breakin' free https://journals.worldnomads.com/elkstar78/ Thu, 16 Apr 2026 23:49:25 GMT World Nomads Adventures Today promised adventure, albeit the unexpected random kind. I was at the horse on Vaclavaku ten minutes early for my meeting with good friend Labus. Tourists milled around the statue of the old king and a young lad was passed out on a nearby bench, completely oblivious to the rising sun warming his face. Another lad was slumped over next to him, not exactly conscious either. A good night then? Vaclavske Namesti (Wenceslas Square) was the site of the revolution in 1989. Hundreds and thousands of people gathered here to denounce communism and usher in a new era of freedom. Now it's drab - nothing redeeming about it at all - except for the magnificent statue of the good king Wenceslas on his horse looking down over it's narrow square. The home of the revolution is now filled with imported franchises and brand names - McDonald's (the first), KFC, and soon Starbucks. After 15 minutes and still no Labus, I finally texted him. "I'm on the road. 5 minutes" Apparently, in his smoker's reckoning, appointments should allow for half an hour of flexi time. As my husband pointed out though when i told him, it's never half an hour earlier is it? A bottle of becherovka in hand (but no cups!!!) we found a park bench near the main train station and planned our day. We were off to a park on the outskirts of Prague to enjoy the stunning Czech weather. It's weather that you dream of - blue skies, not a cloud in sight. Not too hot, not too cold, just glorious and inspiring. When I spoke to Labus on the phone, he'd promised me a day out and swore i wouldn't have to pay for anything. Now he informed me he had no money, just becherokva and 100 crowns. But when we want to buy some cold beer, the attendant wouldn't accept the note because it was singed - a result of who knows what kind of escapades from the night before. We took the metro to the end station and worked out which of the 5 underground exits was best to walk out of. We walked up the stairs to... nothing. Just fields and a space age bus shelter. Maybe they're planning for the future, we pondered. "Who here is going to Vorich?" Labus called out. A bus commuter holds up his hand. "Are there pubs there?" Labus asks. "Yes, there are". But it turns out the next bus isn't for another two hours and they young man explains he is going to a nearby town and hitch-hiking from there. "And are there pubs in that town?" Labus asks. "Not as good as the ones in Vorich but there are." The thing about the Czech Republic is that it is incredibly green and coming from a drought-stricken country the colour is all rather novel. Add to that the blue skies and you really do feel as if you are in paradise. The pub we found ourselves in (with its wooden furnishings and horns of wildebeest displayed on the wall) had Cesnecka on the menu (garlic soup), and as the only other vegetarian option was pickled hermelin cheese i went for that. We then took the bus to... well we didn't actually know where we were going, we just knew we were just going somewhere. All of a sudden the surrounding apartment blocks (panelaky) started to look very family. Could it be.. no.. surely not... actually i think it is... yes it is! "Quick we have to get out" I said, "this is the street where my babi (grandma) used to live. Let's go see if my cousin is home". So out of a city of a million and a half inhabitants and sprawled out surrounds, i found myself ringing the doorbell of my cousin's apartment. No answer. Damn. In the evening we made our way to Zizkov, my beloved Zizkov. Zizkov is my old stamping ground and as we walked up the hill from the main train station, i couldn't help but recall the tram-ride that changed my life. I'd met someone randomly at a bus-stop (I was crying, he asked why) who invited me back to his hostel in Zizkov. We caught the tram, walked up a steep hill, he rang the doorbell to the hostel and this tall lanky blonde-haired man opened the door to let us in. "This is elk" introduced my new friend. "elk" said the man in a drawling American accent. "There's lots of elk in Idaho". And that was how I chanced upon the Clown and Bard, and Chrissy, and even though I didn't know it at the time, my soon-to-be future husband. But i digress - Labus and I meandered up the main street of Zizkov until we came to a park near the Jewish cemetary. We walked up to the top of the hill and there was a little booth selling beer and a DJ playing some very cool tunes - from reggae to Nirvana