It's now 5:45pm, and I've been sitting in this net cafe for the last 7 hours. I'm currently in Vienna, and I managed to see a lot of the city yesterday and I just wasn't in the mood to see anymore. Besides, I actually enjoyed being indoors and getting my fix of email, Facebook and catching up on TV shows. Will need to head off in an hour or so in order to catch my night train to Rome. But for now, since I have time to kill, and I've caught up on everything, I will blog. One last note, I know that my parents read this. A simple message to them: I am fine. There is nothing to worry about. I am the most cautious/paranoid person that anyone will ever meet (ask my friends). I am very responsible. I know how to take care of myself very well. And I will return home in less than a month safe and sound. On that note, let's begin the recount.
Day 49: Since I extended my stay at the last minute, I had to switch rooms since my bed was already booked by someone else. Not a big deal. After moving all my stuff, I was ready to face the day and get all those things that I wanted to do before leaving Prague. First stop was Charles Bridge. In the middle, there's a statue with two scultures underneath of a woman and a dog. You're only meant to rub the woman for good luck; rubbing the dog is bad luck. Apparently not everyone knows this, because tourists were rubbing both, simply because the ones before them were doing it. They pretty much cancelled out their luck. Being the knowledgeable one, I only rubbed the lady, and received my dose of luck. Moving on from the bridge, I was now in the quarter known as Mala Strana. Walking uphill to Prague Castle was a bit of a challenge with all the snow on the ground, and the falling ice from the roofs. But apart from that, it was a beautiful cloudless day, which made the trek a bit more enjoyable. I had only one objective in going to Prague Castle: to see the stuffed animals in the library of the monks. I had seen everything else on my guided tour the other day. And to be honest, after I saw it, I was really disappointed. It was not as interesting as the guide had made it out to be, and it was tiny. And most of the specimens were just of normal animals, and not of those crazy combinations that he had talked about (but at least admission was cheap). Since my goal for going up to Prague Castle was achieved, I headed back across Charles Bridge and into the centre of the city for some lunch. Walking all that time had made me extremely ravenous. Traditional Czech food or greasy fast food? First thing I saw was a KFC so why not lol? I bought a meal for two (two orginal recipe, two large chips, four crispy strips, four wicked wings) for a ridiculously little amount of money. It only ended up being the equivalent of 8 euros. I was so full afterwards though that I had to head back to the hostel to lie down for a bit though lol. After my quick rest, I was back out and heading for the Pinkhas Synagogue to see the drawings and paintings that the children in the concentration camps had drawn. A lot of them are actually really good. There were some really artistic children in there. Anyways, after that poignant experience, I had pretty much achieved everything I wanted to get out of Prague, so I headed to the main square for some souvenir shopping. Along the way though, I saw the Sex Machines Museum. Intrigued, I entered. It was really interesting and amusing to say the least lol. Might be one of the most memorable museums of Europe for me lol. Anyways, after that, I ended up meeting up with Dave who I met in Berlin. We had a quick dinner in the Christmas Markets and then just explored the city before ending the night at a bar for some quiet drinks and conversation. It was really nice to see a friend (albeit I had only met him a few days ago in Berlin, but fellow travellers form friendships easily). It was a great way to spend my last night in Prague. Interesting last note: I came back to the hostel to find out that girls (who had just been on a pubcrawl) were throwing up in the room that I originally was in. Glad I got to change rooms lol.
All in all, Prague is a beautiful city as anyone will tell you. I really enjoyed my time here, as evidenced by my desire to extend my stay. And everything is so cheap here, especially the food!! I will forever remember the potato soup, which I hope that I'll be able to get back in Sydney cos that was amazing!!
Day 50: I had 450 crowns left and I needed to spend it all before I left the Czech Republic. At the station, I ended up using it to buy myself lunch and the seventh Harry Potter book. I've read it so many times before, but I knew that I could always read it again, plus it would keep me occupied on the train ride. Caught the 10:39am train from Prague to Vienna. Snow delayed the train for half an hour, but that was nothing compared to another train that was delayed for 6 hours. Train ride was a lot quicker than usual thanks to my book lol. But I almost missed my stop because I went to piss without knowing how close we were. I've never rushed that quickly off a train before. I didn't even have time to put on my jacket, scarf, beanie or gloves so I was freezing once I was standing on the platform. But at least I was standing on the platform. Found my way to the hostel, and met up with Linda!! Finally, a familiar face from home!! It was so good to see her and have someone to talk to about stuff from home. Her and her friends had just come from India, and were craving a steak (as well as a fresh salad) so badly, so we all went to dinner at a steakhouse. After dinner, got back to the hostel, and was finally able to do laundry. The rest of them were extremely jetlagged and conked out pretty early so I went downstairs and just sat and read my book whilst I waited for the dryer to be done with my clothes. Everything was finally done by midnight or so, and I was so glad to have clean clothes to wear again!!
Day 51: Pretty much a sightseeing day. We walked around all day, and spent quite a while in Belvedere Castle examining the place. It was a cold day, and it was constantly snowing. Lunch for me was a type of sausage which was infused with cheese or something but it was so good. But yeah, pretty much, we just walked around all day. We ended up getting separated at the busy Christmas Markets, and so we just wandered ourselves and then met up at the hostel. Dinner was at a really nice Austrian bar/restaurant. I had some beef steaks and spatzle, which is like a smaller version of gnocchi, in a butter and mushroom sauce. It tasted really good, but I think it may have just been the sauce that made it so good for me. Getting back to the hostel, I checked my Facebook, and saw a video of the guys doing a toast for me. Watching that video made me realise just how much I missed home and missed seeing my family and friends, and actually brought a tear to my eye. Much love guys, and thanks for doing that!! It's nice to know that I'm not forgotten. It was the highlight of my night.
Day 52: Woke up early to see Linda and co off. They were heading off to Munich, whereas I would be heading to Rome. Pretty much, after that, I had nothing to do all day except wait til my train cos I didn't really feel like seeing much more of Vienna. Instead, I plonked myself down in the nearest net cafe, and I've been here for 7 hours. The main thing that happened today, was that when I opened my email, I saw "Offer of enrolment: Masters of Org Psych 2011". I immediately opened the email and read it with joy. It was definitely the happiest I had been in a very long time. I actually don't know the last time I was this happy. I actually had tears of joy streaming down my face, and I couldn't stop smiling. Definitely made my day!! I emailed back instantly accepting my offer. I'm going to be an organisational psychologist!! Now I have to email USyd and reject dentistry, but at least I'm giving someone else the opportunity that they really want (as opposed to me doing it, when it was only ever used a back-up option, and my heart may never have really been in it). I still can't stop smiling when I think about the offer.
Anyways, I think it may be time for me to head off. I've been in here way too long lol. Will still need to grab something to eat (and maybe a coffee) before I catch my overnight train. Time to head off now!! Will post once I get to Rome safe and sound.
HBL signing out from Vienna, Austria. Auf wiedersehen!!
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