01/04/2010

We called a cab get us to the train by 11am. The cell phone that we never used, but that had time on it only had enough time on it to confirm our hostel in Berlin later that night…or actually the phone cut out even before we could actually confirm the reservations. Luckily Lucie came to our rescue once more and handled the call to the taxi.
At the train station we were able to purchase our tickets to Praha. This time we learned from previous transactions that if you buy multiple fares at one time you receive reduced fares on all. So instead of six hundred twenty five crowns our combined total was only five hundred and one crowns.
The scene on the tracks was one of quiet contemplation and anticipation. A long eleven hours lay in front of us. Finally the small mountain train arrived and revealed itself not as the older slightly dingy car of yester year, rather a shiny new yellow model first, I’m sure, in it’s class. The train came equipped with a cyber chamber for bodily excretions. The door opened and closed at the push of a button not unlike something out of a sci-fi movie or video game.
After a short stop over in Praha we were back on a train back towards Berlin. Foiled again! It was after dark by the time we made our way out of the train station. The only scene to be seen was intermittent streetlights illuminating scattered seconds here and there. The trip felt more like a futuristic submarine ride than a train ride on the DB. The Deutsche Bahn deposited us back into the giant ribbed hull form of the Haupt Bahnhof. Abandoning the idea of taking a bus we opted to take a taxi to our hostel where we are spending the night before our check in at Takt tomorrow. The Odysee is an odd sort of place, not quite as nice as our hostel in Praha. Our room is on the top floor and houses probably twenty-something co-eds. I am waiting to get over this hump and start the next wave.

01/02/11

While yesterday was mostly concerned with taking it easy, and considering the following days to come today saw the enaction of such mundane activities such as laundry and organization. I took Joe around town so he could have a guided tour of our temporary home, one such that he might be able to navigate around by himself while we do the more intricate details of cleaning and scrubbing. Later on that night we availed ourselves of the Krumlovský mlýn. The mill is one part bar, one part museum and one part resturant. All these things combine equal tourist destination. We were there for the food specifically and I must say that on a Sunday night things were dead and the food was alright but not spectacular. The ambiance of the small “hall-like” dining seemed too quiet at times only to be disrupted by the sounds of loud techno billowing out of the bar as two younger men kept roaming back and forth between restaurant and bar. Has off season begun? Afterwards we availed ourselves of a couple as of yet undiscovered bars and drinking establishments. Along our travels we ran across what could have been a ferret or mink having a tussell with a cat. I almost enticed the creature to come over to use but bright lights scared if off. The fact that began to come towards us makes me think it might have been domestic. But I could be wrong and with that may have narrowly averted disaster. This episode took place as we stopped near the Regional Museum to look north over the city rooftops. With a town like this it seems the nights are always still. Every step we took, the crunch of freshly fallen snow could be heard, each breath echoing off the stone and concrete walls.

01/01/2011

And now our time begins to tick down. It has always been as such but now it is more apparent. Two weeks folds into one and a half, turns into only a half week turns into merely days and hours. After two months I am looking around to see what is left to see and the answer is SOO MUCH! My illness early on and subsequent attempt to make up for lost time has prevented me from seeing everything. I say everything in jest as most visitors only see a fraction of what this town has to offer, as much as any town can really. And the wintery weather has put a damper on the free roaming to and fro’. But even in this case the sentiment should be considered false. When one is in a foreign place I think the impulse is to measure one’s success by the amount of souveniers one can accumulate to prove that you did what you did. Photos of yourself in front of monuments, castles, statues and signs serve to justfy the expense of the trip, ticket stubs, beer glasses and T-shirts all signify the experience of being, gently prodding memory cells and reassuring that sense of self that says you were “thought of” during a particular excursion. The next days will consist primarily of beginning to pack, making final arrangements and making our peace with Cesky Krumlov. And maybe do some work? Funny how that works. So much to do even as you make more work for yourself.