Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder
I woke up with the same dull aching swollen eye & figured out that the apartment had a terrible moldy/musty smell to it & I know that I’m horribly allergic to mold. I showered, dressed quickly & got the hell out of there. I found a cafe to sit & have multiple different kinds of drinks in…cappuccino, fruit smoothly & a warm cacao mushroom drink that was heaven. I wanted to save my food budget for something mid-day substantial. I felt I was eating in restaurants too much & hadn’t purchased any groceries to off-set the dining out yet. The day was at least sunny, albeit cool, & once I was fuelled by liquids, I headed towards Prague Castle.
To get to Prague Castle you must cross the pedestrian only, Charles Bridge & there were hoards of people taking it all in. A band, consisting of five old guys, was playing & I stopped to watch/listen to them, dropping what coins I had into their open guitar case. I loved the vibe…musicians, artists, pop up vendors selling crap…the sun was shining & I didn’t have a care in the world. I just took my time getting to the castle…enjoying each step of the way. I walked the narrowest street in Prague, that had a stop & go light because you couldn’t meet anyone on the road as it was so narrow. I climbed The Great South Tower of the Cathedral of St. Vitus…all 280 narrow spiral steps up for a 360° view of the magnificent city. I lingered once I got up there, not only because my heart was beating out of my chest & my legs were jelly, but also because it was just so lovely looking down on the city & taking in all the roof tops. The details I could see from the top were incredible & I savoured every eye full.
Once rested, I climbed down the stairs, this time taking them at a fast pace & feeling kind of full of myself. My endurance & determination for physical fitness always has amazed me. Even though I haven’t officially worked-out in many years, that wouldn’t stop me from doing anything. I would go until I dropped dead honestly.
Today, I didn’t need to do that & once I got down, I continued on walking this area of the city. Narrow cobblestone streets, picturesque buildings with interesting shops…I was falling hard for Prague. I decided it was time for a beer & found a busy restaurant with outdoor seating. Whitney messaged that she had pulled into town from Wroclaw & wondered if I wanted to get together & grab an early dinner before the symphony, which started at 6:30.
Whitney had been to Prague before & since her job allows her to work from anywhere, she’s been buggering around Europe, halfway to heal her broken heart, but like me, she really just needs to hit the reset button. I think we all have broken hearts in some way or another, whether it’s love or work or health or family…something somewhere along the line has hurt us deeply & only WE know what we need to heal. For Whitney & I, travel is the place to start.
Since Whit has been here before & has booked three weeks to enjoy this magical city, I told her she was on the hook to pick the place to meet for dinner & she chose Lokal U Bile Kuzelky, a traditional Czech restaurant. I got there first & the place was packed. I ordered a grapefruit beer & glanced over the menu…all the favourites with a few specialties. The waiter said there was a time limit on the table, so as soon as she showed up we ordered; Whitney a bowl of lentil soup + turkey schnitzel with potatoes & I chose the cauliflower & potatoes…going vegetarian this time. The dinner was good & even better to catch up with my new friend & talk about Prague. I can totally see why she was raving this amazing city & also why she chose to spend three weeks here.
We walked together to the symphony concert, which was about a 20 minute walk from where we had dinner. We said goodbye at the old church door & I continued in to find my seat.
I am a firm believer that if you’re going to buy a ticket to see something, whether it’s a sporting event or a concert, bite the bullet & spend the money for the best seat in the house. I secured the third row, first seat & filed in with the other classical music enthusiasts. The one hour concert was beautiful & I was bursting inside watching the musicians make their instruments come to life. The lead violinist was on fire, his fingers moving like he was possessed…without glancing at sheet music, his violin made me weep with joy.
Once the concert ended, I walked out onto the street in a jumble of people & made my way up to see the boys at the pub across from my apartment, not bothering to go home first. I was greeted warmly & had my first ever experience with Absinthe. *insert holy-shit face here*.
Part drug, part alcohol, part mystical elixir…absinthe has played a big part in the history of libations since before Christ was born. The main ingredient, wormwood, has medicinal properties & initially the drink was distilled to cure a battery of ailments. It had a cult-like following up until prohibition put a kabosh on all the fun things, but in the 1990’s it’s started regained its popularity. It seems every region serves the “Green fairy” a bit differently, but the boys pulled out a bottle of the good stuff from under the counter & served it with a sugar cube & a glass of water. I was told to sip the bitter potion, savouring each flavour that presented itself. You don’t get drunk on absinthe…you get loaded. So I’m told. I don’t over imbibe, so one green fairy & a pint was enough for me.
I said my goodbyes to the boys & home I went to pack. I decided to book a different place to stay so I can stay longer & I’m moving tomorrow…I just can’t get enough of Prague, but I’m definitely over the moldy apartment!
