Kristian walked me to the station in Warsaw to get my train to the airport yesterday. I thought to check that I was on the correct side of the tracks but didn't bother as I felt pretty confident. Kristian said to walk to the end and turn left. I thought I did, but when the S2 train arrived at the other side of the tracks, I knew I should have checked. I yelled out to a girl on the other side of the tracks saying I might run across the tracks. She shook her head and told me to go around. I ran to the other side but the train had gone. I worked out by the time I had figured out how to get a taxi, the next train would probably come. I'd be running it pretty tight, but what can you do?
Instead of fretting about whether or not I would be able to catch the plane or not, I distracted myself my talking to this lovely Polish woman who has been living in the UK and has started up her own make up business. I'm so inspired and happy for her.
And...I made it on the plane with about ten minutes to spare!
It's such a good lesson to learn and accept the times that you need to let go of control.
Andrea, my Czech friend that I met in 2015 in Lithuanian, met me at the airport with a giant cuddle. Andrea's dad picks us up, he speaks no English but is super cheerful. I say 'I speak no Czech', so don't worry!
Andrea is beautiful, she has been texting me a lot, excited to know what I want our plans to be like in Prague. Again, I say that I am happy, as long as I have her company! Andrea is proud of Czech and happy to go sightseeing. Andrea now is living with her boyfriend in a groovy apartment in the city and has two adorable dogs, she has finished her Masters degree and has a good job.
We are staying at her families house just outside of Prague in a little village. We swam in the pool and drank cocktails. Andrea prepared us rabbit, salughtered by her dad with delicious sauce and bread.
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| Yum. |
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| Andrea and Rasa drinking Aperol Spritz, a very popular drink in Europe. :) |
We had a little nap (naps wherever possible in traveling are a god send) and then made our way out to beautiful Prague.
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| Iceream shop where you pick two cookies to have on either end of the icecream like a sandwich. |
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| This is what I love about Prague. This building has no historical significance. It's just beautiful and is being used as an office for a Turkish Airline. |
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| I'm so happy that animals travel for free on the trains and trams! |
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| Modern art. I kind of love the giant babies actually. |
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| Andrea and our ''Czech snacks' that quickly became dinner (with beer of course). |
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| Andrea's dad is a builder, so their house has many different sections and a huge garden. I am living in the roof, like a cubby, it is great! |
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| One of Andrea's doggies on the train. |
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| National Theater. |
Thursday August 17
Andrea and I made our way out for all you can eat sushi in the city, where the friendly waiter asked Andrea in Czech if I wanted a Czech husband. He told me he would bring me home yummy sushi each day, sounds nice! I love that everywhere I go in Europe everyone seems keen on sushi.
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| Rewarding ourselves with donuts after our shopping. |
Andrea is able to tell that I am fretting about my trek and adjusting to life after. Andrea tells me 'travelers need to pack less to be happy and if you need something a long the way, money fixes everything'. This is true. We both feel though, that even though the book I am reading takes up half of my bag space, I should still bring it. Everyone needs a luxury item when traveling. Andrea tells me as we go through the shops, the prices of things compared to her wage, but she doesn't complain. Andrea has been saving for a year to go to for a month trip to Vietnam for a month with her boyfriend and family late this year. I am so happy for Andrea. I tell Andrea that in Australia, people start complaining if they cannot get as big or as new as a house as they want; spoiled peoples problems! I love Andrea's stories, as when she tells them, she often laughs and then I laugh, it is contagious. We talk about roughing it up traveling just so you can get to a place. Andrea's father drove to Lithuania to pick her up at the end of her exchange in 2015. Andrea and her family also once caught a bus to Spain, which took 34 hours. My best was a 17 hour bus from Canada to America. I cannot imagine a 35 hours bus! I knew that
Andrea spent half a year in Canada but she told me more about it this time. She paid thousands of dollars to do a month long English course in Miami, where she shared a room with 3 other girls and then worked as a 'dish pig' in Canada for 11 Canadian dollars an hours plus tips. This was big money for Andrea though, and she loved it all. Andrea is a 'go getter' and her stories very inspiring.
Andrea asked if I wanted to see their rabbits. I thought they would be wild rabbits. Nope, the cute little fluffballs that look like our old Angora pet rabbit 'Lucky' are what I ate for lunch on my first day! It's a funny thing that people who eat meat still have a hard time seeing the animals when they are alive. When they are on the plate, no one complains. Czech is still winning the best weather in Europe award for me this summer (there is not much humidity here) but it still changes. It started storming. Andrea's work is near the city, so we dropped by and her colleague gave us some new umbrellas, courtesy of her company 'Veracomp'. I like Veracomp! We visited the old Royal Palace in Prague. As you can see, it was a win.
Andrea showed me her fathers clock and bell collection and his girlfriends beautiful collection of puppets (she is a puppeteer). I think Andrea's father would prefer I don't show these photos here, but if he changes his mind, I will post them for sure as they are so beautiful!
Today I went for a run in the forest, but the road leading up to it does not have a running path.
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| The beautiful forest, before it all went wrong! |
Also pedestrian crossings in many places in Europe don't actually result in cars stopping for you, so it's all a bit sketchy. It was foggy so I got lost and ended up running for an hour an a half instead of half an hour! It is very fun speaking with people in English and then having them speak in Czech. One person points straight, I run straight but go to far. I ask someone on the other end where to go, and they point the other way. Eventually I make it make. It's all an adventure. :)
Friday August 18
Yesterday Andrea and I headed out to lunch with her beautiful friend Martina, followed by ice cream. Then we walk across the bridge to see some amazing lookout points at Vyhlídka. It's nearly 30 degrees today! We walk around Vyšehrad cemetery, which is very pretty. A lot of famous people are buried here. I'm not sure who any of them are, but Andrea points out famous Czech authors, musicians and puppeteers. It's quiet around here, which is a contrast to walking through the main square, which is packed with locals and tourists. I nap in the afternoon and apologise to Andrea. I'm exhausted, suddenly traveling for months is catching up with me. I think the idea of having to work again come September makes me feel worried and stressed, but it will be okay. Andrea is great, she tells me to 'do as I would at home'. I wake up and a smiling Andrea is preparing a gourmet barbeque dinner!
In the evening, we have a barbecue together by the fire in the garden. This is the perfect fair well for Czech. We look up the most and least expensive countries in the world and compare this with the wealthiest countries in the world. We swim in the pool and I tell stories about crocodiles and sharks. I tell Andrea and her family that I am waiting for them in Australia. The next time I visit Czech, Andreas family say that we can spend time in their cabin in the forest. Andrea asks permission to tell her family the story of me getting lost on my run and not having any maps. We look on my computer with my GPS watch to see all the places I ran. We all laugh. I admit to Andrea that a day before, I hopped the fence to her house, but then hopped back out as I was unsure if I was in the right place.
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| My beautiful Czech family! |
Love,
Rasa
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