to classical! (That's my kind of mix) Young Czech people and their dogs where everywhere, just enjoying the balmy weather and each other's company. The view was incredible. On one hand you had the "slums" of Zizkov, the dirty ugly high rises but they were next to the heavily wooded Jewish cemetary. But on the right - what a view! You could see the glorious Prague Castle in the distance and the lights of the city as they twinkled below. The setting sun spread it's pink rays over the entire scene and it was such a magic moment I just drank it all in. We stayed there until the sun had well and truly set, and a couple of porcupines crossed our path as they began their nightly forage. Ah Praha... https://journals.worldnomads.com/elkstar78/story/58392/Czech-Republic/Day-Two-starring-porcupines-and-becherovka Travel Czech Republic elkstar78 https://journals.worldnomads.com/elkstar78/story/58392/Czech-Republic/Day-Two-starring-porcupines-and-becherovka#comments https://journals.worldnomads.com/elkstar78/story/58392/Czech-Republic/Day-Two-starring-porcupines-and-becherovka Mon, 7 Jun 2010 18:46:00 GMT 0 The good news is I'm sitting here with a Czech beer in hand. The flight over seemed really long. It started with a 2 hour wait on the tarmac in Adelaide as the crew inspected a prior bird strike on the wing - then once that was deemed ok they had to wait to get clearance, etc. Then there was the unexpected stopover in Melbourne and then the flight to Hong Kong, where literally had time to walk from one end of the airport to the other before catching the next 10 hour leg to Helsinki. By the time I got to Prague though (bang on time) I'd had enough sleep to be feeling fine. Liduska and her husband Beda picked me up and took me to their big house on the outskirts of Prague. I thought of you because Liduska had made this beautiful cauliflower soup and fried cauliflower (she fried it in this little deep frying machine she had) with boiled potatoes. The weather is stunning. Blue skies, birds singing, the smell of spring in the air. Not only was I overdressed and sweating i didn't really packed anything suitable in my suitcase, as I'd packed according to the weather forecast on the Internet. Which up until yesterday has been miserable, cold and wet. The only thing i had was my short black skirt so whaddayaknow, i went shopping with Liduska looking like a fox! Quite a novelty. We found some beautiful linen pants which are far more decent and I bought a SIM card. I'm really struck by the range of clothes available in Prague now. When i first lived here with Kat we despaired of the cheap crappy choices. Now you'll find as good as you would back home. And not just clothes. Food. Coffee. Stuff. The Czechs have moved up in the world. There was even a fountain in the middle of this glass-domed light-filled shopping centre! How civilised. I still find it a little bit frightening talking to the shop assistants. They speak so fast and they're more gruff than friendly. But they are helpful. And I was touching this wrapping paper and the assistant came over AND DIDN'T TELL ME OFF FOR TOUCHING IT!!!! That's a change too. I have to share this with you though. Liduska and I were on the bus when he slowed down for the next stop. This woman at the back started shouting "You idiot, you're braking like a mad man. Can't you drive normally?" We turned around to look at this loud interruption, busdriver included. The lady's shopping bag had fallen to the floor and she was pissed off. Liduska and I agreed the busdriver hadn't been driving erratically but the woman kept complaing loudly. The lad behind us said "I'd like to see you grandma get in the seat and drive the bus yourself, see how well you do it". Classic!!! In the late afternoon we visited their sons' house - they're about a 15 minute walk away and both Ondra and Martin and their families live next door to each other. Their houses are amazing. Big, two storey, massive garden, lots of windows (the natural light, i love natural light), lots of wood and pot plants and plantation blinds. I was impressed. So that's day one. Tomorrow I'm having a day out with my good friend Labus. I'm hoping we might head out of Prague, do some walking or something. Have an adventure! https://journals.worldnomads.com/elkstar78/story/58391/Czech-Republic/Day-One Travel Czech Republic elkstar78 https://journals.worldnomads.com/elkstar78/story/58391/Czech-Republic/Day-One#comments https://journals.worldnomads.com/elkstar78/story/58391/Czech-Republic/Day-One Sat, 5 Jun 2010 18:42:00 GMT 0