of the day: SEE SUNRISE. That one is self-explanatory.
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