Up and at em, it’s the last real day to explore! I started
my morning by returning to Muj Salek Kavy, which is by far the greatest coffeeshop in the entire Czech republic. It
truly is “my cup of tea”. I caught up on blogs over a giant omlette and London
fog, thinking about the fact that something has GOT to change in my hometown,
how can this exist here only 15 years after the velvet revolution but there is
absolutely no comparison in DC, MD, VA? Come on people...! After a few hours, I
headed back to Prague 1 to meet Julie, Bri, Lisa, Claire, and Olivia for
paddleboating. We had been talking about doing this since day 1, but other
things got in the way and our intentions were rained out at least 3 times.
Thankfully, the little bit of rain cleared up right as we got in our boats, and
we had a great time relaxing on the water, seeing all of the sights from a
different view. Returning to land, Julie, Claire, Olivia, and I crossed the
river to the John Lennon Wall, which they had not been to before. I am starting
to become a bit desensitized to going there, which I do not like. However, it
gave me plenty of time to think of what I want to write! Since I had gone
without lunch, starving, I peeked into Beas on my way home. Beas Vegetarian
Dhaba is the last really popular vegetarian chain I had missed, and my lentil
soup completely hit the spot. Later, I made my way to Fittop and then to meet
Sam for dinner! Realizing I was a little bit early, I decided to walk to
Namesti Republicky. This was a walk I knew well from my first week, however,
after learning the incredible public transport system, my laziness took over
and I always resorted to tram 26 or 5 to cover this distance. However, walking
to town now I had a completely different perspective of this area and what was
around it. I appreciated Hybernska in a totally different light, and it
actually was faster(albeit more physical) than the tram. Our location in
Seifertova is actually perfect. Following my Indian theme, Sam and I finally
tried Indian Jewel and it was delicious. It is crazy to think about the comparison
of how long and how many times I have spent with Sam versus how much time we
have spent one on one. It was awesome to get quality time together! 
Heading
home, I found a very reluctant Julie, who was feeling tired, poor, and
discouraged by our impending exams the following morning. Nope, we only have 3
days left in Prague my friend. For all of her directions pep talks, comes one
of my exploring lectures. I begged and pleaded, promising a visit to her
favorite building. And so we were off. Looking back, it is weird to think that
this is the last of of Julie and my adventures ad a duo trying to find
something new and exciting. This was the perfect last night. Tramming with ease
to the riverfront, we got off in front of the dancing building – Julie’s
favorite. This building is a Franky Gehry masterpiece and is truly magnificent,
especially at night. Climbing to the top, we found ourselves in a swanky,
glass, bar inside the “woman”, chandelier swinging as if it was a swaying
earring. So cool. Heading outside onto the “man” we were faced with a giant
light fixture and an incredible view of Prague. However, on closer look, we
realized that this huge centerpiece, as well as all of the railings, were
covered in TONS of spiders. Anyone who knows me well is probably laughing right
now, but I think I handled this maturely (wimpering to Julie quietly). Still,
this was freaking cool. So I got over it. We ordered a $2 glass of wine that
actually was really, really, good and looked through the telescope like dorks.
However, I would definitely recommend doing this because seeing all of the
buildings so close at night was a truly magical experience. I sound like a huge
nerd, but it was really, really, really, beautiful.
After enjoying the view for
a while, we walked to the riverfront. Since day 1, I had been trying to go to
Bajkazyl, a bike shop turned bar along the riverfront. I had also learned this
day that one of the places I pass on the running path is an expansion of this
brand, and I was more determined than ever. Walking down the steps to the
riverfront, we found ourselves in a huge crowd of people that were unnoticeable
from above. This is where Prague hangs out at night. Lesson of the day: Take advice from locals seriously. Vratislav had
said this was his go-to hangout, and it still stayed on our list, uncrossed,
until the last night. We meandered through the crowd, appreciating the vibe and
the view, when I realized that this was not actually the right bar. There are
so many cool bars around Naplavka! We continued walking to the next bridge,
hearing “I’m Yours” being sung faintly and then louder and louder. Finding
ourselves at a small stage under the bridge, a huge crowd of people gathered
around watching, grabbing drinks, sitting with their feet dangling over the
edge of the bike path. The singer started with “Wonderwall”, Julie and I looked
at each other and immediately started belting the words. I will forever
remember this moment, screaming “I said maybeeeee” at the top of my lungs, my
best friend by my side as giddy as ever, hanging out outside on a beautiful
night, at the coolest bar, with an amazing view. This was so Prague. So us. I
could not have asked for a better night!
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